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The Situation Room
Calls For Calm Among Middle Eastern Cartoon Protests; Escaped Yemen Prisoner May Be Connected To New York Terror Cell; Police Wish To Question Two Men In Alabama Church Fires; McCain, Obama Call Cease- Fire; Political Uproar At Coretta Scott King Funeral; American Citizen May Be Handed Over To Iraqis; Which Depictions Of Mohammed Are Allowed?; What You Eat May Not Matter That Much When It Comes To Cancer And Heart Disease; Baer Finds No Silver Lining in Hamas Victory
Aired February 08, 2006 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: It's almost 5:00 p.m. here in Washington, and you're in THE SITUATION ROOM, where news and information from around the world are arriving at one place at the same time.
Happening now, seemingly unending days of rage. More chaos, calamity and casualties over those controversial cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammed. The secretary of state suggests Iran is fanning the flames, while Iranians are throwing stones shouting, "We are willing to sacrifice our lives for the Prophet Mohammed."
It's 4:00 p.m. in Alabama, where there are new links in a chain of fires. Officials are trying to track down two white men in a dark SUV. We're going to have details.
And think you can avoid some common diseases by watching what you eat? A new study says fat chance.
I'm Wolf Blitzer. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
Right now provocative sparks are igniting fiery protests in the Muslim world, and calls for calm have been unable to cool the highly- charged atmosphere. It centers on those controversial cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammed.
In Afghanistan, rioters in Kabul are expressing their freedom of speech in angry protests over the cartoons. Elsewhere in Afghanistan, five people died in riots.
In Iran, mobs threw stones at the British Embassy in Tehran, shouting -- and I'm quoting now -- "Death to Britain."
And in France, a satirical weekly reprints the cartoons and adds one of its own to its front page. The new cartoon depicts the Prophet Mohammed burying his face in his hands and saying, "It's hard to be loved by fools."
President Jacques Chirac is asking the news media not to offend religious beliefs.
The cartoon controversy is forcing President Bush is walk a very fine line between freedom of speech and freedom from violence.
More now from our White House Correspondent Suzanne Malveaux -- Suzanne.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, the back story here is, according to White House and state Department officials who I spoke with, they were not pleased with the initial news reports about this story late last week. They feel like administration officials' comments were taken out of context, they were misconstrued that the United States was blaming Denmark for this controversy.
Well, today the White House wanted to make it absolutely clear that that was not the case.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I call upon the governments around the world to stop the violence.
MALVEAUX (voice over): Backing him, the president's powerful Middle Eastern ally, Jordan's King Abdullah.
KING ABDULLAH II, JORDAN: Anything that vilifies the Prophet Mohammed --peace be upon him -- or attacks Muslim sensibilities I believe needs to be condemned. But at the same time, those that want to protest should do it thoughtfully, articulately.
MALVEAUX: Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice accused America's foes of deliberately stoking the controversy.
CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECRETARY OF STATE: Iran and Syria have gone out of their way to enflame sentiments and to use this to their own purposes, and the world ought to call them on it.
MALVEAUX: The outrage over the Mohammed cartoon first published in the Danish media is admittedly a sensitive issue, Mr. Bush said.
BUSH: We believe in a free press. We also recognize that, with freedom, comes responsibilities.
MALVEAUX: Saturday, when Muslim protesters set the Danish and Norwegian embassies on fire in Syria, the White House issued a carefully crafted statement expressing solidarity with Denmark and our European allies in opposition to the outrageous acts. But Monday the president's spokesman made a point to recognize the protesters' concerns.
SCOTT MCCLELLAN, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: We understand fully why Muslims find the cartoons offensive.
MALVEAUX: In the same statement, the administration also condemned offensive Arab media.
MCCLELLAN: ... cartoons and articles that frequently have appeared in the Arab world espousing anti-Semitic and anti-Christian views.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: Wolf, of course, a delicate balance the White House here is really trying to establish. On the one hand, we know that the president did call the Danish Prime Minister Rasmussen yesterday to say that of course he certainly supports him.
We are also understanding, the White House says, that it's very much satisfied with the cooperation, the statements they've gotten from the allies in the Middle East, including Jordan, Saudi Arabia, as well as Egypt -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Suzanne, thank you very much.
Suzanne Malveaux reporting from the White House.
The controversy and the violence are especially shocking to Denmark, which historically has had very good relations with the Muslim world.
Our senior international correspondent, Matthew Chance, is in Copenhagen, where he sat down with the Danish prime minister -- Matthew.
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Thanks, Wolf.
The people of Denmark of course are not used to being at the center of fury across the Muslim world, but it was in Denmark, in a newspaper here where the images, the cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed that caused such offense first appeared. And tonight the people of this country and its prime minister are watching developments with alarm.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERS FOGH RASMUSSEN, DANISH PRIME MINISTER: Actually, it is a bit shocking. We are witnessing the events unfolding with disbelief and sadness. We are not used to it.
