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CNN Saturday Morning News

Missing Woman Found; Sen. Reid Recovering; Cindy Sheehan Leaves Texas; Hundreds Ill From Water Park

Aired August 20, 2005 - 9:00   ET

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

TONY HARRIS, HOST: Replacement mechanics are the job at Northwest Airlines. The air carrier's mechanics are on strike to protest big pay cuts and layoffs that would have cut their numbers almost in half. Northwest says it plans to operate on its normal schedule despite the strike, but if you have a ticket on Northwest Airline for today, call and check before setting out for the airport.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: A body found earlier today may be that of Latoyia Figueroa. The 24-year-old pregnant Philadelphia woman disappeared more than a month ago. We'll have a live report in five minutes.

Wet weather and storms have Space Shuttle Discovery staying put for now. The shuttle is making its way across the country to Florida from its landing site at Edwards Air force Base in California. Discovery will stay in Barksdale Air force Base in Louisiana until tomorrow now.

From the CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Fredricka Whitfield, in for Betty Nguyen this Saturday morning.

HARRIS: And good morning, everyone -- hey, good morning, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Hello.

HARRIS: Hello to you. I'm Tony Harris. Thank you for starting your day with us.

The California woman who's been camped outside President Bush's Texas home for nearly two weeks, hopes to be back at the ranch before too much longer. Meanwhile, the president will be talking about Iraq and the U.S. mission there in his weekly radio address this morning. CNN's White House Correspondent Dana Bash is in Crawford, Texas and joins us with more. Dana, good morning.

DANA BASH, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Tony.

And actually, after about a week with no public appearances at all, the president is going to try to get back on the offensive when it comes to public support for Iraq. Not only talking about it in his radio address today, he is going to travel to Utah and to Idaho next week to also talk about why he thinks the mission in Iraq, of course, is still very important.

Meanwhile, Cindy Sheehan is still in Los Angeles, where she is by the side of her ailing mother. Some of her supporters are still here. They say they plan a low-key day, but some of the locals, most of the locals back the president and the war. For one of Mr. Bush's neighbors, the anti-war vigil in his backyard hits especially close to home.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BASH (voice over): After spending a year in Iraq, Dusty Harrison treasures routine family moments.

DUSTY HARRISON, IRAQ VETERAN: And you've got 26.

BASH: Last week he returned from National Guard training, looking forward to peace and quiet.

D. HARRISON: I come back from annual training and there's Camp Casey in my -- basically in my front yard and I am shocked.

BASH: Sergeant Harrison is proud of his service in Iraq; calls the mission crucial. Now from his Crawford home, he sees tents and port-o- potties, Cindy Sheehan's anti-war supporters set up.

D. HARRISON: It's a double-edged sword. I don't like what's going on out here, but that's why I served, so they can have that right. And I do feel for her. You know, I am so sorry that her son was lost.

BASH: His wife Melissa, complained to the county commission after two protesters used her bathroom when no adults were home. But she sympathizes with the grieving mother and agreed to let Sheehan use her yard for what she thought was an interview. It turned out to be a TV ad.

MELISSA HARRISON, WIFE OF DUSTY: I was upset that, that I was misled like that, because I didn't want anyone to think that we were supporting her point of view, that we do not share that point of view. I was letting her have her freedom of speech.

BASH: A Sheehan spokeswoman says they did not intend to be deceptive. The Harrison's are happy the vigil is moving down the road. These are staying -- hundreds of white crosses bearing names of soldiers killed in Iraq.

D. HARRISON: A couple of the guys in our battalion died while we were over there.

BASH (on camera): The fact that they are there, they are sort of right next to your property, how does that make you feel?

D. HARRISON: As a soldier, I think she's using heroes who gave their life for this country to further a political aim.

BASH (voice-over): They've never met Cindy Sheehan, but here's what they want her to know.

M. HARRISON: We're not against her. We just -- the way she's going about it. The way she's going about it. And just reassures her that we -- her son did good over there. The soldiers that over there, they're doing well and if we pull them out now, everything we've done would be for nothing.

D. HARRISON: For nothing -- in vain.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BASH: Now, again, we do not know when or actually if for sure Cindy Sheehan will come back here to Crawford, but her supporters say they're actually going to not only stay here, but try to follow the president to Utah, to Idaho and early next week as he travels to try and protest outside where he' going to give his speeches.

