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CNN Saturday Morning News

Man Arrested For Terror Plot; Congress Runs Into Late Night; How Trans Fat Affect The Body

Aired December 09, 2006 - 09:00   ET

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

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Now in the news, a car bomb today in Karbala, Iraq which killed at least five people and wounded dozens more. At least three are known dead from a car bomb in Mosul, and a U.S. marine has died of combat wounds in Anbar Province.
Authorities still piecing together details of a deadly shooting in a high rise Chicago law office. Police say a man walked in, chained the door shut, and then opened fire. They say he killed three people before he was shot dead by a SWAT officer.

T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: On Capitol Hill, 12 years of Republican control are over. The House and Senate gaveled the 109th Congress to a close in the wee hours of the morning. Among the bills passed, one extending expiring tax breaks.

And a run-off election today for eight-term Congressman William Jefferson. The Louisiana Democrat has been in an uphill reelection battle ever since the FBI raided his Capitol Hill office last May as part of a bribery investigation.

NGUYEN: Well, we are awaiting an announcement this morning from NASA. Here's a live picture right now for you. Shuttle managers are watching the weather very closely and will announce whether the shuttle can launch tonight. Forecasters put the chance of good weather for today's launch time at only about 30 percent. But we'll wait and get the official word.

HOLMES: Deck the halls. Coming up at the bottom of the hour, find out how to show your holiday spirit without breaking the bank.

NGUYEN: Just in time, yes.

From the CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Betty Nguyen. This is CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

HOLMES: And good morning to you all. I'm T.J. Holmes. Thank you so much for starting your day right here with us.

A frightening scenario. A man accused of plotting to set off explosives in a crowded mall the Friday before Christmas. A suspect is in custody in Illinois this morning. Authorities say the charges are serious but there's no cause for alarm.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES (voice-over): This mall, literally in the middle of America, was the alleged target. This man, with no prior arrests, has been charged with planning to attack it. But how? According to the federal complaint, with hand grenades.

ROBERT GRANT, FBI: He began to focus on obtaining weapons, he began to prepare himself through a purification process, he began to prepare videos in the event he did not survive the attack. He fixed on a date of December 22nd, on a Friday, which he picked because it was the Friday before Christmas and thought that would be the highest concentration of shoppers that he could kill and injure. At that point, we decided to affect a plan with the Joint Terrorist Task Force to introduce an undercover agent.

HOLMES: As frightening as the notion of a grenade attack on a mall during the holidays might be, federal authorities urged shoppers and others to keep calm.

GRANT: I just want, for everybody's sake, to reemphasize what Pat said earlier. He was acting alone. The only people he was acting with were people either under our control or ourselves. He's now in custody. We don't -- there are no other threats that we are aware of. I just want to keep the potential hysteria this time of season down to a bare minimum.

HOLMES: The suspect, Derrick Shareef, had no compatriots, no weapons, and no clear plan. At the only mosque in Rockford, the iman says he's never heard of Shareef.

PATRICK FITZGERALD, U.S. ATTORNEY: I believe the only thing I'm aware of from the complaint is that he stated in his own video about what would happen if he would die, is that he was 22 years old and an American.

HOLMES: He was arrested, agents say, while trying to trade used stereo speakers for hand grenades. What he didn't know? He was dealing with an undercover federal agent. The arrest follows by a few months the highly publicized arrest of seven Miami men accused of plotting to blow up the Sears Tower. The men pleaded not guilty and face trial, but it's pretty clear they were far from gaining the ability to actually pull off such an attack.

As one agent told CNN, this guy was three rungs below those guys. So another arrest in the war on terror but even those making the arrest acknowledge there was little actual threat.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: And the suspect, Derrick Shareef, is being held without bond following a brief court appearance yesterday.

NGUYEN: Well, a goodbye message from the outgoing Republican- controlled Congress. Before they left, a last minute flurry of activity to tell you about. Here is a look at what Congress did while most of us were sleeping: tax cuts totaling $38 billion over five years, a plan to open more than eight million acres in the Gulf of Mexico to new oil and gas drilling. Here's what's left undone though: nine out of 11 spending bills. Those will be left to the new Congress ruled by Democrats to decide. The two Houses did send a temporary spending measure to the president to keep government operating through the middle of February.

Well plenty of unfinished business, as you can see there. and Congress ruled by Democrats. President Bush now faces a shift in the balance of power. I want to go live now to CNN's Elaine Quijano at the White House.

Good morning, Elaine.

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Betty.

And in a sign of just how late or early, depending on your perspective, that session went, we are just now getting some reaction from the White House. A statement by the president, in fact, reacting to one of the measures that was passed yesterday and that is a bill authorizing the establishment of permanent, normal trade relations with Vietnam.

I will just read you a little bit of the statement, essentially commending the Congress for its bipartisan support for the president's request for this deal. The president going on to say in this statement that this marks a significant step forward in the process of normalizing relations with Vietnam.

But you're right, it was a last-minute scramble that went until the wee hours of this morning in the final hours of a GOP-led Congress. Lawmakers passed a stack of bills before Democrats take control when Congress convenes again early next month.

Now, Speaker Dennis Hastert gaveled the House to a close around 3:15 this morning. The Senate followed around 4:40. Among the pieces of legislation that are now headed to President Bush's desk for his signature, that deal establishing permanent normal relations -- trade relations with Vietnam.

Also renewing tax cuts, a top legislation priority for this president, something that we've heard him ask for over and over again. And those credits include the tax deduction on college tuition, as well as a research and development tax credit for businesses.

