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The Situation Room

550,000,000 Eggs Recalled; Three Weeks of Floods in Pakistan; Muslim Woman Suing Disney; South Carolina Mom Accused of Murdering her Kids

Aired August 21, 2010 - 22:00   ET

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

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Right now on CNN, the last time we saw flooding like this was never. Thousands are starving. Millions are in danger. One of the biggest natural disasters in the world has ever seen unfolding right now in Pakistan. We're live.

Don't let the bed bugs bite. Easier said than done these days. And if you think you're immune, you better think again. Families from newborns to grand moms and dads all falling victim to major infestations.

Freedom of religion versus a work place dress code. Why Disney isn't the happiest place on earth for one Muslim woman who works there. She is suing.

Good evening everyone. I'm Don Lemon. America's massive egg recall has grown to more than 500 million eggs. It's all because of an outbreak of Salmonella. A bacteria that has sickened more than a thousand people since last month. The recall is centered on two giant egg distributors in Iowa. Their eggs are sold under more than a dozen brand names in more than a dozen states. And we're learning more tonight about the companies at the center of the egg recall.

In their past -- run-ins with safety regulation, Alec MacGillis has written about this for tomorrow's "Washington Post," he and joins us now by phone.

Alec, you write that the families connected to both of these giant egg operations in Iowa -- connect the dots for us here.

ALEC MACGILLIS, WASHINGTON POST: One of these companies that is really kind of at the center of this, the Coster Family Farm has a very, very long record of violations with the egg farming operations. Not so much with food safety issues really, but a lot of -- whole string of violations with work place issues, work place safety, employing illegal immigrants, animal cruelty allegations. Really all the way down the list, just a whole bevy of allegations of their operations.

This is quite a legendary company. They are one of the ten biggest egg farming companies in the country founded by the patriarch who as a 15-year-old boy was left fatherless to take care of his family, had only 150 chickens to his name at the time growing up in a small town in Maine. He's grown that company now to the point where it's got about 15 million chickens in several states. LEMON: Hey, Alec, you've looked into various fines and safety violations at these plants. What did you find?

MACGILLIS: Just that there is a remarkably long chain of events at these companies. And again, like I said, in recent years, they've not had so many actual food safety violations. There's been no big salmonella outbreaks at their companies. And in fact, in general, egg farming has seen a decline in salmonella outbreaks in recent years so their violations have really been more having to do with employing illegal immigrants, environmental violations, animal cruelty violations. Not so much what we're seeing now with this huge recall. This is really a big, new problem for them.

LEMON: Hey, Alec, has the company responded at all? Have they commented on this?

MACGILLIS: We, of course, tried several times to talk to them. They just kind of hunkered down right now and they declined to comment beyond just saying that they're working on the recall and trying to figure out what happened in this case.

LEMON: All right. Alec MacGillis with "The Washington Post." Thank you so much for your reporting tonight.

MACGILLIS: Thank you.

LEMON: We want to tell you that Salmonella causes extreme stomach discomfort and in some people even more dangerous problems.

Dr. Randy Martin tells me it is important to keep this outbreak in perspective.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. RANDY MARTIN, PIEDMONT HEART INSTITUTE: 76 million people get food-borne illnesses every year. Probably about 40,000, maybe even as many as 100,000 cases of salmonella food-borne illnesses. So it is relatively common and eggs are just one of the culprits. Under cooked poultry, water, actually pets, reptiles, lizards, turtles, those things. So it's relatively common in this country to have salmonella infections.

LEMON: You said but there's one simple solution to most of this if you're -- when you're cooking with eggs or whatever...

MARTIN: Right.

LEMON: ...and your meat and the bacteria --

(CROSSTALK)

MARTIN: I mean, you know, the bottom line is that you want to cook your foods properly, and you absolutely want to wash your hands, wash the utensils, those sort of things, and store them.

I mean, eggs are actually -- you know, as a cardiologist, we used to rag on eggs, said, you know, they're really bad for you. Eggs are actually a great source of protein and a lot of the good vitamins. But there are other sources.

So if you're really concerned, have some tofu, other things like that. Refrigerate your eggs. They got to be less than 40 degrees. Store them individually, like you've done, and then cook them. They got to be more than 160 degrees for 10 minutes. And eat them promptly.

LEMON: So these that have been out of the refrigerator for a couple of hours, then I should probably toss. I wouldn't want to go home and cook them.