HARRIS: And Dana, a special guest at the ranch today?

BASH: A special guest, indeed and that is seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong. He is coming to bike with Mr. Bush later today. Mr. Bush, of course, had been an avid runner, but he has taking up biking because of a leg injury.

So, the two are going to bike together at his ranch today. You know, I was talking last night to a photographer who went biking with the president late last week and he was talking about how Mr. Bush said the number one rule riding with him is don't pass the president. So, it's going to be interesting, Tony, to see if Lance Armstrong is going to follow that rule.

HARRIS: Lance doesn't have a second gear, does he? I don't know if he has the slow-down gear. All right. Dana Bash at Crawford, Texas for us. Dana, thank you.

BASH: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Doctors are telling Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid to take some down time. The Senate's most powerful Democrat suffered what's being described as a mild stroke. Aides say Reid is not experiencing any complications.

The widow of Martin Luther King, Jr. however, is recovering after she suffered a stroke and mild heart attack on Tuesday. She is recovering in the hospital at that. Seventy-eight-year-old Coretta Scott King will stay there for at least another week in Atlanta. Her doctor say she'll undergo extensive rehabilitation.

Drug maker Merck says it will appeal a $250 million damage award in the nation's first Vioxx lawsuit. A Texas widow blamed the once popular painkiller for her husband's death. More than 4,000 Vioxx- related lawsuits are pending now, nationwide.

HARRIS: A disease outbreak is being linked to tainted water at a popular water park in upstate New York. State health officials say nearly 1,800 people, many of them children. contracted a serious intestinal illness. Elizabeth Harness of our affiliated station WROC has more.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ELIZABETH HARNESS, WROC: Four-and-a-half-year-old Jacob Wolf got sick after he and his family visited the Spray Ground at Seneca Lake State Park in early August.

JACOB WOLFE, ILL FROM WATER PARK: My tummy hurted (SIC) a little.

SUSAN WOLFE, MOTHER: So, we were in the E.D. for a little while and they gave him some fluids. The long and short of it is they admitted him, because we couldn't keep any of the fluids down.

HARNESS: Jacob is one of just 1,738 people who have now fallen ill from a parasite called cyptosperidian, found in human and animal feces.

DR. NANCY BENNETT, MONROE CO. HEALTH DPT: It's generally spread through water, but it can be spread from person to person.

HARNESS: The disease, much like a stomach bug, can incubate up to 12 days before symptoms occur. In Jacob's case, it took only three days before diarrhea, vomiting and fever came on strong.

S. WOLFE: He's a little guy and they said he was -- the blood was from him vomiting so much, because his throat was just irritated all the way down.

HARNESS: Health officials are warning day care workers, health care and food service employees not to report to work for at least two weeks after their symptoms resolve.

(on camera): If you have a child that attends day care, two weeks is also the same rule for them. They need to wait at least two weeks after their symptoms have resolved before they can go back to daycare.

WOLFE: Just the thought of this parasite crawling through my kids.

HARNESS: Environmental investigators are looking into whether a sewage backup near the park in mid July could have caused the outbreak, but they say it's still too early to make that link.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Park officials have closed the water attraction for the rest of the summer.

WHITFIELD: About an hour from now, Philadelphia police are expected to hold a news conference on the discovery of human remains in nearby Chester, Pennsylvania.

Police suspect it's the body of Latoyia Figueroa. She was five months pregnant when she disappeared one month ago. One person reportedly is in custody, though no charges have been filed. Michelle McCormack of affiliated WPVI joins us now from Philadelphia with the latest developments -- Michelle? MICHELLE MCCORMACK, WPVI: Good morning, Fredricka.

You know so many people had been searching everywhere for Latoyia Figueroa. Law enforcement sources telling me that she was probably in this grassy area behind me for most, if not the whole time.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MCCORMACK (voice over): Nearly one month after she was first reported missing, 24-year-old Latoyia Figueroa was found dead in an overgrown lot, some 40 minutes south of her West Philadelphia neighborhood. The father of her unborn child, seen here, Steven Poaches, was arrested just blocks away.

With dawn, her father arrived at the seen to pray with family. Unable to speak, he let his cousin, a Philadelphia city councilman, do the talking for him.

