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CNN Saturday Morning News

E. Coli in Spinach; The Pope & Islam; Modern Living; GOP Opposition to Bush Interrogation Proposal

Aired September 16, 2006 - 10:00   ET

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

RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: And right "Now in the News," the FDA traces the spinach blamed for that deadly E. coli scare to a California company. You're looking at it.
Officials say, though, the investigation is far from over. They're still trying to figure out how it is that the spinach was contaminated in the first place.

And we're going to update you on the latest as the information comes in on this story.

SUSAN ROESGEN, CNN ANCHOR: And another story that's developing, the Vatican says now the pope is "extremely upset" that his recent comments on Islam were offensive to Muslims around the world. In fact, two churches in the West Bank were fire bombed today.

The Associated Press reports that a group claiming responsibility says that it did it to protest the pope's remarks about the teachings of Mohammed.

We'll have a lot more ahead on this story in about nine minutes.

SANCHEZ: Leaders of 118 nations are wrapping up their summit in Havana today. The non-aligned movement has traditionally been a forum for developing countries to essentially complain about U.S. policies. This year has been no exception.

A live report from Cuba on this is coming up in about 30 minutes.

ROESGEN: And Texas says good-bye to former governor Ann Richards. This is a live picture now from Austin, where this weekend the body of the former governor lies in state at the Texas Capitol Rotunda.

Richards died this week of throat cancer. She was 73.

SANCHEZ: Let's go over to Bonnie Schneider now for a quick check of your weather and some of the different systems and processes that are taking place out there that she has been following for us.

Fill us in, Bonnie.

BONNIE SCHNEIDER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, good morning, Rick and Susan.

(WEATHER REPORT) SANCHEZ: We do run down the top stories here every 15 minutes on CNN SATURDAY MORNING with in-depth coverage all morning long. Your next check of the headlines is coming up at 10:15 Eastern.

From the CNN Center, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING. It is September 16th.

Good morning, everyone. I'm Rick Sanchez.

ROESGEN: Ad I'm Susan Roesgen this morning, sitting in for Betty Nguyen. Thanks for starting your day with us.

SANCHEZ: There are some new details this morning about how something that's supposed to be good for you suddenly turned out to be terribly bad for some people. FDA investigators say they have traced the tainted spinach from an E. coli outbreak to a California-based company. The outbreak has now spread to 19 states, with almost 100 cases and one death.

Details now from CNN's Jonathan Freed.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JONATHAN FREED, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Investigators have connected the E. coli outbreak to spinach products packaged by a California-based company, Natural Selection Foods/Earthbound Farms.

The Food and Drug administration says the company has implemented a voluntary recall of its spinach products. The FDA traced the problem to the company through interviews with people who became sick.

In Wisconsin, health officials have confirmed a 77-year-old Manitowoc County woman died last week as a result of an E. coli infection. Officials say her death at a Green Bay hospital from kidney failure is linked to the E. coli outbreak that spread to at least 19 states. But they don't yet know if the woman ate raw spinach.

New York is the latest state with confirmed cases of E. coli illnesses, seven of them, connected to bacteria in bagged spinach. The map has become cluttered with cases stretching from coast to coast with as many as 11 in Utah, and 30 in Wisconsin. Including the one death. Wisconsin's governor says the state was the first to identify the strain and made the genetic information available to other states.

GOV. JIM DOYLE, WISCONSIN: When officials in eight other states matched the genetic marker with the Wisconsin strain we determined that this was a nationwide epidemic with a single source.

FREED: At least 17 of the Wisconsin victims are hospitalized. And at least four of them are in what Milwaukee officials call a crisis situation. With possible kidney failure.

BEVAN BAKER, MILWAUKEE COMMISSIONER OF HEALTH: And we're being very prudent in our caution to say that perhaps boiling, frying or sauteing may lessen the likelihood of infection but it does not completely take away the likelihood of infection. And for that reason I would say abstain from consumption.

FREED: On the streets of Manitowoc even before it was known the death touched this community there was concern. So both you and your young son ate spinach in a sandwich yesterday and today how are you feeling?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Actually I do have a little bit of stomach cramping but I'm thinking maybe it's mind over matter type thing. I don't -- I'm not concerned at this point. I just think, ok, well all this scare is in me now and oh, my stomach hurts but I think I'm okay. My son is doing great.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm actually afraid to eat it because there has already been one death.