MARTIN: No, no, no. I think -- I think those -- you know, it's cool in here. I think they'd be OK. I mean, I think it's really important. Most healthy people, even if you get infected in the get the salmonella, you're going to do fine. I mean, you're going to be sick. It's really the young children and the elderly or those that are really debilitated that we worry about. So I think for most of us, you'd be sick for a few days, but we're going to get well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: To find out which states are affected by the egg recall and for links to the plant numbers and date codes you need to look for on egg cartons, log on to our Web site at CNN.com/health.

And make sure you join me tomorrow at 7:00 p.m. Eastern. I'm going to be talking with the FDA commissioner. I'll ask her about the egg recall as well as the safety of seafood in the Gulf of Mexico and also other issues. That's tomorrow night 7:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN.

Well, today, more than 500,000 people ran for their lives to get away from rising waters in Pakistan. A wall of water threatened to drown a city in the Sindh province. Since the flooding hit Pakistan, more than 1500 people have died and officials estimate close to 20 million people have been affected. Have been impacted by this.

I want to go to our Kyung Lah. She is live now in Sindh province, in Pakistan for us.

Kyung, what's going thereon? This is unbelievable.

KYUNG LAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It is. Especially when you consider that these floods, Don, began three weeks ago and the immediate crisis, trying to escape the flood waters, is still not over here in Pakistan. I'm in Dadu, and I just want to point out where I am. I'm standing at a higher ground. This is a road that's been closed now.

What you see here are some people who -- some people who sought this higher ground, and over here to my right, this is flooding. The river is three miles away. There are still parts of Pakistan where the initial flood waters are coming in, where people are fleeing. Some of the pictures that you showed us a short time ago. Those people in that town, we saw them packing up their belongings and fleeing because their city is at risk of being over taken by those flood waters.

Now, we have learned that the city is still standing as far as it being relatively dry because the man made berms are holding right now. But there are other parts of this country where they're still trying to hold back the flood waters.

So, Don, anyone that would think OK, with three weeks in the flooding is over, it is not over. The next 48 hours here for this country and certain parts of it are critical as far as escaping the flood waters.

LEMON: Kyung, where are all of these people -- really millions of them, going? And what is it going to be like there where they're going? It may not be much better.

LAH: Many of them don't know exactly where they're going. They know they have to seek higher ground because their houses are washing away. And they need to try to rescue their children and take whatever they can. When they get to higher ground, it is refugee camps. Now, many of these camps are impromptu. They're trying to find shelter and perhaps in a school, we went to a school where some 40 people are in each classroom, very small classrooms, and the aid is not coming in quickly enough.

And so what's happening at these refugee camps are what's being called here a second wave disaster. So after these flood waters come through, what's going to happen to these people when we talk about so many millions being affected and the disaster that's coming, the reason why is because there isn't access to water -- clean water or food.

And so what's happening to these children? Some 500,000 pregnant women, all of these children who have to drink dirty water, the World Health Organization says they are seeing an uptick, 30 percent higher cases of diarrhea, and it is little wonder when children cannot get clean water. These refugee camps are almost like Petri dishes of disease where we're seeing case of outbreaks of measles and they just don't have any access to doctors.

LEMON: And Kyung, you mentioned the aid a little bit. The aid that is coming. You said some of it is not making it there. But the aid that is making it there, is it helping?

LAH: When it is arriving, it is absolutely helping. We were at one point, a distribution point in the village, where the United Nations was handing out some non-food supplies. These were tents and this is just earlier this week where people are finally getting to sleep under some sort of shelter that's going to be relatively proper. But the aid isn't coming in quickly enough. We kept hearing about the donations coming in and the United Nations saying that they've gotten about 70 percent of what they've asked for in emergency funding. But right now that isn't quite translating into a bottle of water for the people here, and that's what's really needed. The crisis as far as the urgency really needs to be expressed. LEMON: Our Kyung Lah in Dadu, Pakistan. Thank you so much, Kyung, for your reporting.

And as we have just heard from Kyung Lah, Pakistan is not getting as much aid as it needs, especially when aid officials compare it to other catastrophes of similar magnitude. The American Red Cross says at this point it has received $1.3 million to help Pakistan. Of course, donations continue to come in, but they expect the aid will not match previous disasters. More than half a billion was received to help the victims from the tsunami in 2004, and close to half a billion came in to help Haitians after the earthquake just this year.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NAN BUZARD, AMERICAN RED CROSS: Internationally, more and more funds are starting to come in. A week ago, I was with the Pakistan general counsel in New York and the U.S. government had committed to $55 million. Now, the U.S. government is up to $150 million in relief aid that's been committed. At the American Red Cross, I have to say the donations have been coming in fairly slowly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: We're going to continue to follow this story coming out of Pakistan here on CNN.

