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The Situation Room

Congressional Republicans Revolt Over Dubai Port Deal; Dana Reeve Loses Battle With Lung Cancer; Cutting-Edge Lung Cancer Treatments

Aired March 07, 2006 - 19:00   ET

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

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: I'm the United Arab Emirates. And you're now in THE SITUATION ROOM, where new pictures and information are arriving all the time.
Happening now, it's 4:00 a.m. here in Dubai. Will the deal to take over American ports become a done deal?

Over here, confidence is high. Back home, congressional Republicans appear to be in a revolt, trying to halt the handover. I will speak to a leader of that campaign, the House Armed Services Committee chairman, Duncan Hunter.

It's 7:00 p.m. in New York. She was a superwoman in her own right, devoting her life to her late husband Christopher Reeve and to spinal injury research. Now actress Dana Reeve has lost her life to lung cancer, even though she never smoked.

There are other causes of lung cancer. One is a silent killer that can build up in your own basement. We will tell you what to do about it. We will tell you about new cutting-edge cancer treatments.

I'm Wolf Blitzer. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.

We're live in Dubai, monitoring all the new developments in the port security controversy. Right here, the chairman of Dubai Ports World tells me he's confident his firm's deal to run six major U.S. ports will go through. Our exclusive interview, that is coming up.

Back in Washington, there are new signs of Republicans in revolt over the port deal and mounting pressure for a compromise. Tonight, we are also following another big story, Dana Reeve's death from lung cancer.

Christopher Reeve's widow was only 44 years old. At this hour, we will investigate a hidden danger that could put you or someone you love at risk for lung cancer, even though you don't smoke. And we will show you new treatments for this often-devastating disease.

First, though, to a developing story -- congressional Republicans are turning against the Bush administration, as they seek to torpedo the ports deal.

Let's go live to Capitol Hill. Our congressional correspondent, Ed Henry, has the latest -- Ed.

ED HENRY, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Lou -- Wolf, rather, very dramatic developments still unfolding as we speak.

In fact, just in the last hour, a closed-door meeting of House Republican leaders broke up. And I'm told that, at that meeting, the entire House Republican leadership, from Speaker Dennis Hastert on down, endorsed moving ahead with port legislation, despite White House pleas to give them more time, let this 45 day-review go forward -- no final decision on exactly which piece of legislation among the dozens of bills flying around Capitol Hill will come up in the next couple of days.

But I'm told one proposal being floated would kill this port deal -- no compromise -- kill it altogether.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HENRY (voice-over): The Republican revolt began with new House Majority Leader John Boehner declaring, the port deal is a very big political problem. Boehner vowed to move forward on port legislation later this week, in defiance of President Bush's veto threat. It's clear Republicans, who have been trying to broker a compromise with the White House, are running out of patience.

REP. PETER KING (R-NY), HOMELAND SECURITY COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN: To me, you would have to absolutely ensure that Dubai Ports itself is not involved in any way in the operation of -- of the ports or the carrying out of the contract at the ports.

HENRY: Boehner said he would like to see the port deal go away. But Democrats are not about to let go of this political issue.

SEN. CHARLES SCHUMER (D), NEW YORK: The message I have to the White House is, it's not going to away. The American people won't let it go away.

SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV), MINORITY LEADER: This is going to go away like the sun's not going to come up in the morning.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HENRY: Now, one of the president's few allies on this issue, Senator John McCain, today urged his fellow Republicans to calm down, take a breath, let this 45-day review go forward. But they are clearly not listening. And even McCain acknowledged that the political momentum is going against the White House -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Ed Henry, thanks very much.

Dubai Ports World wants to assume management of key American ports. How does it handle business and security in its own home base?

Earlier today, I got a special inside view. Now it's your turn, something you will see only here on CNN.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice over): During our morning tugboat ride in the harbor of Dubai's Jebel Ali Port, one clear fact emerges: Dubai Ports World, the firm that wants to take over operations at six major U.S. ports, has had huge success operating in this part of the world.

To watch this smoothly-functioning mega-port in action is proof, say top company officials here in Dubai, that this government-owned Arab firm is qualified to operate ports in the United States as well. But what about the security concerns which are at the heart of a 45- day interagency national security review in Washington?

MOHAMMED SHARAF, CEO, DUBAI PORTS WORLD: The container goes to the customs, gets the clearance. If it needs to be inspected, it goes either through the X-ray machine or it goes through a physical inspection.