And I think it's a false picture of Denmark. We are portrayed as a society which is intolerant and an enemy of Islam, and it's a false picture.
On the contrary, I consider Denmark one of the most tolerant and open societies. You might call it a liberal society.
CHANCE (voice over): Still, Denmark is a country of traditions, like free speech. Despite the anger and the violence, the prime minister told us it was not for the government to curtail free speech over a dozen satirical cartoons, even if the drawings caused offense to Muslims.
RASMUSSEN: We have freedom of expression, but also freedom of religion. So of course it is -- it is a balance, but I think that everybody should realize that neither the Danish government nor the Danish people can be held responsible for what is published in a free and independent newspaper.
CHANCE: The Danish public is divided. They enjoy their free press, but many feel the cartoons crossed a red line, increasing the risk they could be targets of terrorist groups.
The prime minister was careful to downplay that possibility.
RASMUSSEN: I don't think this specific case will increase the risk specifically for Denmark, but we should be aware of the fact that globally there is an increased risk.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHANCE: Well, Wolf, the fact is, though, that the people of Denmark, this country, has become entwined in the minds of many people across the Islamic world with an insult against Islam. And many Danes know this and say they are feeling a little insecure as a result.
Back to you.
BLITZER: Thanks very much.
Matthew Chance reporting from Copenhagen.
In November, a Muslim cleric named Ahmed Abu Laban took cartoons to the Middle East to try to "internationalize" the protest. Reports suggest he also showed cartoons that never even appeared in the Danish press. Critics say he was trying to fan the flames.
Just a short while ago I asked the Muslim cleric if he understood the extreme reactions to what's happening.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
IMAM ABU LABAN, ISLAMIC BELIEF SOCIETY: We disagree with any fatwa coming from abroad. We are living in Europe and we think we are competent enough to produce the necessary fatwa.
We have enjoyed the atmosphere of democracy. The prime minister of Denmark has repeated so many time that the situation in Denmark is to respect people of any faith and to deal with them in a decent and fair way.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: I also asked the cleric about allegations he helped fan the flames in this controversy. His response, that's coming up. The full interview airs tonight, 7:00 p.m. Eastern, here in THE SITUATION ROOM.
CNN "Security Watch" and concern that an escaped prisoner in Yemen is connected to a terror cell that was discovered in upstate New York, near Buffalo.
Our Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr, is following the story. She has more -- Barbara.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, U.S. officials now confirming that the man you are about to see -- he is Jaber ElBaneh -- that this U.S.-born man was one of the more than 20 escapees from a Yemeni jail last Friday. Many of these escapees very heavily tied to al Qaeda terrorist operations.
ElBaneh is said to be the seventh man in the so-called Lackawanna Six. That's that upstate New York cell that busted up a couple of years ago. Most of them now in prison. But he was in prison in Yemen.
All of them had been charged in the U.S. with material support to terrorism, to attending training camps in Afghanistan. He now apparently one of the men who escaped in this massive escape from a jail in Yemen.
There are new details about that prison breakout, Wolf. U.S. and Yemeni officials now confirming that there was inside help.
This was a political security prison. Many -- or several, we should say -- of the employees now being detained and questioned in regard to that prison break. Every belief there was inside help, that the inmates had a little too much independence in moving around that prison.
Also, we have confirmed from officials that inside that cell that they left, there was graffiti on the walls. That graffiti is now being translated to see if any of it involved messages that are threatening to the United States or threatening attacks.
They escaped through a tunnel. They dug a tunnel more than a football field long. It came out, the other end of the tunnel, the escape, in a woman's section of a nearby mosque. Officials are now saying that people in the mosque appear to have known something about the digging, but ignored it -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Barbara Starr at the Pentagon with the latest on that.
Thank you, Barbara, very much.
And to our viewers, please stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.
Now to another major story we're following. Who is burning down houses of worship in rural Alabama? Officials are trying to track down two men they want to question.
Our David Mattingly is on the scene in Alabama. He's joining us now live -- David.
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, the fire here at the Morning Star Baptist Church in Boligee, Alabama, could not have been more complete in its destruction. And yet, at this late hour, there's something very important that we need to show you. For the second time today, a team of federal investigators are here. They've got their shovels. They've got their rakes. They are literally raking and picking their way through the rubble to look for any clues that still might be in there. That just shows you how intense this investigation has become.
Of the four churches that burned in west Alabama Tuesday morning, efforts are being concentrated, however, on two of the churches that remain standing. That's where investigators believe they are most likely to find their most substantial evidence.
We can tell you that there have been some signs of forced entry at some of the churches here. And according to people at the scene at the time, several of the fires seemed to have originated near the pulpits.
Now, this is very similar to what we heard on Friday when we reported to you about the five fires in Bibb County. That is southeast of Birmingham. We now have a total of nine church fires.