In the meantime, Disneyland is supposed to be a place of joy, happiness, and magic, but one woman says it is also a place of discrimination.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why would I work in the back? Well because of how I look and then I said you know, you are just hiding me because of my hijabi look, because I look like a Muslim.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Well, she is suing the park now for her right to wear her head scarf. My interview with her is straight ahead.

Plus, a mother is charged with suffocating her little boys. The murders of these two toddlers is an unspeakable crime. And behind it lies a dilemma facing many families. Parents who can't handle caring for their kids.

Coming up, help for overwhelmed moms and dads on the brink.

And don't just sit there, everyone. Be a part of the conversation. Send me a message on Twitter and Facebook, and check out my blog, CNN.com/Don.

Also check in with us at FourSquare as well.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) LEMON: The much publicized battle over the proposed mosque near Ground Zero is just one of the debates over the role of Islam in American society. In California, Imane Boudlal is suing Disneyland because she says the company won't let her wear a Muslim head scarf on the job. Boudlal explains why she is putting the companies' dress code to the test.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

IMANE BOUDLAL, MUSLIM DISNEYLAND WORKER: It's part of my belief and religion. Like wearing the scarf is important and it's a requirement. So I knew that it was a requirement. Not just me, but everybody knows, as a Muslim woman, or just being the fact they are Muslim. And wasn't ready to wear it. Then I decided to wear my hijab. That's been like a year right now. I just felt I'm ready for it.

LEMON: Yes. Go ahead.

BOUDLAL: Like you go through different stages. Like a year, I was ready to wear it.

LEMON: So personally, you felt that you had grown enough and that you were strong enough to be able to wear the scarf. Is that correct?

BOUDLAL: Exactly.

LEMON: Here's what people will say. You recently got your citizenship, right? Very recently.

BOUDLAL: Mm-hmm.

LEMON: And after you got your citizenship you decided to wear the scarf. And people will think, well, you got your citizenship and then you decided to break the rules after you got your citizenship and after you had been, you know, working there for two years and not wearing the scarf.

BOUDLAL: OK. Well, that's the thing. That's totally wrong because the fact is not that I became American citizen, but that was the reason how I find out I have the right to wear the scarf because I was reading the Constitution. Even before I was here, I was a green card holder like as a resident. So basically, I have the same right. Doesn't matter if I'm American or just as a resident in the United States. So I should have the right to wear the scarf. But because -- maybe I should have read the Constitution the fist day I step to JFK Airport. Maybe that was the mistake that I didn't do. But I'm glad that after --

LEMON: Well --

BOUDLAL: Go ahead.

LEMON: You said you're glad that after that you have now had the courage to do it. I kind of -- think I know where you're going to go. But the thing is, I understand that. But with your company, when you originally took the job in the contract -- and I'm going to read Disney's statement in a minute. It says that you had to abide by certain rules and you had to dress a certain way. And on most jobs, there is a dress code, even one here on CNN. And yours is to be a cast member and to dress the part.

Do you feel that in any way that you misrepresented yourself by, all of a sudden, two years into the job, and deciding to change what you wear?

BOUDLAL: I -- no, I did not, totally did not. Because at the same time, if you look at the Disney policy, they're saying that, OK, Disney look and show -- but at the same time, after you read it, they say they can make an exception for religious belief or if you are sick or something or it's harming you. They can make special accommodations if you're sick, then they can come up with something. So basically, these are my belief. It is just who I am.

(CROSSTALK)

BOUDLAL: -- you can make a request and I did it.

LEMON: Let me read the Disney statement. I'm sorry to cut you off.

BOUDLAL: That's OK.

LEMON: "Disney is an entertainment company." This is where the statement starts. "Our theme parks and resorts are the stage. And our costume cast members are part of the show. All cast members in costume roles, regardless of the diverse beliefs, are expected to comply with our dress codes when cast members, regardless of religion, request exceptions to our policies or religious reasons, we work hard to make reasonable accommodations."

And they are accommodating you. So what's the issue? What issue do you have?