BLITZER: While Dubai Ports World officials acknowledge they play a role in port security, they maintain it's the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, including the Coast Guard and Customs, as well as the various port authorities, which will determine security in the New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Miami, and New Orleans ports, if the deal goes through.

CAPTAIN NASSER ALI SABT, DUBAI PORT AUTHORITY: They used to go to berth number 10, where it's right down in the corner there. And, at the moment, we just shift them to another place for the security purpose. This all be (INAUDIBLE) container terminal.

BLITZER: Still, after spending three days getting exclusive behind-the-scenes access to D.P. World, it's clear the port operator can have a significant impact on port security, for good or for ill.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, good afternoon, (INAUDIBLE) Could you please proceed to tanker berth number seven (INAUDIBLE) please?

BLITZER: This was evident when we went upstairs to the control tower. The decisions made by D.P. World employees up here include controlling which ships go to which berth.

D.P. employees control the giant cranes that lift the huge containers off the ships. They determine how fast the ships will be loaded and unloaded.

The D.P. World employees have the passes that get them through the security gates to operate the equipment.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's your next port of call?

BLITZER: And that's what critics in the U.S. are worried about: the background checks, the inside information that may be available to some employees, information that could be of value to those who would do the U.S. harm.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: We will have much more on the ports deal coming up.

But there's another major story we are following, the life and death of Dana Reeve. Tonight, Bill and Hillary Clinton say they are remembering her as a model of tenacity and grace, in the face of tragedy. We will discuss the medical implications of Dana Reeve' death from lung cancer. That's coming up ahead.

Right now, our senior national correspondent, John Roberts, takes a closer look at the role of -- at her role as a political activist -- John.

JOHN ROBERTS, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, thanks.

Up until her death, Dana Reeve carried on the legacy of her husband, Christopher Reeve, as an advocate of embryonic stem cell research and other medical advancements. Now her friends and political allies already are picking up the torch for her.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, OCTOBER 2004)

DANA REEVE, WIDOW OF CHRISTOPHER REEVE: And I am here today because John Kerry, like Christopher Reeve, believes in keeping our hope alive.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTS (voice-over): It may have been Dana Reeve's most powerful and poignant political statement. In October of 2004, just two weeks after Christopher Reeve's death, she came out of mourning to publicly endorse Senator John Kerry's presidential campaign.

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: I will never forget the grace and the strength that she showed that day, and even a glow that she exuded in her love for Chris and her passion about the issue.

ROBERTS: It was a culmination of her evolution, from actress and wife of a movie star, to caregiver for her paralyzed husband, to a well-known and respected advocate of stem cell research.

In pursuing her cause, Dana Reeve aligned herself mostly with Democrats, and against President Bush's strict limits on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research.

SEN. TOM HARKIN (D), IOWA: She was a -- a -- a great person, to just come in and convince people of the necessity for stem cell research. She was so genuine.

ROBERTS: Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean issued a statement saying, "The best way to honor Dana Reeve's life is to realize the full promise of scientific and medical research."

But the stem cell research debate is not a strictly partisan one. Republican Senator Arlen Specter is a supporter of stem cell research and a cancer survivor. SEN. ARLEN SPECTER (R), PENNSYLVANIA: We need to utilize federal funding on stem cell research. That could have cured Superman, could have cured Christopher Reeve from his spinal cord injury. We need to take politics out of medical research and do more to save lives.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERTS: Dana Reeve said, her husband imagined a world where politics would never get in the way of hope. But she learned to use the political process to try to achieve her goals.

And now, although she and her husband are gone, they are likely to continue to be a force in the political debate.

We will have more on the death of Dana Reeve and some important information for you about lung cancer coming up in this hour of THE SITUATION ROOM, but, right now, back to Dubai and Wolf Blitzer with more of his exclusive -- exclusive coverage from there -- Wolf.

BLITZER: John, thanks very much.

John, also, is going to have some other information on non- smokers and the chances of getting lung cancer, even if you don't smoke, what you can do to protect yourself from the disease -- much more on the story coming up.

Let's check in with Zain Verjee at the CNN Center in Atlanta for a closer look at headlines right now -- Zain.

ZAIN VERJEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, a dire warning from the U.S. ambassador to Iraq.

Zalmay Khalilzad tells "The Los Angeles Times" that the U.S. invasion of Iraq has -- quote -- "opened the Pandora's box." And he adds, the potential is there now for sectarian violence to become a full-blown civil war. But he backs the White House's position, essentially saying a U.S. pullout now would backfire.