Investigators not willing yet to link these fires here to the ones on Friday, but they are working in that direction. They also are saying they have no firm suspects, but they are asking the public to look out for a dark SUV that was reported here with two white men inside. Also, that very similar to what we heard with an SUV reported in Bibb County on Friday.
Again, no possible motive that they're willing to speculate about, Wolf. That's because both white churches and black churches have been targeted -- Wolf.
BLITZER: All right. Thanks very much.
David Mattingly on the scene.
We'll check back with you as we get more information.
Time now for "The Cafferty File." That means Jack in New York.
Hi, Jack.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: The idea of paying drug addicts to stay clean is becoming more popular. The Associated Press reports more clinics around the country are trying and the results are encouraging.
Teens in one New York program have to submit three urine samples a week, and if they pass, they get a voucher that can be used to buy something. The amount increases with every clean test. So someone who stays off drugs for a couple of months can earn almost $600.
You can't use the vouchers to buy cigarettes or alcohol, but almost anything else is OK. Researchers suggest such a system of rewards helps people stay clean at higher rates than just with counseling and medication.
However, it's unclear how well these programs work over the long haul, and almost all patients eventually have at least one relapse.
The question then is this: Should drug addicts be required (ph) to stay clean?
You can e-mail us at caffertyfile@cnn.com.
BLITZER: Good question. And I don't know the answer to that, but I'll be anxious to hear what our viewers think, Jack. Thanks very much.
Up ahead, two moderate senators from opposite sides of the aisle and their war of words. We're going to show you what they say, they want to do right now.
Also, major implications from a new study on low-fat food. The surprising impact it found on cancer and heart disease.
Plus, there are new developments in one city's unusual approach to fighting litter. We're going to update you on what are some calling -- what some are calling the fast food tax.
You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Carol Lin is standing by at the CNN Center in Atlanta with a closer look at other stories making news -- Carol.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Wolf, taking Prozac or similar antidepressants during late pregnancy could increase a baby's risk of lung problems. Now, that's according to a new study in tomorrow's "New England Journal of Medicine."
It finds infants whose mothers took certain antidepressants in the second half of pregnancy were six times more at risk to develop a possibly life-threatening lung disorder. An FDA official calls the findings worrisome.
Now, sheriff's deputies were at Britney Spears' Los Angeles home today after the pop store was photographed driving with her infant son in her lap. Now, the sheriffs were at her house to collect information for the County Department of Family and Children's Services. But it seems more like a formality, because authorities say they don't intend to charge her with anything.
Britney Spears says she was just trying to get away from the paparazzi.
Well, The Associated Press is reporting that 86 evangelical Christian leaders are launching a campaign to fight global warming. Something in direct opposition to President Bush's position.
Now, this indicates a possible split in President Bush's political base of Christian evangelicals. Some megachurch pastors and Christian college presidents and Salvation Army leaders are involved, but some other prominent evangelicals are not joining the campaign. They have signed a separate letter saying Christians disagree about the global warming issue.
All right. Fast food restaurants in Oakland, California, will be the first in the nation to have to pay for the cleanup of their own food wrappers. The city council approved a litter tax last night.
Now, fast food places and convenience stores and other businesses will have to pay up to $3,800 a year. That money is supposed to go to hire crews to pick up trash like burger wrappers and containers and paper cups near schools.
Wolf, I had no idea that 20 percent of the nation's trash comes from fast food restaurants.
BLITZER: Neither did I.
LIN: Yes, there you go.
BLITZER: We always learn something here in THE SITUATION ROOM.
Thanks, Carol, very much.
Two leading senators, Republican John McCain, Democrat Barack Obama, are calling a cease-fire in their fight over ethics reform. But there's a new flare-up in the lobbying wars.
Let's go live to our congressional correspondent, Ed Henry -- Ed.
ED HENRY, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, that's right, McCain and Obama are fast friends again one day after this war of words over lobbying reform. In fact, there was a little bit of playful shadow boxing, if you will, right before a Senate hearing on lobbying reform.
At that hearing, Obama and McCain both renewed their pledges to move forward on lobbying legislation, clean up the way lobbyists do their business here on Capitol Hill, but also targeting lawmakers in what they're doing not just with lobbyists, but in terms of slipping these last-minute provisions into spending bills in the dead of night.
But on the House side of the Capitol, there are fresh questions about the new House majority leader, John Boehner, his commitment to reform after "The Washington Post" revealed that in fact he's renting a two-bedroom basement apartment here in Washington from a lobbyist, John Milne and his wife, Deb Anderson, a long-time Boehner friend.
Boehner's office confirms to CNN the framework of the arrangement, but they say that basically Milne has never lobbied Boehner on the issues before the Education Committee that Boehner used to chair. They also say that Boehner pays fair market value for the rent, about $1,600 a month, and they insist there's nothing wrong with this relationship.