BOUDLAL: How did they accommodate me? What was the reasonable accommodation that they came up with?

LEMON: As far as they're concerned, it's a reasonable accommodation that you're on paid leave, right? They're paying you, even though you're not working. And they're trying to figure out how to incorporate you into the company now that you are not abiding, at least as they see it, by the dress code.

BOUDLAL: Well, I'm not getting paid -- they sent me home. I'm not getting paid for the days that I'm not showing up right now.

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: And you're not working in other parts of the company. You're not working in another role?

BOUDLAL: I'm not. I'm definitely not. And then at the same time, I don't think it's hard for Disney to just give me accommodation to wear just the scarf.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Barred from the ballot. Why Wyclef Jean's presidential dreams may be crushed. That is next on CNN.

Plus, in Spain, spectators love their bull fights, but this bull didn't love the spectators.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: After more than seven years and at a cost of more than 4,000 American lives, the U.S. combat mission in Iraq is all but over.

(VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: A flag ceremony today symbolically marked the moment at Camp Virginia in Kuwait. Operation Iraqi Freedom does not officially end until August 31st. But the last full combat convoy has already left Iraq. By the end of the month, the U.S. Force in Iraq is supposed to be down to 50,000 troops serving in non-combat roles.

President Obama promises a complete withdrawal from Iraq by the end of 2011, but will Iraqi forces be ready for that handover? It is a question that "STATE OF THE UNION" host Candy Crowley posed to the top military commander in Iraq.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CANDY CROWLEY, HOST, "STATE OF THE UNION": Will they be good enough for us to pull out the remainder of those 50,000 troops by the deadline of the end of next year?

GEN. RAY ODIERNO, CMDR., MULTI-NATIONAL FORCE-IRAQ: My assessment today is they will be. I think -- I think that they continue to grow. We continue to see development in planning, in their ability to conduct operations. We continue to see political development, economic development. And all of these combined together will start to create an atmosphere that creates better security.

And the Iraqi people are resilient. They want this. They want to have a democratic country. They want to be on their own. They want to move forward and be a contributor to stability in the Middle East.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Make sure you catch the rest of that interview on "STATE OF THE UNION" with Candy Crowley tomorrow 9:00 a.m. Eastern here on CNN.

We'll take a look at some of our top stories right now starting with strong words from Israel towards Iran. Tonight Israel says the fueling of Iran's first nuclear reactor is totally unacceptable. Iranian engineers began loading fuel into the country's first nuclear power plant today. Iran says that the plant is designed to produce electricity, but Israel, the U.S., and other nations questioned whether the fuel will be used for nuclear weapons.

Well, he can make music, but he can't make a run for Haiti's president. Wyclef Jean is not on the list of approved candidates for that race. Haiti's electoral council did not give a reason for rejecting the musician but Jean says it's because the council did not consider him a resident of the country. 19 presidential candidates were approved, but 15 others were rejected.

President Obama and his family are spending ten days off the coast of Martha's Vineyard, off the coast of Massachusetts, I should say, on Martha's Vineyard. It is the second year in a row that they have spent a summer vacation on the island.

Mr. Obama and his daughters ventured out to a book store yesterday, but otherwise he stayed out of sight. Aides say the president continues to receive his regular briefings on intelligence and economic matters.

Still ahead here on CNN there are new rules that could make it harder for people affected by the oil spill to make a claim against BP. I will tell you why.

Plus, a mother is charged with suffocating her little boys. The murders of these two toddlers is an unspeakable crime. But behind it lies a dilemma facing many families. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: A mother in South Carolina is facing charges. She murdered her two toddler sons. Shaquan Duley was not able to go to the funeral of her boys, 2-year-old Devean and 18-month-old Ja'van. The child-sized caskets broke the hearts of the 400 people who attended the services Thursday in Orangeburg.

The sheriff says Duley shows remorse. He says Duley is poor, jobless, and was overwhelmed after her mother had just yelled at her for not taking care of her kids. She spoke briefly during her arraignment on Wednesday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right. Ms. Duley, how're you doing, ma'am?

SHAQUAN DULEY, CHARGED WITH MURDERING HER CHILDREN: I'm OK, sir.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: While Duley's charges are inexcusable, her situation highlights a problem that advocates say is only getting worse in this down economy.