FREED: At a cooking store in town worries about a favorite ingredient.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'll buy it again. It's just going to take a little time until they find out the problem.

FREED (on camera): The FDA says it's still investigating whether or not other bagged products have been affected.

Jonathan Freed, CNN, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROESGEN: Well, those bags of spinach have been a big hit with a lot of busy shoppers, but many restaurants also use prepackaged spinach for their salads. And this E. coli threat is forcing those restaurants to make some adjustments.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just serving our salads and sandwiches with just our regular romaine lettuce and leaf lettuce. And we're working with our vendors, our produce vendors. And they're going to try to work something out so we have greens without spinach by the end of next week.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROESGEN: And it does turn out that some restaurants are in fact taking items that contain spinach off their menus.

SANCHEZ: The company linked to the E. coli outbreak sells its products under dozens of brand names. You'll find a list of the products and the latest on the investigation on our Web site. We'll have it there for you. All you've got to do is go to CNN.com.

ROESGEN: Now the pope, his words, and Islam. New this morning, the pope says is he extremely upset that he has offended Muslims around the world. He is seeing now the strong reaction to remarks he made earlier this week.

Our faith and values correspondent, Delia Gallagher, looks at the outrage that's come from the pope's words.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DELIA GALLAGHER, CNN FAITH & VALUES CORRESPONDENT: It didn't take long for the Pope's words to resonate around the world. At this demonstration in India accusations the Pope had dishonored the Prophet Mohammed and should be punished. Pope Benedict XVI made the controversial remarks this week at a German university where he once taught theology. As part of a lecture that went on for more than a half an hour, the Pope quoted what he warned was a startling brisk statement from a 14th century Christian Byzantine emperor.

POPE BENEDICT XVI: I quote, "Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new. And there you will find things only evil and inhumane, such as his command to spread by the sword the fate he preached."

GALLAGHER: A full read of the highly technical lecture shows the Pope was quoting the emperor to make a larger point. That reason and faith go hand in hand and that the concept of a holy war is always unreasonable and against the nature of God, Muslim or Christian. But many Muslims only heard the criticism of Mohammed, their calls for apology now loud and clear.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The Pope has dishonored our prophet. He said our prophet was a terrorist and he had used a sword. Those who say such things whether they are in India or abroad should be condemned and punished.

GALLAGHER: The Vatican has tried to clarify the Pope's remarks but stopped short of making an apology.

REV. FEDERICO LOMBARDI, VATICAN SPOKESMAN: It was certainly not the intention of the holy father to undertake a comprehensive study of the jihad and of Muslim ideas of (INAUDIBLE). Still less to offend the sensibilities of the Muslim faithful.

GALLAGHER: Only a few months ago riots broke out across the Muslim world after the publication in Denmark of cartoons deemed offensive to Islam. With tensions escalating, what will quell the anger.

BARIA ALAMUDDIN, FOREIGN EDITOR, AL-HAYAT: I hope the pope will take this opportunity to indeed open a dialogue with the Muslim leaders and explain his comments.

GALLAGHER: The pope is scheduled to visit the officially secular, but predominantly Muslim country of Turkey at the end of November, but should he?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There clearly is great alarm about what kind of reception he's going to get.

GALLAGHER: Already plenty of criticism from Turkish politicians.

HALUK KOC, TURKISH OPPOSITION M.P. (through translator): The Pope's words have added fuel to the fire in the world where the risk of inter-religion conflict is on the rise.

GALLAGHER: The pope's lecture was a call for genuine dialogue among cultures and religions of the world. A dialogue, but not the one he wanted, has certainly started.

Delia Gallagher, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROESGEN: And you can watch more of Delia Gallagher's reports on "PAULA ZAHN NOW." Tune in weeknights at 8:00 Eastern only on CNN.

SANCHEZ: So why are so many Muslims so upset about the pope's words, and what is it at this point that they would like to see? What do they want?

To get their perspective, we bring in Georgetown University's Iman Yahya Hendi.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

IMAM YAHYA HENDI, MUSLIM CHAPLAIN: I did not expect it from a very well-known and very smart leader, whom I respect, by the way. I did not expect it from someone like him because he knows better. He knows that Mohammed did not spread Islam by the sword. He knows that Islam is not a religion of evil. He knows that Islam teaches peace and compassion.