JUAN RAMOS, LATOYIA'S COUSIN: Our hearts are broken and the family, we just want to spend some time here -- just take a look at this place where Latoyia unfairly was murdered.

MCCORMACK: Police sources won't say exactly what led them to the area, only that Poaches was picked up within an accomplice, a male friend. The area, they believe, is near a relative's home. Poaches was also reportedly wearing a bulletproof vest and had two firearms in his possession when he was taken into custody.

Distraught family members gathered around once word had got out that a body had been found, but so did perfect strangers. They may not have known Latoyia, but there was this compulsion to somehow protect her.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. I've been praying for her that she'd be found one way or another.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MCCORMACK: Latoyia Figueroa was due to give birth to her second daughter in November. Live in Chester, Pennsylvania, Michelle McCormack for CNN.

WHITFIELD: And Michelle, can you tell us a little bit about that area? Is this a residential area? Is it a fairly a remote area? I know you said it's just outside of Philadelphia and authorities won't explain what led them to this site, but describe what is there.

MCCORMACK: Fredricka, this is a empty lot that is less than half a block from a neighborhood, a set of row homes. What led police exactly to this spot? Well, speculation is running rampant. There are thoughts that somehow maybe Poaches was on police radar and being followed, because how else could you explain the coincidence of Latoyia's body being found almost simultaneously at the time that he was brought under arrest along with this accomplice.

However police will not confirm this at this hour. You know, for weeks now, they've been saying that he was not a suspect. However, police were saying they were keeping a close eye on him.

WHITFIELD: All right. Michelle McCormack of WPVI, our affiliate, joining us from Chester, Pennsylvania. Thanks so much.

HARRIS: A missile attack in Jordan is being called the most serious attack against the U.S. Navy in nearly five years. Now a massive manhunt to find the culprits. We'll update that story just ahead for you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: It's music is inspired by the deserts of Iraq and the horrors of war. A soldier's story tomorrow live at 9:00 a.m. Eastern.

HARRIS: And if the cost of gasoline is driving you mad -- nuts, crazy, boy, we'd like to hear from you. Talk to us. Send us your questions about rising gas prices and next hour, we'll get you some answers. We are at WEEKENDS@CNN.COM.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: She took on the tradition-bound all-male bastion of the Citadel and won. The military academy in South Carolina accepted Shannon Faulkner in 1993 after she omitted all gender references from her application. The school reneged after finding out Faulkner was female, setting off a bitter legal battle.

SHANNON FAULKNER, FEMALE APPLICANT: I will fight it the whole way.

ZAHN: Faulkner finally earned the right to join the Citadel's corps of cadets in August, 1995.

FAULKNER: So, I have never, ever thought of backing out of this. There's never been a doubt in my mind that I would be at the Citadel.

ZAHN: The 19-year-old had much to prove and it proved to be too much. Six days later, she was done. The first woman cadet at the Citadel became the first woman to quit.

Faulkner finished her degree at tiny Anderson College in western South Carolina and is now a high school English teacher in suburban Greenville. Although her career at the Citadel was short, she opened the door for other women. Currently, there are more than 100 women enrolled as cadets at the Citadel and 73 have graduated since 1999.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Welcome back to CNN SATURDAY MORNING. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

Northwest Airlines says it will fly today despite a strike by its mechanics. The mechanics walked off the job at midnight, after contract talks broke down over pay cuts and layoffs. The airline says it has lined up replacement workers.

Pope Benedict XVI pays a courtesy call on political leaders in Germany. He also plans a meeting with German Muslims today. Pope Benedict is halfway through his home-coming trip to Germany where he is attending World Youth Day.

HARRIS: And time now to check out some of the other stories making news around the world. Palestinians in Gaza have been rejoicing as Israel withdraws from the occupied territory.

WHITFIELD: And for the details on that and the rest of the international news, let's go to Anand Naidoo at the CNN International Desk.

ANAND NAIDOO, CNN INTERNATIONAL DESK: Hey. Thanks and good morning from me. More from Gaza in just a moment, but first, I want to go Jordan.

Security force there are hunting six people after the rocket attacks against U.S. warships in the port of Aqaba. Officials say they're looking for a Syrian, several Egyptians and Iraqis who are believed to have escaped in a vehicle with Kuwaiti license plates.