Parents who don't abuse their kids or drugs or on the brink of desperate -- on the brink, desperate, and unaware of their options for them. I talked about this with Cyd Wessel. She is a senior director of Healthy Families America, which is part of a child abuse prevention program in America. I asked her what went through her mind when she heard about this mother in South Carolina arrested for allegedly killing her kids.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CYD WESSEL, SR. DIR., HEALTHY FAMILIES AMERICA: And one of the services provided through Prevent Child Abuse America is our 1-800- children's number. Wherever you are in the United States, that number will be routed within your state so that you have someone there who can support you in finding services you need within your community.

LEMON: So the number...

WESSEL: The other thing...

LEMON: ... is 1-800-CHILDREN?

WESSEL: Correct.

LEMON: OK. If you need help. And so, listen...

WESSEL: The other thing...

LEMON: ... there are -- there are services. You were going to talk about another thing, but I want to get this right. A mom or a parent can just call if they're having an issue, and they can get help from social services, and their kids can be taken away temporarily and watched by someone at social services?

WESSEL: Well, yes. There are a couple different services, just to clarify. I think there is a misperception that the Department of Child and Family Services is only about taking children away. That simply is not true. In fact, they're committed to family preservation and strongly believe that children do best when they are reared in their home with their biological parents.

And we're, you know, happy to have those services there when we desperately need them, but there are other services. And really, the majority of the services that the Department of Child and Family Services provide are to families in an effort to prevent it from ever getting to the point of needing foster care.

LEMON: OK, here's...

WESSEL: There's another much...

LEMON: But here's what I want to drill down on real quickly, Cyd, because I think what people don't know -- if you're having trouble, if you're feeling desperate in some way or you're not able to take care of your kids, you can call social services -- I want to make this very clear -- and for a few days or a few hours, you can have someone watch your kids or take care of your kids for you until you go seek professional help or until you get a break, so you can get a break from your children?

WESSEL: Well, just to clarify there are services called Respite Care, and to give parents absolutely a much needed break. The unfortunate thing is they aren't available in all communities. Many times in particular, parents who have special needs --

(END VIDEOTAPE) * LEMON: OK. Here's what I want to draw down on real quickly, Cyd, because I think what people don't know, if you're having trouble, if you're feeling desperate in some way, or you're not able to take care of your kids, you can call Social Services. I want to make this very clear. And for a few days, for a few hours, you can have someone watch your kids or take care of your kids for you until you go seek professional help or until you get a break, and so you can get a break from your children?

CYD WESSEL, SR. DIR. HEALTHY FAMILIES AMERICA: Well, just to clarify. There are services called respite care and to give parents absolutely a much needed break. The unfortunate thing is they aren't available in all communities.

Many times, in particular parents who have special needs children, whether they be medical needs or severe autism or some type of medical condition, those parents definitely need a break. They can even schedule maybe one day a week where their child is placed in certified child care and whether it be home based or center based. That child care is paid for. The parents do not have to pay.

In some cases there might be a sliding fee scale but there are certainly affordable services. And other parents, regardless of any special needs with their children, can look to see if respite services are available in their community.

LEMON: Do you remember life before computers? How about talking on a corded phone or writing in cursive? Well, many students entering college for the first time this year don't have a clue about any of those things. Do you feel old yet? Well, coming up, a look at an annual college list showing how much the world has changed.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Get ready to feel old. Most of the freshman class entering college right now was born in 1992. I have shoes older than that. And those of us who still remember things like when "The Simpsons" premiered may need an update on our cultural reference points.

Thankfully, Beloit College has its annual college mindset list with all the ways the class of 2014 sees things differently.

For instance, number 31. The first home computer they probably touched was an Apple II or Mac II, which are now in museums.

Number 19. They never twisted the coiled handset wire aimlessly around their wrists while chatting on the phone.

Never had one that was so long it went through the whole house.

Number 46. Nirvana is on the classic oldies station now.

Beloit's faculty members Ron Nief and Tom McBride created the list and it comes right from their experiences in the classroom.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TOM MCBRIDE, BELOIT COLLEGE: One day, I was talking in class about how to tell a story and I mentioned "Pulp Fiction" because I think "Pulp Fiction" is just this amazingly cool and hip and contemporary film that does this crazy, weird thing with narrative and I got all these blank stares and I suddenly realized that was 10 years ago. They don't know about "Pulp Fiction."

So, you know, there is no question but that the professors and teachers who did hardly with the references, they make references to things, they refer to things that obviously, of course, first-year students just don't know about.