President Bush and the first lady are in Crawford, Texas, to vote. They traveled there to cast ballots in today's Republican primary, which concludes a contested congressional seat. Tomorrow, Mr. Bush will make his 10th trip to the Gulf Coast to check out rebuilding efforts in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

This dramatic video has led to an attempted manslaughter charge. Take a look at this. It's -- it's against a Southern California sheriff's deputy. Now, he shot an unarmed Iraq war veteran three times, after the man observed the deputy's order to stand up. The confrontation came after a car chase in which the victim was a passenger. He's recovering from his wounds.

Officials in New Orleans are reporting two more bodies of hurricane victims discovered today, six months after Katrina. Both were found in the rubble of the hard-hit Ninth Ward -- home demolitions already started in the neighborhood, even though the state medical examiner has said that it shouldn't begin until all bodies have been recovered -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Zain, thanks very much.

Let's go to New York. Jack Cafferty is standing by with "The Cafferty File" -- Jack.

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: It's a global SITUATION ROOM tonight, Wolf.

There's a plan to try and sink the Dubai ports deal. And it's coming from Republican Congressman Duncan Hunter. Hunter has introduced a bill that would halt the takeover by Dubai Ports World. It would also require any corporation that owns or operates national defense critical structure in this country to be majority-owned by Americans. And it would mandate the inspection of all cargo coming into the United States.

Here's the question: Should American companies be the only ones that can own infrastructure critical to national security? You can e- mail us at caffertyfile@CNN.com or you can go to CNN.com/caffertyfile -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Thanks, Jack.

Coming up, my exclusive interview with the new chairman of Dubai Ports World -- is he open the talk of compromise now underway in Washington? We are going to find out.

Plus, Dana Reeve, a life cut short by lung cancer -- find out early detection methods that could save your life.

Plus, Larry King joins us to talk about her incredible crusade to try to change American health care.

And radon in your home, it's one of the leading causes of lung cancer for non-smokers. Find out if this hidden danger could be lurking in your home.

You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back. We are live in Dubai.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Most Americans never heard of Dubai Ports World until the firestorm erupted over the company's plan to take over operations at six major U.S. ports. But now Dubai Ports World is under major scrutiny and under some fire.

Joining us now in his first television interview on this controversy is D.P. World's chairman, Sultan bin Sulayem.

Sultan bin Sulayem, thanks very much for joining us. Welcome to CNN.

SULTAN BIN SULAYEM, CHAIRMAN, DUBAI PORTS WORLD: Thank you very much, Wolf. Thank you for having me on your show.

BLITZER: Let's talk about this proposal that some congressmen, including Peter King, the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, is making.

Among other things, he says, Dubai Ports could still be the contractor of this deal, but the actual work and access to everything would be controlled by a totally separate American company.

Is that something acceptable to D.P. World?

BIN SULAYEM: We appreciate the comments and suggestion of the congressman, among many other congressmen and people from the White House, also, as well as the senators.

We continue our dialogue. I think this 45 days that we have volunteered for review is a good chance for all of us, I think.

And I think, by the end of this, they will realize that there is no fear, no worry about security. Security is a very important thing for us.

BLITZER: So, are you ruling out this compromise proposal? Are you rejecting it?

BIN SULAYEM: We are appreciating that initiative. It's -- we look at it as a positive step. We believe that this 45 days will give all of us a chance to understand this deal clearly.

I think many people in the Congress, as well as the senators, do not understand many of the details -- even though the White House does.

I think, after the 45 days, a lot of people will be very clear about what this deal is about.

BLITZER: Let me read another quote from Peter King, the chairman of this committee back in Washington: "My concern is people working within the company" -- your company -- "people within the government, who, just four-and-a-half years ago, were allied with our sworn enemy."

This is -- this burns deeply in the American psyche right now, this history of the UAE, the Taliban, and al Qaeda. There was a relationship, even, some leaders here had with Osama bin Laden.

BIN SULAYEM: Let me tell you, I think we go for -- I am not a politician, to basically speak about politics.

But one thing is for sure: I think, in the four years ago, or five years ago, there were -- bear in mind, there were not only UAE, but, actually, the United States was supporting a campaign to get the Soviets out of Afghanistan. Again, the Soviets and the communism was a big danger. We were cooperating with the United States in those times. We're not the only ones.

And, so, basically, you can't blame us for a relation that continued even before.

BLITZER: Because the United Arab Emirates, as you know, is one of only three countries that had diplomatic relations with the Taliban regime in Afghanistan.

BIN SULAYEM: Well, the fact that we have been working with the United States in their campaign against communism in Afghanistan, I think that is -- the relation came from that.