Democrats are pouncing on it. They say this is why Boehner has been slow-walking reform, if you will, in the last week, saying that he wants to put the brake pedal on some of the efforts of Speaker Dennis Hastert and others to ban private travel, for example. But Boehner's office insists he's been up front about his relationships with these lobbyists and they say they're not worried about it at all -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Ed Henry reporting.
Thank you very much.
Coming up, four presidents and a funeral result in a little bit of a political uproar involving the tribute to Coretta Scott King. Will there be any long-term fallout, even short-term fallout? History may be a guide.
And coming up in our 7:00 p.m. Eastern hour, a tool to help home sellers maximize profit. But does it really work? Ali Velshi will have "The Bottom Line."
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: There's been some surprise at the political overtones that popped up at the funeral of Coretta Scott King yesterday. But it's not the first time something like this has happened.
Our senior analyst, Jeff Greenfield, is joining us from New York with a little bit of perspective on what exactly happened and didn't happen.
Jeff, what do you think about this?
JEFF GREENFIELD, CNN SR. ANALYST: Well, I guess if you want to go back far enough, if you believe William Shakespeare, then at Julius Caesar's funeral, Anthony had some pretty sarcastic things to say about Brutus, you know. But Brutus said he was ambitious, and Brutus is an honorable man.
If we go in on more recent times, you might remember that Ron Reagan Jr. at his father's funeral made the point that while -- he said, "While my father was religious, he didn't wear it on his sleeve for political advantage." A lot thought that was a not so subtle dig at President Bush.
Clearly the most notable example of a political fallout from a funeral happened back in 2002 at the funeral of Senator Paul Wellstone, killed with his wife and a member of his family in a plane crash. Just a week before the election there was a memorial service. A couple of people, old Wellstone allies, got up and said, in effect, let's win this one for Wellstone.
A picture of Fritz Mondale, the Democratic stand-in for Wellstone was put up on a screen. And a lot of people thought -- this happened just a week before the election -- that there was actually some backlash to that, that that may have had something to do with the fact that Norm Coleman, the Republican, actually won that seat.
That's the one that a lot of conservatives are pointing to as a parallel with what happened yesterday at the King funeral.
BLITZER: Is it your sense, though, that this is -- this little uproar that's developed over the past 24 hours, the Republicans seem to be trying to make some issues out of it, that it's going to have any long-term political impact?
GREENFIELD: Well, I doubt it. I mean, the difference between the Wellstone example I just gave you is that happened literally one week before the election. We're in early February, and for that matter, President Bush isn't on the ballot.
There's no question that the conservatives starting yesterday afternoon on a lot of Web sites, Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh's Web site, "The Drudge Report," which is often the starting point for some of this kind of comment, was -- blanketed its front page or its Web page with this. But I do have to say this, that if you're not an ideologue, if you don't have strong political feelings one way or the other about the president, I do think that there's -- in some sense the president comes out ahead, if you want to be that coarse.
He changed the schedule, he went to the funeral of an iconic figure in the civil rights movement. The civil rights movement, which was once very controversial, is now seen by almost everybody as a powerful force for changing one of the really noxious wrongs in American society.
And my hunch is that if you talk to somebody who isn't heavily politically invested either for or against Bush, the idea is maybe this isn't the right place to make a criticism of somebody who is actually attending the funeral to honor the deceased. That's a long way from saying, by the way, that it's inappropriate at this funeral to point out the distance yet to be traveled in terms of equality. But I think that -- my guess is that that would be the fallout, but whether it's going to change a lot politically, I think that's a little much.
BLITZER: A little early in the game right now.
GREENFIELD: Never too early for cable news -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Thanks very much.
Jeff Greenfield in New York.
Coming up, worldwide outrage at the cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed, but what exactly does Islam say about such images? Our Brian Todd has been looking into that.
Plus, why you may have to change your thinking about low-fat food. We're going to show you some surprising results of a new study on fat, cancer and heart disease.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back to THE SITUATION ROOM.
I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington.
Carol Lin is going to update us on a developing story we're just getting out of New York.
What's going on, Carol?
LIN: Well, Wolf, a developing story out of LaGuardia Airport. Apparently, on an airline, Spirit Airlines Flight 1734, the FAA has confirmed to us that there was what they call a flight disturbance. The plane did land safely at LaGuardia, and there is somebody in custody.
The flight originated in Nassau, Bahamas, and that's all we know right now, Wolf. But someone is in custody right now. Something happened on that airplane that caused them to issue this report, and we're going to get you more information as soon as we get it.
BLITZER: As soon as you get it we'll get it to our viewers. Thanks, Carol, very much.
He's an American citizen in custody in Iraq. And a battle is being waged over whether he should be handed over to Iraqi authorities to answer allegations of ties to terrorism.
Our justice correspondent, Kelli Arena, has got the details.
What is going on, Kelli?
KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, his name is Shawqi Omar.
His families says that he's a businessman who was looking for contract work in Iraq. But the Justice Department and military officials allege that he is an associate of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, al Qaeda's leader in Iraq. Court papers allege that he was harboring insurgents and was found with weapons and bomb-making materials in his home.