One rocket missed a U.S. Naval ship, but slammed into a warehouse killing a Jordanian soldier and another soldier was severely injured. Another rocket landed near a military hospital. A third rocket was fired towards Israel from the same location. A taxi driver was slightly wounded near Eilat Airport in Israel. A group linked to al Qaeda is claiming responsibility -- Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: And what's the latest, Anand, about the happenings going on or not going on in Gaza right now?

NAIDOO: Well, yes, you're right. There is a bit of a break right now. But Israeli police are saying that the pull-out from Gaza is almost complete. Troops used bulldozers to break through barricades and evacuate the settlement of Gadid. The operation has been put on hold as you've just mentioned and the reason for that is that it's the Jewish Sabbath. But officials say the entire evacuation could be completed by Tuesday of next week. After Gadid, four settlements remain to be evacuated.

Meanwhile, the Palestinians on the other side, have been celebrating the Israeli withdrawal. The Palestinian Authority Leader Mahmoud Abbas declared the pullout and these are his words, "the fruits of sacrifices of Palestinians." And by the way, elections for the territory, elections in Gaza are scheduled for January next year. That's it for me -- Fredricka, Tony?

WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks so much, Anand.

HARRIS: Do you dread going to the gas station these days? Well, guess what? You probably you should. Gas prices are setting daily records. We'll give you the low-down on the high gas prices.

And a lot of people probably wish they were not in Kansas this morning. We'll show you a twister's path of destruction after a quick break.

WHITFIELD: First a "CNN Extra." Attention parents, more teens are saying there are drugs in their schools and those who have access to them are more likely to try them.

A new survey shows perceptions, not rules, are becoming the biggest deterrent. Teens who felt drugs are morally wrong are less likely to try them. The same goes for teens who thought their parents would be extremely upset to find out that they were using drugs.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You've got the various wars in the zones that produce oil. They know they've got countries that don't produce oil or have as much oil as they do. So, the bottom line: The prices are going to go up. Demand, supply -- it's very simple.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have to develop our own resources and drill for oil here up through, you know, Alaska. We have to drill for our own. We can't be dependent on the Arab countries, at all.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Gas prices continue -- look at these prices, up, up, up. Just this week alone, prices jumped about 19 cents.

WHITFIELD: $3.11? Oh, Man!

HARRIS: Setting a record every single day of the week. The national average now, Fred, for regular unleaded, Jaqui, $2.60 a gallon. OK. Take a look at the prices across the nation. In California, a gallon of gas $2.80, but in Utah, drivers are paying only -- only, $2.44 per gallon.

WHITFIELD: It's all relative.

HARRIS: Yes. Yes.

WHITFIELD: Isn't that funny?

Well, there's nothing funny about it, but, you know -- folks have all kinds of questions about

HARRIS: Why? Why? Why?

WHITFIELD: Why this is happening. What can be done? Are there any solutions? If this is short-term or long-term? But Keep those e- mails coming to WEEKENDS@CNN.COM and we'll read them for you in the 10:00 hour. We'll have a little discussion, a little banter. But for now...

(LAUGHTER)

WHITFIELD: For now, let's take a look at this. HARRIS: Wow.

WHITFIELD: This nasty little twister in Kansas touching down Friday near the town of Great Bend, which is smack dab in the middle of the state. The tornado damaged several homes and a motel. Forecasters expect more severe weather this morning. Is that right? In the form of that kind of stuff?

(WEATHER REPORT)

WHITFIELD: Well, don't go too far away, "OPEN HOUSE" with Gerri Willis is straight ahead.

HARRIS: And keep those e-mails coming. We want you to talk to CNN about those gas prices spiraling ever upward. J.J. Ramberg will answer your e-mails on the rising cost of gas.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A look at our top stories: In 30 minutes we may know more about some remains found in Pennsylvania. A 24-year-old pregnant woman disappeared last month. Philadelphia police did take one person into custody and are expected to say more at a news conference at 10:00 Eastern.

Off the job: Northwest Airlines mechanics went on strike at midnight after months of contract talks broke down. Northwest says it'll stick to its normal schedule. The pilots and flight attendants unions voted to stay on the job. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. "OPEN HOUSE" begins right now.

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