BLITZER: Do you boycott Israel?

BIN SULAYEM: United Arab Emirates is an international business country. We, as a port, do business with ZIM Shipping, which I think you heard, who call in our ports, as well as they call in many ports around the world -- indeed, the world.

BLITZER: So, you're saying that you don't practice -- Dubai Ports World doesn't practice any boycott, any discrimination against Israel?

BIN SULAYEM: Absolutely not. We are an international port operate...

(CROSSTALK)

BLITZER: But the owner, the United Arab Emirates, which owns the company, does discriminate.

BIN SULAYEM: The United Arab Emirates has a boycott, naturally, but the boycott in itself -- as the FTA agreement that we negotiate with the United States -- many parts of the boycott is nonexistent today.

BLITZER: The -- the...

BIN SULAYEM: And let me tell you, in our operation, there are many priorities: Do I check for security and dangerous items, or I'm going waste my time checking whether this is made in Israel or not made in Israel?

We have priority. We have risks that we have to take. We have to ensure that risky materials do not come. The -- the -- the boycott is really very weak.

BLITZER: One final question -- I know you're almost out of time. You're very busy.

Do you feel confident that, when all the dust settles, this deal will go through and D.P. World will operate the six major ports in the United States? BIN SULAYEM: I have no doubt about that at all.

BLITZER: Thanks very much, Sultan bin Sulayem, for joining us.

BIN SULAYEM: Thank you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And still to come here in THE SITUATION ROOM, a hidden danger that can lead to lung cancer -- how can detect radon in your home? The answer, that is coming up ahead.

And new cutting-edge treatments for lung cancer, we are going to show you how they work and how they are saving lives right now.

You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Welcome back. I'm Wolf Blitzer, reporting from Dubai.

There's powerful opposition back in Congress to the takeover of American port operations by Dubai Ports World, but the chairman of the company just told me a short time ago he has no doubt -- no doubt -- the deal eventually will go through.

California Republican Congressman Duncan Hunter is the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee. He has put together a bill aimed at stopping this deal and others like it.

Chairman, thanks very much for joining us.

Listen to what Sultan bin Sulayem, the chairman of the Dubai Ports World company, told me in the past hour. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIN SULAYEM: I think this 45 days that we have volunteered for review is a good chance for all of us, I think.

And I think, by the end of this, they will realize that there is no fear, no worry about security. Security is a very important thing for us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: What's your reaction, Mr. Chairman?

REP. DUNCAN HUNTER (R), CALIFORNIA: Well, I think it's clear, Wolf, that these people move cargo very effectively and very efficiently. And that's the problem.

The 45-day review that they are going to do can't wipe away the 66 high-speed electrical switches that are used to detonate nuclear weapons which were transshipped through Dubai in 2003. And over the objection of American officials, the government of Dubai insisted on shipping those. They would not stop them for the United States.

It doesn't wipe away the 70 tons of heavy water that was being moved by former Nazi Alfred Hempel from Russia and from China, and it doesn't wipe away the -- the front companies, Iranian front companies, which exist in -- in Dubai. In 1996, Germany identified six of them. Their job is to suck up technology and components for weapons systems. And, right now, they are focusing, obviously, on nuclear systems.

The problem with Dubai is that Dubai is a place where you can effectively ship anything from anybody to anybody, and those are precisely the wrong people to be operating American ports.

BLITZER: What do you think of this compromise proposal that your colleague Peter King, Republican of New York, has put forward to let Dubai Ports World work with an American subsidiary, if you will, and let them operate these six U.S. ports?

HUNTER: Well, that's the so-called firewall concept, and I haven't seen Peter's legislation. But I respect him a lot. He's a good man. He's head of the Homeland Security Committee.

I think, personally, that -- that it's a difficult situation to have the ownership firewalled -- although we do it on some occasions in some areas -- firewalled from the operations. I think it's -- it's a much cleaner break to require American ownership, American management, and American operations.

So, I'm -- I'm glad Peter has got some legislation that -- that hopefully will fix this situation, but I still think we should -- we should have Americans owning, operating and managing.

And -- and, Wolf, we have got a ton of great Americans coming out of the war-fighting theaters in Afghanistan and Iraq, great American military personnel, who really know security, who know it in the context of the war against terrorism, who can do a great job of managing American ports -- lots of Americans to do that.

BLITZER: Right now, as you know -- forget about this six-port deal with Dubai Ports World, but 80 percent -- 80 percent -- of all U.S. port operations are now conducted by foreign companies.

In the legislation you're -- you're advancing right now, you would have zero percent of that conducted by foreigners. Is that right?