Now, Omar -- you see him in photos here that -- that were provided by his family -- he was taken into custody in late 2004. Now, he has not been formally charged, and he has not had access to a lawyer.
Legal papers show the government wants to have the Iraqi court hear the case against him. If he's found guilty, he would be placed in Iraqi custody. Now, his family says, if that happens, they worry that he will be tortured, and they want him charged and tried here in the United States.
Now, a judge temporarily halted any transfer of Omar. That order expires Monday, but it could be extended, Wolf. His lawyers are filing another brief on his behalf today. So, it's still very much up in the air.
BLITZER: Kelli, thank you very much. We will continue to watch this story.
More now on our top story, the outrage and the deadly violence that resulted from cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed. Islam frowns on any images of the Prophet Mohammed. But there are some to be found around the world.
CNN's Brian Todd has been talking to experts about what depictions of the prophet are allowed, what aren't allowed, what's so controversial about this -- Brian.
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, the explanations of that are indeed very rational.
And, interestingly enough, the belief covers more than those leaders revered in Islam.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TODD (voice-over): For many Muslims, the outrage goes beyond the derogatory depiction of their prophet. Experts say the Koran does not specifically ban images of the Prophet Mohammed, but you likely won't find a painting of Muhammad in any mosque, as opposed to churches, where likenesses of Jesus Christ abound.
Islamic scholars we spoke to say it's their teachings that have traditionally frowned upon these images, and not just those of Muslim spiritual leaders.
CHAPLAIN IMAM YAHYA HENDI, GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY: Muslims believe that those prophets and messengers have to be honored, have to be respected, must not be insulted, whether they are Mohammed or Moses or David or -- or Jesus Christ.
TODD: But images of Mohammed are found in art museums in New York and Washington, even at the Supreme Court, where the prophet is carved in stone sculpture right above the justices' bench.
The court's Web site calls this well-intentioned, and says it bears no resemblance to Mohammed. Still, this sculpture has drawn protest. One scholar says, the general view is, these symbols can become a distraction.
PROFESSOR KARIM ABDUL BANGURA, AMERICAN UNIVERSITY: The teaching says that, when you start associating a picture of such symbols, then people will start either worshipping those symbols or selling those symbols for profit, and then that you -- your attention becomes diverted from the only supreme being you're supposed to worship, which is God.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TODD: Two Muslim scholars sought to put the current protest into perspective, saying, when the recent films "The Passion of the Christ" and "The Last Temptation of Christ" came out, they were banned in several Muslim countries, in part, they say, because it was believed they insulted Jesus -- Wolf. BLITZER: Brian Todd, thank you very much. Good explanation. Appreciate it very much.
Let's get some more on this controversial story, which newspapers publishing the pictures, which aren't publishing the pictures.
Our Internet reporter, Abbi Tatton, has some more details -- Abbi.
ABBI TATTON, CNN INTERNET REPORTER: Wolf, the story is being discussed online. The images are being linked online.
But news outlets around the world are deciding what to do with the images, to put them on their Web sites and in their print editions or not. This German newspaper, for example, did put it in its print edition and on the Web site.
We have blacked it out there, whereas "The Guardian" newspaper, for example, in Britain, did not put it in its print edition, didn't put it on its Web site, but made it very easy for its readers to get the cartoons, directing them to an outside link there.
In this country, National Public Radio, at their Web site, has an extensive discussion of the cartoon controversy, but they don't link to the cartoons, anyway. They say they made a conscious decision not to do that.
"The Philadelphia Inquirer" is one of the few newspapers in this country to put them in its print edition. You can get a link from "The Philadelphia Inquirer's" online site to the cartoons here, but they, again, link you away to another site here, actually "The Brussels Journal," a Web site which is in Dutch and English, which has been carrying these cartoons for some time.
The online journal "Editor and Publisher" has been watching who is doing what -- available at their Web site, a roundup of all the news outlets -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Abbi, thank you very much.
Abbi Tatton is our Internet reporter.
We are going to have much more on this story, coming up in our 7:00 p.m. Eastern hour of THE SITUATION ROOM. I will speak with the Muslim cleric from Denmark who some say fanned the flames of this controversy. That's coming up, 7:00 p.m. Eastern.
And, still to come this hour, the surprising results of a major study on fat and the link to cancer and heart disease. We're going to show you why some experts are very disappointed by the results.
Plus, glimpses into a lost world -- plants and animals never seen before by modern man. We will show you where you can get a glimpse.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back.
Health experts call it a big fat disappointment. A new study seems to indicate what you eat doesn't really matter that much when it comes to cancer and heart disease. Of course, there's much more to it than that.
Let's bring in our medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen, to explain.
Elizabeth, I am totally confused, but I know you will clarify what's going on.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: I will shed light, Wolf.