SANCHEZ: Well, let's put it -- let's put it in context, though. In fairness, they weren't his words. He was quoting someone from the 14th century.

Does that in any way excuse him, in your estimation?

HENDI: Well, I'm sure he had many other choices of text to use that may have contributed to the speech other than the text that he has chosen. Especially because we are in the midst of our war on terrorism. And this could be misunderstood.

SANCHEZ: Well, let me ask you, do you think that he was taking ownership of those words, or was he just using it in a text or in a speech as a comparative analysis?

HENDI: I think he was trying to do a comparative analysis. But I guess he could have chosen a better text to further his argument in a wonderful speech, by the way, that I liked.

SANCHEZ: What do you want him to do at this point? If you were -- if you were called by him and he asked you, "What do you want from me?" what would you say to him?

HENDI: Well, I want the spirit of John Paul II to come back and shape the relationship between the Catholic Church and Islam. I want him to apologize. And I want at the same time him to reach out to Muslims so that we can be partners in our war on terrorism and religious extremism. SANCHEZ: When you say -- when you say apologize, you want him to give a formal and prominent speech saying these words?

HENDI: Well, it could be one sentence or one paragraph, but it should be clear and seen as an apology from him having been -- having -- because he's the head of the Catholic Church. You know, but with the same token, I want Muslims not to use this as an excuse to attack the Catholic Church.

SANCHEZ: And we've already -- and we've already seen cases of that. We've seen at least two cases of violence on Catholic institutions.

HENDI: I absolutely agree with you. I was myself saddened, and I apologize on behalf of all Muslims for those attacks on Catholic institutions.

Catholics are not the enemies of Muslims. Christianity is not the enemy of Islam. We have to partner up to make this world a better world for all of us.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: We want to thank Imam Hendi of Georgetown University -- Susan.

ROESGEN: Coming up, taking potshots against the U.S. World leaders are finishing their meetings in Cuba. And we'll have the verbal swinging and political fireworks when we go live to Cuba.

Plus...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We need divers quickly at the lake.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Help him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Quickly at the lake. What are these children doing? Well, this is a special camp for kids that doesn't involve the usual swimming and campfires. No, it involves some very adult subjects.

We'll tell you what they are. The story in 30 minutes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Here is what is in the news right now.

Details, new details about the E. coli broccoli -- or E. coli outbreak linked to bagged spinach. Officials have traced it to a California company, but they still have not found the actual source of the bacteria. The outbreak has spread to 19 states, with more than 90 -- 90 confirmed cases and one death. ROESGEN: From the Vatican, the pope says he's very upset that his comments on Islam in a speech earlier this week have offended Muslims. There have been several protests worldwide, and today in the West Bank, two churches were firebombed.

The Associated Press is reporting that a group has claimed responsibility,. saying that these attacks were a protest of the pope's remarks.

SANCHEZ: A plan for tougher checkpoint security in Iraq. This as Iraqi security officials say they're considering digging trenches around Baghdad now.

It's hoped that it would curb bombings by channeling all traffic to 28 guarded entry points. However, it could pose a serious traffic flow problem.

ROESGEN: A large-scale military offensive is under way against the Taliban in eastern Afghanistan. Operation Mountain Fury, it involves thousands of U.S. and Afghan forces in five provinces there. And coalition leaders say one soldier has died after an attack on a base in the region.

SANCHEZ: A young woman's dying wish to be a bride comes true today, or nearly so. Seventeen-year-old Nicole Hastings (ph) and her boyfriend will exchange vows in a commitment ceremony with all the trappings of a wedding. If they were to legally marry, Nicole (ph) would lose her health benefits. She has a rare and aggressive form of cancer that doctors say is terminal.

We run down the top stories for you every 15 minutes right here on CNN SATURDAY MORNING with in-depth coverage all morning long. And your next check of the headlines is coming up at 10:30 Eastern.

ROESGEN: And now we're checking in with Bonnie Schneider. She's still watching Hurricane Lane and a lot else around the country -- Bonnie.

(WEATHER REPORT)

ROESGEN: And President Bush now is drawing a line in the sand against rebel Republicans. Can he win the battle? We'll go live to the White House.

SANCHEZ: First, though, Brenda Bernard is going global this morning.

Hey, Brenda. What you got?