HUNTER: That's right, Wolf.

And what I introduced, together with the ranking Democrat and a number of great colleagues, Jim Saxton, who's the chairman of the Terrorism Committee, and the ranking Democrat, Ike Skelton, and Mr. LoBiondo, who's chairman of the Coast Guard Subcommittee, what we have is a -- we have a bill that would require divestment of those -- of those operations that are owned by foreign entities.

We have got to leave it right there.

Congressman Duncan Hunter, the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, and a very strong opponent of this Dubai Ports deal -- Congressman, thanks very much.

HUNTER: Hey, thank you, Wolf.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: There's a couple developing stories we are watching right now.

Let's check in with Zain once again at the CNN Center -- Zain.

VERJEE: Wolf, the Associated Press is reporting that Gordon Parks has died. He is a man that has been described as a creative genius. He was an award-winning photographer, a writer, a filmmaker, a composer as well. He -- really, his photography, Wolf, captured the struggles and the triumphs of black America. He was a photographer for "LIFE" magazine.

And he went on to become one of Hollywood's first major black directors. He -- he directed the movie "Shaft" -- that was a big hit -- and the movie "Learning Tree." He was 93 years old -- and the Associated Press -- excuse me -- reporting and quoting a nephew that he died in New York.

Another story we are following, Wolf, just moments ago, the House voting to renew the U.S. Patriot Act, which is, essentially, as you know, the centerpiece of the president's war on terror -- this final congressional approval comes after months of political wrangling over the bill and efforts to find, basically, the right balance between privacy rights and combating terror. Mr. Bush is expected to sign the legislation before 16 provisions of the 2001 law expire on Friday -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Zain, thanks very much.

And we are here in Dubai. We are going to have much more on the Dubai ports deal coming up.

First, though, let's check in with John Roberts back in Washington. He's covering the death of Dana Reeve -- John.

ROBERTS: Thanks, Wolf.

And we want to try to answer a question that many people are asking themselves tonight. How does someone like Dana Reeve, who never smoked, get lung cancer?

Our senior medical correspondent and chief surgeon, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, is with us now.

And, Sanjay, explain how that's possible.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, it -- it's a good question.

Let me just say, John -- because we have talked about this all day -- smoking is still far and away the number-one preventable cause of lung cancer. I just have to say that because out of all men, for example, who have lung cancer, 90 percent of those will be due to smoking and 10 percent non-smokers. And in women about 80 percent in smokers and 20 percent non-smokers. But there are other causes.

It could be bad genes. It could be exposure to radon. Something we are hearing a lot more about today, that is a naturally-occurring bi-product of uranium present in the soil. The American Cancer Society says that's the second-leading cause of lung cancer. It could be second-hand smoke as well. While you may not be an active smoker yourselves, if you've had a lot of exposure to passive smoke those could all be risk factors, John.

ROBERTS: What about early detection, Sanjay. What if someone wants to know if they are at risk or has some idea that they might be at risk. What should they ask their doctor? Is there some kind of definitive test?

GUPTA: This is where it gets a little tricky. Because there's no widely agreed upon screening protocol for anybody. A lot of doctors will say if you are 50 years old and you've been a lifelong cancer you should probably get a CAT scan of your lungs, which is a pretty good test. It's likely to find a cancer of the lungs if one is present.

The harder part is in people who have vague symptoms. They have had a cough that's been persistent or frequent bouts of pneumonia or things like that. In someone who is a non-smoker it could even be more tricky. There are tests out there for sure. The CAT scan, there's a thing called the PET scan which is very helpful as well. The harder part is figuring out who to test.

ROBERTS: The bottom line is ask your doctor. Thanks very much.

GUPTA: Thank you.

ROBERTS: As we said, we don't know if radon gas was what caused Dana Reeve's lung cancer. But we do know radon gas can cause the disease. So how can you stop it from coming into your home? How do you stop being exposed to it? More now from CNN's Rusty Dornin who joins us live from Atlanta.

RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Apparently radon is the number- one cause of lung cancer among non-smokers. You can't see it. You can't smell it. You can't taste it. How can you find out if it's invading your house? The good news is it's very cheap to find out. And even stop radon gas from coming into your house and harming your family's health.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over): When Tore Knos brings his black case on a home inspection it often follows a scare that reminds people, radon gas kills. According to the EPA, 21,000 people die every year from lung cancer caused by radon. That's more than those killed by drunk driving.

Radon is a radioactive gas you can't see or smell. It's produced when naturally-occurring uranium decays in the soil. It accumulates in underground mines and homes especially basements.