Wolf, indeed, what the headlines say is, hey, it doesn't matter what you eat. The study says, you're not going to lower your risk of heart disease and cancer. So, go ahead and eat as much french fries and burgers as you want.
Well, when you really look at the study, that's not what it says. The study does say that the women in the study who ate lots of fat, they had the same heart disease and cancer risk as people who cut their fat. However, when you really look at it, what it says is that the women in the study who managed to cut down on their bad fat, who managed to eat much less bad fat, they did indeed see a serious decrease in their risk of heart disease, 17 percent.
Now, you might say, what's a good fat? What's a bad fat? Well, I am going to explain it, Wolf, because you are going to be hearing more and more about this, as time goes on.
A good fat is something like olive oil or fish, the kind of fat that is in fish. That can actually protect your heart. Bad fat is what you find in fried foods, is what you find in hamburgers and other kinds of red meat. And those are the kind of fats that you want to stay away from.
So, again, this study is yet another piece of evidence that it's not how much fat you eat; it's what kind of fat you eat.
BLITZER: Elizabeth, I take it, everyone in this study was over the age of 62 years old. What, if anything, does that mean for the rest of us?
COHEN: Right. It actually means a lot.
If these women, these women at the age of, let's say, 65 were able to get their heart disease risk down 17 percent by cutting way down on bad fat, imagine what would happen if you made that same dietary change at 25? So, some of these women had terrible diets for decades and decades, made this one switch very late in life, and still saw a serious decrease in risk of having heart disease.
Well, if they had made that change decades earlier, the risk certainly would have gone down even more.
BLITZER: A lot of us who have tried to lose weight, Elizabeth, when we stop eating the fat, we -- we go to some non-fat products, though, that have a lot of sugar in it. What's the -- what's the latest thinking on that?
COHEN: Right.
People have a tendency to say, well, I'm eating less fat, so I'm going to go crazy with the gummy bears. There's no fat in those. It says so right on the label, or some of those cookies that don't have fat, but have lots of sugar. You certainly can do some of that, but if you do too much of it, it can really mess with your insulin levels. And that's especially true as you age.
So, if you're going to lower the fat in your diet, replace it with -- obviously, fruits and vegetables are the best choice. Whole grains are also a terrific choice. Low-fat protein, like chicken, is a terrific choice. Don't just replace it with junk.
BLITZER: But a lot of fruit -- and I love fruit, like grapes or whatever, they have a lot of sugar, too, right?
COHEN: They do, but there is a difference between the sugar that you find in fruit and the sugar that you find just by downing handful after handful of those kind of candies that we were just talking about.
And, of course, everything in moderation. You don't want to replace the fat that you're losing just with fruit. You want to replace it with a variety of things.
BLITZER: All right, so, the bottom line, people watching this, trying to understand what it all means, what should they walk away with?
COHEN: What they should walk away from is that there are good fats and there are bad fats. Good fats, like olive oil, which are monounsaturated, or fish, which is omega-3 fatty acids, those are good fats.
Bad fats, like saturated fats and trans fat, like you find in steak, like you find in fried foods, those are bad. You should stay away from those as much as you can. There are also good carbs and bad carbs. Good carbs are things like whole wheat bread. Bad carbs are things like just sugar you find in, say, gummy bears.
BLITZER: Elizabeth Cohen, did an excellent job explaining this complicated story to us -- thanks, Elizabeth -- as I knew you would.
COHEN: Sure.
BLITZER: Lou Dobbs getting ready for his program that begins right at the top of the hour.
And Lou is going to tell us what he's working on. Hi, Lou.
LOU DOBBS, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, Wolf. Thank you. At the top of the hour, we will have all of the day's news.
Many news outlets all around the world, including this network, refusing to show the controversial cartoon of Mohammed. We're going to talk about that decision, and whether it is an abandonment of free speech. Is it editorial sensitivity or editorial cowardice?
My guests tonight will include the editor in chief of a New York newspaper who, along with his staff, walked off their jobs today over the controversial cartoon, a Wyoming newspaper publisher who did publish two of the cartoons, the head of the American Cartoon Editorial Association and the executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
And Democrats, well, they can't seem to find a message. They can't seem to find traction, despite a Republican Party suffering huge problems. I will be talking tonight with a distinguished panel of Democrats who have a plan they say will win back power for their party. Can they? We will find out tonight.
Please join us -- Wolf, back to you.
BLITZER: And don't tell us now, Lou, but I just want to know, will you be telling your viewers how you feel on this controversy, whether we should be showing these cartoons, other news organizations? In other words, will Lou Dobbs tell us what he thinks?
DOBBS: Absolutely, unequivocally. And I probably won't please the management of this network in doing so, Wolf, as you might suspect.
BLITZER: Well, I think you have already told us, as I'm not surprised.
Lou Dobbs, we will be watching. Thanks very much.
DOBBS: Thanks, Wolf.
BLITZER: Lou Dobbs coming up right at the top of the hour.