BRENDA BERNARD, CNN ANCHOR: Well, I'm looking at a new front in the battle over weight. Thin was not in on some recent catwalks. I'll have the skinny on it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Well, we call it "Going Global." And really, that's exactly what we do. We head over to our international desk.

ROESGEN: And Brenda Bernard is working some stories for us -- Brenda.

BERNARD: Good morning.

A new effort to halt what the U.S. calls genocide in Sudan's Darfur region. British Prime Minister Tony Blair says he'll propose an incentive package for Sudan as part of a new initiative to stop the crisis there and get U.N. peacekeepers on the ground. An estimated 200,000 people have died and two million more have been displaced in the conflict that pits Sudan's black Africans against Arab militiamen backed by the government.

A serious political divide in Taiwan. Competing demonstrations took place in Taipei. And opposition rallies spilled into the night.

Opponents of President Chen Shui-bian are demanding he resign over a series of corruption scandals. The president denies any wrongdoing and says he'll serve out his term which ends in 2008.

And a very different divide. This one over skinny models.

Underweight women were banned from walking the catwalk in Madrid, Spain, this week. And now British newspapers and health experts are calling on London to take similar action during its Fashion Week.

But concern is not just for the health of the models, but experts say young girls may be encouraged to lose too much weight after watching razor-thin models. Some modeling agencies call it discrimination, though several models do admit having battled eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia.

I know you'll have more on this tomorrow when Irene Marie, president of Irene Marie Models of MTV "8th and Ocean" fame will be a guest in the 9:00 a.m. Eastern hour of "CNN SUNDAY MORNING," right, Susan?

ROESGEN: Yes. I guess you really can be too thin sometimes, Brenda.

BERNARD: I agree.

ROESGEN: We'll find out.

Thank you.

SANCHEZ: One island and many anniversaries. The summit in Cuba attracting a who's who of U.S. complainers. But which leader is front and center? We're live from Cuba in about nine minutes.

ROESGEN: Plus, prepared for the worst. These kids are getting a crash course in disasters. But will it help really them when they need it or will it just give them nightmares?

CNN SATURDAY MORNING continues in a minute. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GERRI WILLIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Twenty-five of the nation's best designers strut their stuff in a massive 18,000 square foot house custom built for the event.

SUSANNA SULK, EDITOR, "HOUSE AND GARDEN": There are eight family bedrooms and two staff (ph) and 10 full barmes. There is a game room, a media room.

WILLIS: To find out what inspired some of the designs, we went straight to the designers themselves.

PHILIP GORRIVAN, DESIGNER: I'm calling this room the new outdoors. The goal was to bring outdoor furnishings and fabrics to a new level of luxury.

ERNEST DE LA TORRE, DESIGNER: I've assembled a world class collection of art, and then I wanted to create furnishings that were worthy of the art. The room is all about bridging the past and the present and bringing the old and the new together.

WILLIS: The new in this room? A ceiling made entirely out of cork. And that's not ordinary wallpaper either. It's pressed corn.

And this dream home is up for sale for a whopping $25 million, with one catch. You'll have to furnish it yourself.

Gerri Willis, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Right "Now in the News," an E. coli outbreak linked to bagged spinach traced to a California company, but investigators still have not determined the actual source of this contamination.

Health officials in Wisconsin first reported the outbreak. Now, the governor there in Wisconsin got up early this morning. He wanted to be able to go on the record. He went on the air with us to explain what he's doing about it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. JIM DOYLE (D), WISCONSIN: People are very concerned in Wisconsin. There is, of course, the tragic death. We've had 30 confirmed cases and we suspect that that number will increase a fair number as we move along. We are really calling on people to get rid of any fresh bagged spinach, not to think that they can wash it or cook it, but just get rid of it.

(END VIDEO CLIP) ROESGEN: And from the Vatican today, the pope says he's "extremely upset" that his words have offended Muslims. Comments he made this week sparked widespread protests in the Muslim world. Two churches in the West Bank were fire bombed today. And The Associated Press reports that a group claiming responsibility says it was done to protest the pope's remarks about the teachings of Mohammed.

SANCHEZ: Two Iraqi soldiers were killed when a bomb exploded inside a car in Baghdad. The soldiers had approached the vehicle to check on a body left inside. Other blasts in Baghdad killed an Iraqi civilian and wounded 24 other people.