TORE KNOS, HOME INSPECTOR: The basement is at a lower pressure than the upstairs. So since we have a lower pressure in the basement, it's kind of sucking the radon into the basement.

DORNIN (on camera): And it comes up through vents or cracks in the construction. That sort of thing?

KNOS: That is true.

DORNIN (voice-over): Some areas of the U.S. seem to be more prone than others. Like the Northeast. But radon gas is found in every state.

(on camera): Basements aren't the only place that radon can accumulate. Any house with a concrete slab can have the problem. And if you have carpet in the house, that doesn't stop radon from coming in.

KNOS: Let's go ahead and take a look.

DORNIN (voice-over): If you want to find out, hire a professional or get a test kit that you can find at most hardware stores.

KNOS: Often you can find home kits in the $10 to $20 range. If we come in and do ours, if we are only doing a radon inspection, you are looking at $250.

DORNIN: You can block it from coming in by placing gravel underneath the flooring system and put plastic on top of the gravel. Seal and caulk all cracks in the concrete foundation and put a pipe from the soil under the house to suck out the gas and vent it up through the roof. The cost about $2,000.

This is a brand new house Knos is testing. But that doesn't make it immune.

(on camera): But aren't people building to protect against radon?

KNOS: Not really. Nobody's taken that much of an effect on it.

DORNIN (voice-over): It's hard for many people to grasp. But health officials agree it could be the boogeyman beneath your feet.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

And it's quite easy to go out and purchase one of these. About $10. Put it in your house. Two little canisters that have charcoal filters in them. Then you send them in. It costs another $15 for lab results. And then you can really find out if you have radon in your house. John?

ROBERTS: Good information to know. Rusty Dornin thanks very much. Just ahead, cancer has cut short the lives of many Americans. But two new cutting-edge treatments may offer people some hope. We'll detail them for you. And more on the death of Dana Reeve. Just ahead, Wolf will speak with CNN's Larry King. Dana Reeve appeared on his show in her first live prime time interview following her husband's death.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: Welcome back. I'm John Roberts in THE SITUATION ROOM. We'll return to Wolf Blitzer in Dubai in just a moment. But first, the death of Dana Reeve is putting a spotlight on cancer treatment and some cutting-edge technologies that are literally saving lives. CNN's Chris Lawrence is live for us in Los Angeles with that story. Good evening, Chris.

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good evening, John. You know the doctors I spoke with, they are realistic. But they say the future is in targeted treatment for each patient.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over): A 75-year-old smoker who raised five kids. A 57- year-old mother who rarely smoked. Both have lung cancer. But they are undergoing two different cutting-edge treatments.

DR. ANIL SHARMA, RADIATION ONCOLOGY: This is a huge quantum jump in technology.

LAWRENCE: Hurly Eliff is undergoing tomotherapy. The machine three dimensionally locates the tumor and immediately delivers a highly-concentrated blast of radiation.

HURLY ELIFF, PATIENT: They are not treating me here, they are curing me. So I'm being cured by these people.

LAWRENCE: Used to be, doctors had to blast a wide area with a low dose of radiation. Any more would kill off valuable healthy cells. Tomotherapy allows them to precisely target the small area with a lot of radiation.

SHARMA: What happens is you save the healthy lung and at the same time, kill that small tumor.

LAWRENCE: There are only a few dozen of these machines in the world. One of them is near Los Angeles at the Long Beach Memorial Medical Center.

DR. ROBERT NAGOURNEY, MEDICAL DIRECTOR: We need to be thinking differently, we need to be thinking out of the box to get good meaningful advances. Dr. Robert Nagourney is treating Virginia Filipan. Instead of giving the same kind of therapy to a broad range of patients, the staff has developed a unique program to examine a patient's tissue samples and individually tailor the treatment.

We have laboratories where we can isolate the cancer cells and measure the effect of better than virtually anyone else.

LAWRENCE: They surgically biopsy the patient, remove a piece of the tumor and expose it to all kinds of drug combinations in a test tube, then find the ones that work best at killing their cancer

NAGOURNEY: If you administer the right pill to the right patient, you get a great response. You turn off that which causes those cells to survive and grow.

LAWRENCE: In Virginia's case, it's a pill she takes once a day.

VIRGINIA FILIPAN, PATIENT: I walked in this hospital in a walker the day of my biopsy because I couldn't walk by myself and I have no problems walking.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LAWRENCE: Now there's nothing unusual about the pill itself. But Tarceva is usually prescribed after a patient fails traditional chemotherapy. In this case, her cells responded in the test tube so he's giving it to her right from the outset.