Up next, exotic creatures from a lost world, now as close as your computer -- our Internet reporters will show you the situation online.
Plus, he calls it a tinderbox and a nightmare -- a former CIA station chief weighing in on the Hamas victory in the Palestinian elections.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back.
There's a developing story we're following out of California, a prison disturbance.
Carol Lin is watching this for us.
Carol, what's going on?
LIN: That's right, Wolf.
We're looking at live pictures of what appears to be yet another jail riot going on at the Pitchess Detention Center in Castaic. That is north of Los Angeles. This is where serious offenders go to be jailed.
We do know that inmates have been injured, that they're setting up a triage scene at the prison. They still have to assess the kinds of injuries. But this riot is still going on right now.
Now, just to give a little background, Wolf, there was a huge riot, about 2,000 inmates, on Saturday in a four-hour rampage at the same detention facility. There are three buildings on this particular Pitchess Detention Center -- this one now in the east correctional facility.
On Saturday, in the north correctional facility, 2,000 inmates, four-hour rampage -- one inmate was killed, and 50 were injured. This is an ongoing story there, according to the sheriff of Los Angeles County. He said this is basically a race riot. It's breaking down between Latinos and African-Americans and that the street competition, the street killings that were happening in L.A. County, are just going on in the jail, as the grudge matches continue there -- Wolf.
BLITZER: All right, Carol, we will watch this story -- Carol Lin reporting from the CNN Center.
Here in Washington, Israel's foreign minister, Tzipi Livni, today dropped in on the State Department, and dropped a hot potato of sorts right into the secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice. Livni said a Palestinian government led by Hamas could be designated a terrorist state, subject to world sanctions, if it refuses to renounce terrorism, if it refuses to recognize Israel.
The United States views Hamas as a terrorist organization, but Rice wouldn't directly say how the U.S. would react to a Hamas-led government. We're watching this story for you.
Meanwhile, the real figure behind a semi-fictional story in a popular movie joins the chorus of those talking about the overall situation in the Middle East.
Let's bring in our national security correspondent, David Ensor. He's watching this story -- David.
DAVID ENSOR, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, that person is Robert Baer. He and other former CIA veterans of the Middle East are all finding no silver lining whatsoever in the election victory of Hamas.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "SYRIANA")
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: This is a fight to the death.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ENSOR (voice-over): The current George Clooney movie, "Syriana," is based on the story of Robert Baer, an Arabic-speaking former CIA Middle East veteran.
Now living in Colorado, Baer says the Hamas victory creates a tinderbox.
ROBERT BAER, FORMER CIA OFFICER: I think what we can expect in the West Bank and particular in Gaza is chaos.
ENSOR: Baer recently spent weeks in Gaza, trying to understand the popularity of Hamas.
BAER: You go to the mosques, you talk to the little kids, and you ask who the heroes are that they -- that they worship in Gaza. And it's the suicide bombers.
WHITLEY BRUNER, FORMER CIA STATION CHIEF: In many ways, it's everybody's worst nightmare.
ENSOR: Whitley Bruner was CIA station chief in the Palestinian territories in the early '90s. He says Israel faces the worst dilemma of all.
BRUNER: If they completely cut Hamas off, they are still the occupying power. They run the problem of having to reimpose a direct occupation, which they certainly don't want to do.
ENSOR: Back when George Tenet ran U.S. intelligence, the CIA trained Palestinian security to go after Hamas terrorists.
BRUNER: The intelligence effort was always sort of aimed at stopping terrorist operations by Hamas cooperating with the Palestinian Authority security elements to stop this.
ENSOR: One senior CIA Middle East veteran says, to understand what's coming next, watch what happens to two things, the money and the guns. Will Hamas try to disarm the Palestinian security forces currently dominated by their Fatah opponents? That, the former official says, and Bob Baer agrees, could lead to civil war.
BAER: You are going to see Fatah fighting Hamas. You are going to see Hamas break up into smaller parts.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ENSOR: And, Wolf, the CIA Middle East veterans say, the U.S. and Europe should harbor no illusion that cutting off aid to a Hamas-led Palestinian Authority would necessarily moderate its behavior, since it can live on less and get funds from Iran, from private Saudi and Gulf sources, and could still remain dedicated to Israel's destruction -- Wolf.
BLITZER: So, David, what are these experts telling you? What should the U.S. be doing right now?
ENSOR: Well, one former senior CIA official says the U.S. and Europe need to hang tough on the need for Hamas to renounce violence, and then watch and hope for splits in Hamas. And they -- he says the region is likely headed into a very, very dangerous period now -- Wolf.
BLITZER: David Ensor reporting -- David, thank you very much.
David is our national security correspondent.
Carol Lin is once again joining from us the CNN Center in Atlanta with a closer look at some other stories making news.
Hi, Carol.
LIN: Hi there, Wolf.
Initial results are expected late today in Haiti's presidential and parliamentary election. Final results could come Friday. Now, workers are counting ballots in the impoverished country's first election since former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide went into exile two years ago.