ROESGEN: A large-scale military offensive against the Taliban is under way in eastern Afghanistan. Operation Mountain Fury, it involves thousands of U.S. and Afghan troops in five provinces. Coalition leaders have said that one soldier died after an attack on a base in the region.

SANCHEZ: In New Hampshire, two men that never not donate kidneys to each other's wives. The complex four-way surgical swap was performed this week at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. The wives and husbands, we understand, are all said to be doing quite well.

ROESGEN: And now to Bonnie Schneider for a check of the weather -- Bonnie.

(WEATHER REPORT)

ROESGEN: We do run down the top stories every 15 minutes here on CNN SATURDAY MORNING with in-depth coverage all morning long. Your next check of the headlines will be coming up at 10:45 Eastern.

The standoff continues between President Bush and his own party in the Senate. It's the debate on what the rules should be for interrogating and prosecuting suspected terrorists. Our CNN White House correspondent Elaine Quijano is here with more. Elaine.

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Susan. That's right. In the face of staunch opposition from fellow Republicans, President Bush is showing no signs of backing down. Now, we saw this in the rose garden at that news conference yesterday, the president saying that he would essentially be forced to shut down that CIA interrogation program unless Congress passes his proposed detainee legislation.

The president argues that CIA interrogators will not be able to do their jobs and extract vital intelligence from high level terror suspects unless common article 3 of the Geneva conventions is clarified. The president says in particular a phrase banning quote, outrages on personal dignity end quote, is too vague. And he says that American interrogators can be subject to prosecution for war crimes unless his legislation is passed. But he's facing some unyielding opposition from some fellow Republicans, something he acknowledged today in his weekly radio address.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There's debate about the specific proposals in this bill and my administration will work with Congress to find common ground. I have one test for this legislation. The intelligence community must be able to tell me that the bill Congress sends to my desk will allow this vital program to continue.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUIJANO: But the president is facing that opposition from some powerful Republican senators, John Warner, John McCain and Lindsey Graham. They are backing a different set of rules for interrogating and trying detainees. All three men, of course, have strong military ties, including Senator McCain, a former POW. In a statement after the president's news conference, McCain reiterated their central argument that the president's legislation they believe would allow other countries to reapply or apply rather their own interpretations of common article three, putting U.S. personnel at risk if they were captured.

Now, Susan of course, the immediate window of time for Congress to act is closing very fast. There are only about two weeks left until Congress heads home to campaign full time. Of course, we are now just about seven weeks away until those ever important congressional midterm elections. Susan.

ROESGEN: We'll have to see what happens. Do you think Elaine that there is enough support in Congress to not go with the president on this, to buck him on this?

QUIJANO: Well, it's a good question. At this point, the White House is holding firm that they believe there can be some kind of compromise perhaps reached. What's interesting to note is that the president was asked point blank whether or not he might veto this alternate set of rules and he declined to answer directly. So while on the one hand, you have the president out there talking some very tough talk, saying look, I'll shut this program down if members of Congress don't see things my way, he didn't actually have him threatening the veto in that very public way. There's some political strategists out there Susan who think that perhaps, perhaps what the president was doing was trying to rally conservatives by going up against these very moderate Republicans, also Colin Powell, as you know, the former secretary of state lending his voice to Senator McCain's argument. So perhaps there's a behind the scenes strategy here, political strategists say. It's unclear whether or not it will work. Susan?

ROESGEN: OK, thank you very much, Elaine Quijano reporting live for us from the White House. Rick?

SANCHEZ: Anti-American rhetoric is to be expected from the nonaligned movement, this year's summit in Havana, no exception. What is different is the absence of Fidel Castro who for decades has been the leader of the nonaligned nations.

CNN's Morgan Neill has more now from Havana, where he's been following up on the summit as it finally starts to wrap up. Morgan, thanks for joining us. I can't help but ask, we all know that this is a very important summit for Fidel Castro. The fact that he didn't make an appearance must speak volumes about his health, doesn't it?

MORGAN NEILL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it certainly would appear that way, Rick. As you say, knowing what we know about President Fidel Castro, he's played an important role in the summit. It would take a lot to keep him away. Nevertheless, we hear from Cuban Foreign Minister Philippe (INAUDIBLE) that the president is under doctor's orders not to take the official role in chairing the movement. We've seen instead his brother, acting President Raul Castro play that role, receiving leaders and giving the official speech, as well as the new host of the movement, something that would have been unimaginable a few months ago.