ROBERTS: Well, Chris, there's certainly no shortage of effort as people try to battle this dreaded disease. Chris, thanks very much.

Today the public is learning more about the risks of lung cancer. But those touched by the disease often share their experiences, knowledge and resources online. For more on that, let's go now to our Internet reporter Jacki Schechner. Jacki, what are you finding?

JACKI SCHECHNER, CNN INTERNET REPORTER: John, two interesting ways we wanted to show you. One was Dr. Phil Berman who not only is blogging his personal story, but he created a network for other people called redtoenail.org. He named it that because he's painting his toenails red for every year he survives the stage four lung cancer. He says he's up to toe toenails now and you can read his personal story online there as well.

The other gentleman we want to tell you about was a guy named Brian Fies who blogged his mother's battle with cancer via illustration. Mom's Cancer started as an online comic strip. He told his family's story, telling the stories, he says, "that weren't already out there, things that you didn't know you were going to go through." This has now been published as a book, it was just recently released this month. And also his mother, when she was well enough, John, blogged as well. Unfortunately she did pass away last October. But her blog remains online at Mom's Recovery.

You can read all of this information at CNN.com/situationreport. We've got all of the links for you there, too. John?

ROBERTSON: Tremendous support network out there, Jacki, thanks very much. Now let's go back to Wolf Blitzer and more of his exclusive reporting live from Dubai, Wolf?

BLITZER: Thanks very much, John. We are going to have much more on what's going on here in Dubai. We're also going to have more on the death of Dana Reeve. She gave CNN's Larry King her first live prime-time interview after her husband's death. Larry's going to join us, along with our own Paula Zahn, right here in THE SITUATION ROOM. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: More now on the death of Dana Reeve at the age of 44 from lung cancer. My colleagues Larry King and Paula Zahn joining us now from L.A. and New York. They both interviewed her. They've spent some time with her husband, the late actor Christopher Reeve. Larry, you knew Dana Reeve very, very well. Give us some reflection, a little perspective on this remarkable woman.

LARRY KING, CNN ANCHOR: She was remarkable. The way she handled the tragic accident that hit her husband and then his death. We had her on right after his death as her first interview after he died. I think she was, as I just said to Paula during the break, she was gutsy. She not only beautiful, but she had extraordinary courage, you know? And she had class, and she was -- she embodied so much that people would expect in a great woman and she was a great woman and her death is shocking.

BLITZER: Shocking. And I think all of us were stunned. Paula, you spent some time with her. Give us some thoughts.

PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Well, I would share much of what Larry just had to say. I think the one thing that always struck me about her particularly after Chris's very tragic fall off that horse that ended up leaving him paralyzed from the neck down, was that I can't remember ever having a single conversation with her during some very challenging times when Chris was fighting infections, where she ever portrayed any self-pity.

She was not a person who wallowed in self-pity. In fact she told me as she had in a couple of other interviews that she thinks that life is not fair. We shouldn't expect it to be fair. And when we are handed a curve ball, we need to learn from it and make a very simple decision, whether we are going to grow from it or be stifled by it.

And in many ways, I think as we watched her struggle through all of these issues with Chris, the one thing she taught us was a sense of gratitude. She said that was the one gift of his illness, it brought her family together, taught her about friends, but gave tremendous meaning to other people's lives who she touched as well.

BLITZER: I know Larry, you are going to spend a lot of time on Dana Reeve tonight. Give our viewers a little preview of what you have in store at 9:00 p.m. Eastern. KING: Sure will. One note, Wolf. Ernest Hemingway said the definition of class is grace under pressure. She was class. And we are going to have Kathy Lewis on, the head of her foundation. Deborah Roberts of ABC News, a close friend. Lance Armstrong, an exclusive interview with Lance, who as you know, fought and defeated testicular cancer and was a close friend of both the Reeves. Dr. Derek Raghavan, the cancer expert, Marianne Williamson, Deepak Chopra, and the famed Dr. Andrew Weil. They'll be with us for the full hour.

BLITZER: Will be a good show, Paula, we have 10 seconds. Tell our viewers what you're planning on doing.

ZAHN: I think one of the most interesting things about Dana's case is that among the women who end up with lung cancer, 20 percent of them have never smoked before. And that's one of the things we're going to take a look at more closely tonight. How was it that she ever could have contracted cancer not ever having smoked before?

BLITZER: "PAULA ZAHN NOW" begins right at the top of the hour. Paula, Larry, thanks very much, we'll be watching.