A U.N. spokesman says more than 50 percent of Haiti's 3.5 million registered voters are believed to have gone to the polls.
Now, Africa is reporting its first case of bird flu. That is the word from the World Organization for Animal Health, or the OIE. It says the deadly H5N1 strain was found in chickens at a poultry farm in northern Nigeria. There are no reports of humans being infected with the virus there yet. But international health officials are asking for help to prevent the disease from spreading around the continent.
All right, a question being debated in Washington: Should polar bears be added to the threatened species list? That is the question the federal government is reviewing. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is looking at whether global warming is literally melting away the bears' icy habitats in Alaska. Several environmental groups have filed a lawsuit, seeking federal protection for polar bears. They say they could become extinct by the end of the century -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Carol, thank you very much. See you back here in THE SITUATION ROOM, 7:00 p.m. Eastern, a little bit more than an hour from now.
Scientists have discovered what they're calling a lost world, but, unless you plan to trek to this Indonesian mountain jungle, the closest you're going to be able to get to see these rare creatures and plants is online.
Our Internet reporter, Abbi Tatton, once again joining us -- Abbi.
TATTON: Wolf, the environment group Conservation International was recently part of an expedition to a remote mountain range in Indonesia.
And they're sharing their findings from what they're calling a Garden of Eden online at their Web site. The group of scientists camped out in this mountain range for just over two weeks in December. They found many new species of frogs, of plants, and of birds when they were there, and they're documenting them all online.
Amongst them, photographs of this -- it's the "Six-wired Bird of Paradise." I don't know if you knew that one. Apparently, it's the stuff of legend. It has been described since the late 19th century, but there was never a photograph of it. Now there is -- many more findings at the site of Conservation International -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Thank you very much, Abbi, for that.
Up next, Zilla.com (ph). Never heard of it? Our Ali Velshi has. And, in our 7:00 p.m. Eastern hour, he is going to tell all of us how it might be able to help us get a better deal on a house. You're going to be interested in this story.
You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: There he is, Jack Cafferty. He's back with "The Cafferty File."
Hi, Jack.
CAFFERTY: Hi, Wolf.
The idea of paying drug addicts to stay clean, paying them, is becoming more popular. Associated Press reports, more clinics around the country are trying it. And the results are encouraging.
The question, then, is, should drug addicts be paid to stay clean?
Shawn in Modesto, California, writes: "Who is the idiot that came up with this stupid idea? What next, we pay killers for not killing? When do we start holding people responsible?"
Graham in Indianapolis writes: "I have been a substance abuse counselor for the last six years. And I strongly feel this type of incentive is OK in the short run. But, in my professional experience, group counseling and education combined is the most effective for lasting results."
Georgia in Carbondale, Illinois: "Whatever works. As a society, we will pay a whole lot more down the line if they don't stay clean."
Bernie in Lowell, Mass., writes: "Good idea. If they stay clean, they can work for the money, too."
Tom in Cincinnati writes: "As a drug addict, and as someone who knows many serious addicts hooked on serious drugs like meth and coke, I think it's a damned good idea. It's proven well and clear that locking serious addicts up doesn't work and giving them other drugs is just spinning the wheel around again."
Kenny in Westchester writes: "I'm recently addicted to chili dogs, and they're making me fat. It just sort OF happened. You got to stop me. I accept cash, checks and PayPal" -- Wolf.
BLITZER: What's PayPal?
CAFFERTY: I have no idea.
BLITZER: All right. It's something.
What -- what do you think about this? Should we be paying people to stay clean?
CAFFERTY: Where does the money come from? I don't -- I don't get that part.
BLITZER: I guess the taxpayers, you and me. We pay a lot of taxes. I assume some state or federal government is going to start paying people to do it.
CAFFERTY: What about the -- what about the war on drugs? Don't we spend a few bucks on that?
BLITZER: We spend a lot...
CAFFERTY: It's working about as...
BLITZER: ... a lot of money on that, yes.
CAFFERTY: Working about as well as that war on terrorism these days, isn't it?
BLITZER: Yes, but, you know, you got to fight it all the time.
CAFFERTY: Yes.
I -- I don't know if this is a good idea or not. I guess, ultimately, to stay off this stuff, you got to decide to do it for your own well-being, I think. I'm no expert. And maybe, short term, it's OK, but I don't know if it works long term or not. I guess nobody does. They haven't been doing it for very long.
BLITZER: We will stay on top of it. Thanks, Jack. See you in an hour here in THE SITUATION ROOM.
We are here weekdays afternoons, 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. Eastern, back 7:00 p.m. Eastern. That's an hour from now. We will have much more on the cartoon controversy spreading around the world -- among our guests, the man in the hot seat, the Danish prime minister, Anders Rasmussen.
Until then, thanks very much for joining us.
"LOU DOBBS TONIGHT" starting right now -- Lou.
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