We've seen a new video in which President Fidel Castro is on his feet for the first time since he was forced to hand over power July 31st. In that video, he's seen greeting Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez, but as we say, he has not made any of the official appearances here at the summit so far. Like I say, we're told that's because of doctor's orders. Rick.

SANCHEZ: Let me ask you this. With Fidel Castro seemingly out of the picture either temporarily or perhaps longer, we have Raul Castro in Cuba. We have Hugo Chavez in Venezuela. We have Ahmadinejad in Iran making this appearance. Of those three gentlemen, who took center stage during this event? Who seemed to be vying for the position of heir to Fidel Castro?

NEILL: Well, certainly within Cuba, as you say, within Cuba, there's very little doubt. Raul Castro is the clear successor. Now internationally, who's going to take up this mantle of stubborn resistance to United States policy. You mentioned a good possibility there of Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. He seemed, at least in his speeches here at the summit, to be much more interested in his country's dispute over its nuclear program.

Meanwhile, Venezuelan Hugo Chavez is giving speeches in opposition to the Bush administration's policies at every turn. What's more, he's looking for allies. He's been traveling around the world looking for closer relationships with those with whom he might seek some common interests and offering in some cases preferential deals on oil and gas for example. So he seems well placed to try and take up that mantle. Rick.

SANCHEZ: Oil for influence. And finally, they have a real big beef at this summit with the UN Security Council. Can you explain to us why?

NEILL: Well, what we've been hearing here, and it's important to note that this isn't just from the people we're used to hearing opposition, some of these fiery speeches from. This is from many of the representatives here. What they're saying, they feel like they just don't have a voice. It's been too easy in their eyes for the United States, for example to, impose its will to block policies that perhaps the majority of those here would support. What they're calling for is some sort of reform. It's not only the participants here - that is the member countries in the summit - calling for that kind of reform. It's also been called for by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan in his speech here yesterday saying that there was not only need for reform, but that there was a democracy deficit within the UN Security Council - Rick.

SANCHEZ: Morgan Neill our correspondent there in Havana, our man in Havana I should say. We thank you Morgan for bringing us up to date on this. Susan, back over to you.

ROESGEN: You know Morgan Neill gets to say it and we all get to say it, I report for CNN. But if you want to say I report for CNN, this is your chance. From the dotcom desk now, we have Veronica de la Cruz to show you how you can be a I-reporter.

VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right Susan. We're trying something new. CNN is inviting you out there to field report for us. Just (INAUDIBLE) to our website and click on the logo that says I-report. Now once you get there, you will find the assignment board and that is where you can send us your pictures, video and opinions on various topics. Make sure you send us your name, e-mail address, hometown and caption telling us about the image or video you are sharing.

A couple of reports Susan, that we would like to share with you this week. Many of you out there sent us pictures on the fifth anniversary of September 11th. You can view the photos that we're looking at right here that pay tribute to that fateful day. Also, we're asking for your input on the upcoming midterm elections. We want to know which issues will influence how you vote come November.

Also, it is that time of the year. State and local fairs are popping up across the country. We're asking you to send your submissions on the animals, the events, the rides, the rodeos, much more. Like this one, Susan. Ride 'em cowboy.

ROESGEN: Hee haw.

DE LA CRUZ: Hee haw. This photo sent to us by Kai (ph) in Idaho. It's a cowboy coming off a bull at the Paloose empire fair in Washington State. That guy has got guts I tell you.

And check this one out. I can't believe it's butter. But I should. And that is because this sculpture of the famous buttered cow from the Illinois state fair is the made entirely of butter. Can you believe it? We would like to thank Isaac Josephson for sending that one in. So just a couple of pictures there that we have so far. We are looking for more so don't forget. If you're visiting the state fair, if you happen to spot breaking news, you can always send us your submissions. Just go to cnn.com/exchange. And that buttered cow, 700 pounds of butter.

ROESGEN: That's a lot of butter. That's a lot of bread.

DE LA CRUZ: 52 hours to make it.

SANCHEZ: I was so excited when you were talking about, I'm going to founders day today in Tyrone, Georgia.

ROESGEN: Take your camera.

DE LA CRUZ: Take your camera.

SANCHEZ: I'll take my camera. I'm taking the kids out there, carnival rides.