RON NIEF, BELOIT COLLEGE: It's largely how we can put the list together because it's those blank stares, what we call the mindset moments that tell us we've hit a nerve.

LEMON: I want to show a few more items from the list. The very first one -- a few in the class know about is how to write cursive. I heard this a couple years ago that most kids don't know how to write cursive because they are talking on -- I mean, they're using keyboards instead of writing cursive. Have they just forgotten or is cursive not in the classroom anymore at all?

NIEF: Well, they -- when they were old enough to stand up and reach up on a table, they hit a keyboard and they've been on that keyboard ever since. So, the use of cursive, even if they did learn it, has -- the need for it has passed.

MCBRIDE: Yes. Most of my students write a sort of strange hybrid of block letters and italic print or italic letters. But as far as old fashioned cursive is concerned, it's dead. As Ron says, the conditions that warrant it just don't pertain any longer.

LEMON: I remember I think up until fourth or fifth grade we had penmanship classes where we had to learn to write and write in cursive and then it had to be legible. That didn't transfer to my adult years because I can't read my own handwriting now. But we had those classes.

So listen. I want to ask you guys, Tom, about number 28. They've never recognize that pointing to their wrists was a request for the time of day. And on some of these -- you know, do you hear that freshmen say give them a little credit about here?

I know that when someone points to their wrist, I automatically know that they are looking for the time. So, do freshmen say, you know, give them some credit or give them a little leeway?

MCBRIDE: Well, I certainly think that they can tell time. I think that, you know, can tell time without just looking at digital numbers. I'm not going to go that far. But I can tell you this. I have a son who is in his late 20s. We have given him two wristwatches and he sent them both back to us. He said "I don't need these, I have my cell phone."

And, you know, what is really interesting about this is that once upon a time, many, many years ago, it was considered effeminate, sissy to actually wear a wristwatch until World War I when people wore wristwatches in combat. Then it became OK and manly to wear wristwatches. But before that everybody had a fob watch or a pocket watch.

LEMON: Pocket watch, yes.

MCBRIDE: With cell phones, pocket watches have returned. Cell phones are electronic pocket watches and wristwatches are going out for this generation.

NIEF: But if you sit there and point at your wrist and look quizzically at an 18-year-old, you can sit there all day. They're never going to tell you what time it is.

LEMON: I never even thought about that. If someone points to their wrist, I automatically know.

Next one doesn't surprise me and even when I was a kid, I know we used to talk about it but I never really worried about it. This is number 68. They have never worried about a Russian missile strike on the U.S.

So they've never really had to experience the Cold War. I don't find that surprising at all.

MCBRIDE: No, not at all. And in fact, we've been picking this up now for the last four years or five years that this is really, in fact, a post Cold War generation. You know, all of the sort of icons that are associated with the Cold War for us, you know, the fallout shelters getting under the desk, you know, the Cuban missile crisis, you know, worrying about who the next Russian leader is going to be, none of that is really something that's familiar to them.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Our thanks to them.

Next, bedbugs back with a vengeance. And no one is safe especially children. One family's horror story includes their newborn baby.

Plus this --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've worked all over Kenya. Every community has the same story -- crocodiles and hippos and loved ones lost.

(END VIDEO CLIP) LEMON: How one man is saving lives by bridging gaps literally. This week's CNN hero when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Mom always said good night, sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bite. Not so easy these days. Talk about a horror movie. To a theater in New York City's Time Square is the latest business to shut down to battle a bedbug infestation. CNN's Susan Candiotti takes us inside one family's battle against the creepy bloodsuckers.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): At first, Rahela Sachedina thought her son made a pen mark on her newborn's white bassinet.

RAHELA SACHEDINA, QUEENS RESIDENT: Darn, you know, I should do something about this. And I went closer and it started moving and I got freaked out.

CANDIOTTI: Who wouldn't be freaked out? Sachedina's husband knew exactly what it was.

R. SACHEDINA: It's a bedbug. And I was like oh, my Lord, this can't be happening.

ALI SACHEDINA, QUEENS RESIDENT: They want to know if in fact you have them. So this is our proof.

CANDIOTTI: The couple says they traced the infestation to the delivery of a brand new mattress from a well-known store. After being treated, the mattress is all wrapped up.

R. SACHEDINA: So this is the bedbug cover. The bedbug cover is like a case for the mattress. It's all sealed.

CANDIOTTI: Mom says she and her baby were bitten.