Up ahead, port controversy. Should only American companies be allowed to be in control of critical infrastructure in the United States? Jack Cafferty is reading your e-mail.

Plus, get this, snow skiing in the desert. Yes, right here in Dubai. You're going to see it, stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Bottom line of the markets today. The Dow was up but the Nasdaq and S & P fell in part because of concern over rising interest rates. That's the bottle line. Jack is in New York with "The Cafferty File." Jack?

CAFFERTY: Wolf, good evening. Republican Congressman Duncan Hunter has introduced a bill that will halt the takeover by Dubai Ports World. It would also require any corporation that owns or operates national defense critical infrastructure in this country to be majority owned by Americans. That's the question.

Should American companies be the only ones that can own infrastructure which is critical to our national security?

Don in Healy, Kansas writes, "Yes, American companies should be the only ones allowed ownership of anything in any way connected with our national security. Since nearly the entire world hates us at present, we can be forgiven wanting to maintain control of our ports and borders."

Barbara in Dallas. "Yes, yes and yes. Companies that operate critical infrastructure should definitely be owned and operated only by Americans.

Mark in Ridgecrest, California. "After serving 10 years in the military, I'm ashamed of our elected officials selling off all our assets. It's becoming unclear to veterans what they're fighting for."

Buzz in Solvang, California. "America should adopt the same policy as most of the rest of the world, which is to say we are the only ones who can run any port of entry as a matter of national security. Someone should ask the United Arab Emirates if they wouldn't mind if Israel took over control over their ports. Yes, I didn't think so."

Jordan in Flushing, New York. "Since when are American corporations so trustworthy and thorough? In reality we probably have been hurt more by American businesses than foreign. But regardless of who owns it, a corporation is designed to make money by any means it can. Running our ports should be the job of our government.

And finally Kay writes this. "Jack, if Congress can get off their collective keysters to prevent the sale of an American oil company to the Chinese, why aren't the same national security reasons enough to prevent this latest insanity over our homeland ports?" Wolf.

(CROSSTALK)

BLITZER: Jack, see you tomorrow in New York. Thanks very much. Still ahead here in THE SITUATION ROOM. Man-made wonders of the world. The only seven-star hotel. It's billed as such. And snow skiing in the desert. Only in Dubai. We are going to take you to a remarkable ski resort right here in the desert. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Whenever people think about the United Arab Emirates, it's hard not to be impressed by Dubai. Among its growing list of landmarks, an ultra-luxury hotel that bills itself as a seven-star property.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): This is the Burj Al Arab Hotel in Dubai, arguably one of the man-made wonders of the world. It's the world's tallest hotel, complete with a helipad near the top. It's also one of the world's most expensive. Luc Delafosse, originally from Paris is the hotel's general manager and gave us a tour.

LUC DELAFOSSE, HOTEL GENERAL MANAGER: This is quite something unique in the world today and it represents Dubai. We have a magnificent view anywhere and the building itself soars at 321 meters. So you are in suite 2008, that is actually one of our panoramic suites and the particularity of this suite particularly is this fantastic window where you can actually really see Dubai at your feet.

And also we have a particularity as well at the Burj Al Arab is very amazing service we give in our suites to all our guests. We have a team of 150 butlers working on a 24-hour basis. So it's made of the ground floor, where you have a bar area, you have a lounge area. We call it actually the majlis here, for example, in this region. You have a dining room, you have two bedrooms. You have a bedroom on the one floor and you also have the master bedroom on the mezzanine level on the upper floor.

BLITZER (on camera): This suite is per night, how much?

DELAFOSSE: I would say in terms of dollars, you know, it will be something like around $4,000 or $5,000 a night. We have a magnificent spa located on the 18th floor, an amazing place. Our actually, commitment, or mission, is to be clearly the world's most luxurious hotel.

BLITZER (voice-over): Not far from the hotel is this mall. What's extraordinary is what's inside, it's called Ski Dubai.

(on camera): It's hard to believe that we're right in the middle of the desert. Yes, we're in the desert, even though it's cold in here, you can say my breath, it's very cold, it's below zero. But these people are skiing, they are going on chair lifts. We're in the middle of Dubai and yes, there's a ski lift and there are ski slopes indoors.

It's the most bizarre scene, people from all over the world snowboarding and skiing downhill and indoors. The snow is manmade, as is the below-freezing temperature. But everything else is very real, check it out.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: That's it for me in Dubai, let's head up to New York, Paula Zahn standing by. Hi, Paula.

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