ROESGEN: (INAUDIBLE) butter cow. Can these be cell phone pictures or just video.

DE LA CRUZ: Everything. Cell phone pictures, you know, digital pictures on your camera.

ROESGEN: OK.

DE LA CRUZ: Anything. Just send it in, take a look. We'll let you know.

SANCHEZ: You know the best part about going to festivals by the way?

ROESGEN: 700 pounds of butter?

SANCHEZ: (INAUDIBLE) Just the food.

ROESGEN: That's true.

ROESGEN: Making my stomach hurt just thinking about it.

SANCHEZ: Thanks, Veronica. It's not your ordinary classroom lesson. Take a look.

ROESGEN: Coming up, some sixth graders learn how to deal with disasters in a unique way. We'll have the story.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROESGEN: Closing in on the source of a deadly e. coli outbreak. This morning, investigators say they have now linked the outbreak from bags of spinach to a California company. They're still searching for the specific source of the contamination and it's pretty serious. This outbreak has spread to 19 states with more than 90 confirmed cases and one death.

And there is a nationwide recall of infant formula. Abbott Health Care is recalling hundreds of thousands of bottles of formula that might not have enough vitamin C. This recall affects 32-ounce plastic bottles of Similac Alamentum (ph) advanced liquid formula and bottles of Similac advanced with iron.

Nearly two dozen Michigan school kids are recovering today after their bus was hit by a car. Twenty three people went to the hospital. The crash happened Friday near Lake Odessa, Michigan. A car ran a stop sign in foggy weather and struck the bus. SANCHEZ: Once again, leaders of 118 nations are wrapping up their summit in Havana today. The nonaligned movement has traditionally been a forum for developing countries to complain about the U.S. Cuban leader Fidel Castro was still recovering from surgery and was unable to make an appearance at the event.

Texas saying good-bye to its first lady of wit, these pictures from Austin, Texas. This weekend former Governor Ann Richards lies in state at the Texas capitol rotunda. Earlier this morning, former President Bill Clinton paid his respects. Richards died of esophageal cancer. She was obviously best known for some of her charming lines, some would say lines that ended up being very critical of some Republicans at the time. She was a staunch Democrat, huge defender with her saucy plain spoken way of minorities and civil rights. She was 73 years old.

We run down the top stories every 15 minutes here on Saturday morning with in-depth coverage all morning long. Your next check of the headlines is coming up at the top of the hour.

ROESGEN: Many government agencies conduct routine disaster drills. You see it all the time, but it's not often that you see children in those exercises. CNN's Rusty Dornin takes us to a special camp in Alabama where the kids get a big dose of simulated disaster.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A burned out smoky building, no lights and people are screaming for help, a frightening scenario for almost anyone. But what if you are in the sixth grade and you have to figure out what to do next?

These Alabama sixth graders have been training for three days on emergency preparedness at the space camp in Huntsville, Alabama. They call it be ready camp sponsored by Alabama homeland security and the governor. And this is the finale. Pyrotechnics, smoke and fire, a simulated plane crash.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's victims in the water. There's a crash site over there and a crash site in area 51.

DORNIN: Twelve-year-old Tyler Seay is the incident commander for team three. His task, get on the radio.

TYLER SEAY, SIXTH GRADER: We need divers quickly at the lake.

DORNIN: And coordinate the rescue of crash victims in the water.

SEAY: I talk to people, see how many people went and they tell me six but there were only five heads standing. So I had to call in the rescue team, and some divers in a boat.

DORNIN: They try to make it as realistic as possible right down to the blood on the injured bodies. And the kids have to cope with the chaos, the confusion and sometimes the lack of communication that can happen at a real tragedy. Maybe, there was a little more confusion here, but at their side stood real firefighters.

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Is it safe to enter the building?

DORNIN: Paramedics and rescue teams to whisper the right words in their ears. Why go to all this trouble for a bunch of 12-year-olds?

JAMES WALKER, ALABAMA HOMELAND SECURITY DIR: The young people that you see tonight will be the next generation soldier, firefighter, police officer, emergency medical technician, doctor and surgeon.

DORNIN: After rescuing victims from the water, Sabrina Stevens helped get them on a medevac chopper. This sixth grader once dreamed of being an artist. Not any more.

SABRINA STEVENS, SIXTH GRADER: I want to be a firefighter.