R. SACHEDIAN: We found blood marks on the sheets.

CANDIOTTI: The Sachedinas' lives haven't been the same since.

A. SACHEDINA: We've spent at least $1500.

CANDIOTTI: The family of four moved out. An exterminator moved in. And after a month, they're not done cleaning everything. Their drawers and closets, practically bare.

R. SACHEDINA: This was packed. Each hanger was packed with clothes. And I like clothes.

A. SACHEDINA: We took every piece of fabric and clothing in the entire house and took it downstairs, dried it, folded it, sealed it, and then took it to storage.

CANDIOTTI: Cold also kills the critters, so look what's in the freezer.

A. SACHEDINA: Such as one of my wife's purses which we can't clean or dry clean or dry.

CANDIOTTI: Neighbors didn't know what to think.

A. SACHEDINA: They started asking questions like hey, you know, are you moving out? Is there something going on between you and your wife?

CANDIOTTI: It's hard not to feel stigmatized.

R. SACHEDINA: And we didn't want to tell anybody because it was -- for me, I felt not so much dirty but I felt tainted.

CANDIOTTI: And then there is the funny feeling that's hard to shake.

R. SACHEDINA: I wake up in the middle of the night thinking I have things crawling on me.

CANDIOTTI: A bedbug's parting gift.

Susan Candiotti, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: We'll check your top stories right now. A gun battle this evening just 30 yards from the U.S.-Mexican border at El Paso, Texas. Here is what authorities are saying. They're saying drug traffickers and Mexican federal police started firing at each other on the other side of the Mexican border into Juarez. One armed suspect was killed, three Mexican officers were hurt. There are no reports of bullets crossing into El Paso, but U.S. authorities did shut down part of the city anyway. We'll follow that.

New rules for claims over the Gulf oil disaster to tell you about. The Associated Press says these come straight from Kenneth Feinberg, who is overseeing the process for the government. Getting paid now depends on how close you live to the spill and how much you depend on the Gulf's natural resources. And by the fall, anyone claiming long-term losses will probably have to give up the right to sue BP and other companies involved.

In Brazil, one person was killed and four police officers were wounded today in a gunfight over drugs outside a Rio de Janeiro hotel. Police say the gunmen fled into the hotel where they took 35 people hostage. Ten people were arrested and the hostages were eventually freed. Police say the man who was killed was wanted for dealing drugs.

More than 60,000 people drown in Africa every year but this week's CNN hero is saving lives by building bridges that help Kenyans cross rivers swollen by heavy rains and filled with crocodiles. Every day, Harmon Parker's work connects thousands with life-changing resources and each other. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HARMON PARKER, CNN HERO: What strikes me about this place is the beauty and the feeling of being insignificant. Life for people here is very difficult, very secluded. The beauty of this place also becomes dangerous because of these mountains when it rains.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): My father came to the market in the morning. He was with my mother. On the way back in the evening, they found the river was flooded. They drowned.

PARKER: I've worked all over Kenya. Every community has the same story -- crocodiles and hippos and loved ones lost. When it floods, the people really suffer not being able to get across to the clinic or the market or to their school.

Oh, look at this. Here comes some kids helping.

The very first bridge I built I saw how it could change lives and transform communities. So I carried on and I love what I do.

My name is Harmon Parker and I build bridges to transform people's lives.

The community has to initiate the project. They have to participate and make some sort of financial contribution. I don't know how many goats I have in this region but they always give me a goat.

I've spent half of my life in a tent. I've had malaria seven or eight times. And it's hard and it takes a lot of determination.

The bridge is a beautiful metaphor for many things. I feel I'm privileged to do what I'm doing, destined to help people, and I'm driven by that.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Most high school and college football players dream of making it to the NFL. Coming up, we'll meet a man who made it. He made that dream come true, but has chosen to walk away from it all. We'll tell you why.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: "What Matters" tonight, our partnership with "Essence" magazine -- practically every football player dreams of making it to the NFL, but San Francisco 49ers' running back Glen Coffee is walking away from his pro career and is only 23. Coffee explains why he is giving up something that most guys would kill for.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GLEN COFFEE, QUITTING THE NFL: It was my dream for a long time, you know, but I found Christ in my junior year in college and ever since then football was no longer my dream, you know. And I mean, God has a different calling in my life and different plans, so I had to walk away.

LEMON: So why can't you do -- why can't you become a minister and play football like the late Reggie White did?