DORNIN: Just from this experience?

STEVENS: Uh-huh.

DORNIN: It's hard to keep sixth graders serious for too long. But there were sobering reminders.

STEVENS: I saw some pretty scary things like one person had a very cut thing with a lot of blood.

DORNIN: A night to remember for more than just fun and games.

Rusty Dornin, Huntsville, Alabama.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: And as we go across America, we see city leaders in Las Cruces, New Mexico. They are warning residents to be cautious. Police say two threatening letters have been received by them. The letters claim that someone will randomly be shooting people if the city doesn't pay a ransom to prevent it.

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signs a bill into law making it illegal for motorists to hold a cell phone while driving. If you want to talk and drive in California, you're going to have to go hands free from now on. That law takes effect July 2008.

Gas prices not seen since the '90s. Two stations in Atlanta are selling gas for $1.59 a gallon. The stations are right across from each other and the healthy competition is great for customers. Drivers trying to get in on the bargains are causing quite a traffic jam in that area.

Do you like cannolis? Well, you may have missed a chance to eat as much as you can as fast as you can. Major league eaters converged on little Italy in New York yesterday and competed in the world cannoli eating championship. The winner tied last year's record by eating 26 cannolis in six minutes. I like the head bob.

ROESGEN: Sounds better than eating all those hot dogs. I think I like cannolis better.

SANCHEZ: Sweeter too.

ROESGEN: Still ahead, would you like to live next door to this property.

SANCHEZ: The owner has turned it into a controversial art project. Local officials are not amused, not in the least. We're going to tell you about it. It's coming up in the water cooler.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: The sound of bubbles means we're going to do something a little different now. This is where we essentially take a step back from the day's news for a moment and look at some of the more offbeat stories that we share with you with videos that you'll see behind us here.

ROESGEN: We call it the water cooler because it's the kind of thing that you might talk about around the water cooler at work on Monday. We're going to start with a house in France and we're asking, is it art or an eyesore? A court in Lyon decided it was the latter. The homeowner was fined a quarter million dollars for defacing his 18th century property. He says it's art. He calls it abode of chaos. However you say that in French, la demeure du chaos. Anyway, the courts did not demand that all the stuff be taken away, just said, you know, it really shouldn't be there. So that means that the crashed helicopter, the mural of Osama bin Laden and the other pieces of junk or art or whatever you want to call it can stay.

SANCHEZ: It almost looks like the summit of nonaligned nations. We saw Ahmadinejad, there he is. We saw Fidel Castro. One wonders what the message is here. It sounds more political than art.

Near Wharton, Texas, there is a tee pee motel that has stood vacant for well, most of the past 60 years, a relic of Americana, doomed by something called the interstate. For some reason, a local developer has decided he's going to go in there with investments of $2 million of his own money and he's going to try and restore these stucco tee pees as motel rooms so you and your wife or your family, you and your husband or whoever you want to take can go there for $52.50 a night. He'll need 10 straight years of full occupancy to break even, by the way. But it's available. So start making your reservations right now.

ROESGEN: (INAUDIBLE) I think they should bring back the magic fingers mattresses. You remember those from when you were a kid. You put a quarter in.

SANCHEZ: Then they shake.

ROESGEN: Make you feel all right. Jimmy Buffett. OK, so much for that.

SANCHEZ: Internet diaries is going to be what we're talking about in just a little bit. We'll have the latest on that. First, let's do this Let's go to Bonnie and find out what's going on with the weather. Bonnie, what you got?

SCHNEIDER: We've got a beautiful picture here in New York City. We're looking at the Hudson River, the George Washington bridge in the distance stretching across to New Jersey and Manhattan's upper west side. looking nice. A little bit hazy, but at least the sun is out. That will make for nice weather for today. Let's go over to the map and I'll show you some of those temperatures because it's interesting to note, this morning in Maine, it dropped down into the 40s, so a taste of fall early in the season certainly. It's still summertime. And we've got temperatures right now into Boston at 69, 67 in Philly, Cleveland checking in at 59 degrees. We'll get a touch of that fall weather later on in the week. I'll have more on that coming up.

SANCHEZ: Thanks so much. Appreciate it, Bonnie.

ROESGEN: And we will be right back after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROESGEN: Now in the news, the Vatican says the pope is very upset that his comments about the prophet

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