COFFEE: Some people can, but for me, you know, that wasn't the case. I tried for a couple of years to do that and I wasn't at peace with myself, you know. And you have to be at peace with yourself before you can, you know, minister to others or fellowship with others. So, for me, I needed to be outside of football to do what I need to do.

LEMON: I understand that because I've done some things and people say, why are you making that decision. I don't know. I just feel I need to do that.

So I understand that. I understand that. Some people may think that you're sacrificing or giving something up but for you, you're just doing what your heart is telling you to do. I completely get that.

But here is a question. I worked with someone who once told me to bloom where you're planted. There are -- you know, you get to meet and see millions of people every year, lots of people in those football stadiums. Man, that -- you know, you've got a whole pot to pick from to save people if you're talking about souls. They're right there in front of you.

COFFEE: That's true, that's true. But like I said, I mean, if I can't speak to you and I can't tell you what I want to tell you because I'm not at peace with myself, I mean, it ends right there no matter what you're doing, you know. And I mean as far as football being the platform, God can open up any doors for me to use, you know, so I can, I mean, football is a great platform, but it's no telling where it can lead me next, you know. So, you know, football had to be dumping me to do what I need to do.

LEMON: All right. So you played backup in your only season with the NFL. Is that -- did it stem from dissatisfaction with that or was it more just I need to do something else? And I see you're laughing at my question.

COFFEE: No. If anything, I felt I need to leave now because if I was a starter in the NFL, I still would have made the same decision, you know. Right now, as far as 49ers are concerned, Frank is in the team, the leading running back. And if I was in the situation, say later on down the line, I still would have came to the conclusion that I needed to leave football. So, it would have been a worst case if I waited. So I decided to do it now as a backup, you know, with less stress on the team with me leaving.

LEMON: What did your coach -- 49ers' coach Singletary say to you?

COFFEE: You know, I had a conversation with him a couple -- last week and we sat down and it was really a conversation between two Christian brothers, you know. I went into that meeting expecting anything, you know, and when I left, I was blessed because it's a true man of God right there. And it was definitely -- it was definitely a conversation between two Christians.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: OK. We have got an unbelievable piece of video to show you. It is my favorite video of the week. He just jumps right up there, right? A bull jumps into the stands and fans start running for their lives. We're going to show you how it all played out.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: All right. Time now for some news you might have missed. Look at this. A bull suddenly turns the tables on bullfighting fans in northern Spain. All right. Ready, set, check it out.

The 1100-pound bull easily cleared that barricade and charged right through the crowds into the stands. At least 30 people were hurt. Two of them badly enough to be sent to the hospital. Workers had to kill the bull to end that rampage. I wonder what got into him?

And it looks like aggressive dogs are taking a bigger bite out of their owners' budgets. Insurance Information Institute crunched the numbers and found the average homeowner's insurance payout for a dog bite claim is $24,000, up nearly 30 percent from 2003. The insurance journal reports that this is because of increased medical costs and larger settlements, judgments and jury awards to dog bite victims. If you had to pay a dog bite claim, your insurance company will increase your premium if you keep the dog.

One year after a massive government bailout, General Motors has taken its first step toward becoming a publicly traded company. The auto giant filed the paperwork this week to begin issuing stock probably in the fall. Here's what GM is hoping. They're hoping to raise $16 billion. The move comes just as CEO Ed Whitacre says he'll be stepping down on September 1st. Right now, the federal government owns about 60 percent of GM because of a $50 billion cash infusion from the taxpayers. Public stock offering could help GM shed the stigma of government ownership.

A life-sized Elvis statue, a neon Governor Blagojevich sign, and other items belonging to the former Illinois governor were put up for auction in suburban Chicago. The items had been in storage in a facility which said Blagojevich or Blago as everyone calls him didn't pay his bill. The company said the items were bought in $30,000 -- brought in $30,000. Sorry about that. And all of the money would go to charity.

A sticky situation for a sheriff's deputy in Raleigh, North Carolina. Nearly 50,000 honeybees swarmed his patrol car trapping him inside. Can you believe that? The bees had escaped from a truck that had broken down. Two beekeepers used smoke, sugar, and plastic sheeting to get the bees back into their hives.

Boy oh, boy. That would have scared me to death. I'm Don Lemon in Atlanta. I'll see you back here tomorrow night 6:00, 7:00, and 10:00 p.m. Eastern. Thanks for watching. Have a great evening, everyone.