In addition, both the House and the Senate pushed through an agreement to allow U.S. shipments of civilian nuclear fuel to India. That's something the Bush administration supports but, of course, has been controversial because India hasn't agreed to full international inspections.

Now what the GOP-controlled Congress did leave unfinished, something that you noted, some work for Democrats last year nine -- next year nine out of 11 spending bills that finance different government programs. Instead, it passed that stopgap funding measure that will basically take the government through until February 15th. And just a short time ago as well, we learned the White House saying that the president has in fact, signed that measure into law -- Betty.

NGUYEN: All right. CNN's Elaine Quijano at the White House for us. Thank you, Elaine.

HOLMES: The House Ethics Committee report on the Mark Foley case is out and the conclusion? No current lawmakers or staff broke any House rules. The committee released its report yesterday. In it, outgoing House Speaker Dennis Hastert is accused of knowing more than he let on about Mark Foley's inappropriate e-mails to pages, also that he knew some stuff sooner than he says he did. But at the end of the day, committee members say there wasn't enough done to protect the Congressional pages.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. DOC HASTING (R-WA), ETHICS COMMITTEE CHMN: Each of us on this investigative subcommittee recognizes that 20/20 hindsight is easy. And we recognize that doing the right things in a sensitive situation can be very hard and difficult. But simply put, in situations such as the ones described in our report, doing the right thing is the only acceptable option.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: In a statement, the incoming House speaker Nancy Pelosi said, "Members of Congress have a responsibility to protect their employees, especially young pages who serve this institution so well."

NGUYEN: Here's a new and disturbing twist in the story about San Francisco family stranded in the snowy Oregon wilderness. Well authorities say that the road that James Kim and his family were on is usually blocked by a locked gate during the cold weather months. But they say a vandal cut the lock, ultimately sealing James Kim's fate. He tried to hike for help but died, as you know, from exposure. His wife and two daughters stayed behind in their car. They survived.

CNN's Rick Sanchez spent a freezing night in the mountains and he has some tips on how to survive.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RICK SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's sundown in the Rockies. The allure of the mountains conceals the danger, though, the high altitudes, the low temperatures that becomes even more hazardous at night. The park rangers who work these parks know that only too well.

DAN WEBBER, RANGER: If you go headed down a road in the wrong direction, you may come across a road that's not plowed or not maintained, may not be well traveled. It may not be an area that we would normally patrol.

SANCHEZ (on camera): It is very difficult to find your way when you're driving at night in the snow. Snow banks tend to hide signs. So you may be turning off into what you think is a shortcut or a side road. That's when you end up getting stuck.

(voice-over): And it didn't take us long to experience it firsthand. Look at the front tires, how they spin on the ice while the back tires dig into the snow. Faced with that, the first instinct may be to find help. There must be someone somewhere who can help us. That is what we think. I set out to see how long I could last. I started a trail in the woods.

(on camera): That's about as bad as it gets, if you think about it. That's what really gets hypothermia to set in. That's water, a creek. And I almost walked into it.

(voice-over): And that would have been serious because even if you stay bone dry in freezing temperatures, experts say the average person will only survive three hours. Three hours, that is it. After that, you are going to succumb hypothermia by passing out and then dying, just like that.

KEN BRINK, RANGER AND SURVIVAL EXPERT: You fall asleep. Some people say it's a peaceful way to end your life. But certainly hypothermia is one of the biggest dangers we see in people that are recreating outdoors.

SANCHEZ: I continue my track. It's getting later and colder.

(on camera): Now I've been walking for about an hour in the woods. And one of the things that strikes you is how still it is out here. You don't here anything. It's almost eerie. And you think you're going to be able to make good time, but because of the terrain -- you're walking uphill, you're walking downhill -- it's rugged and it's difficult. And oftentimes you end up walking around in circles because you're so disoriented.

BRINK: Human being generally don't have an ability to walk in a straight line.

SANCHEZ (voice-over): Lesson learned. You never, ever give up your shelter because of what experts call the rule of threes. Here it is, you can survive up to three weeks without food, three days without water but only three hours without shelter if you're in freezing temperatures. I've survived for about an hour-and-a-half. Now it's time for a new strategy and I'll show you what it is in the next hour.

Rick Sanchez, CNN, Golden, Colorado.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: And you'll definitely want to stay tuned for that. That is a very good tip that he is going to be showing us in the next hour. And don't forget those rule of threes.

In the meantime CNN does go beyond the headlines and behind the tears for an emotional look at one man's heroic sacrifice to save his family. Tune in Monday night for "Stranded, the James Kim Ordeal," a special "PAULA ZAHN NOW." That is Monday at 8:00 Eastern.

HOLMES: Well you may have heard about this one, New York City banning trans fats. Should you do the same? Our fitness guru Jerry Anderson will explain what happens to your body when you do.

NGUYEN: But first a preview of today's "OPEN HOUSE."

GERRI WILLIS, CNN ANCHOR: Coming up at 9:30 a.m. Eastern, "OPEN HOUSE." Foreclosure, fraud complaints are skyrocketing. We have tips to make sure you don't become a victim.

Plus, how one NFL star went above and beyond the playing field to make a very big difference.

And decorating this holiday season on a budget. That's " OPEN HOUSE," 9:30 a.m. Eastern right here on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: It is summertime south of the equator and severe drought in Australia led to some to some of the worst brush fires in more than half a century. Smoky haze is now interfering with flights at Melbourne's airport.

Meanwhile, in Moscow, at least 45 people died today in a hospital fire. Officials say one of the exits at the drug rehab facility was blocked by a metal crate. Arson is suspected.

And ignoring international pressures, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad reportedly says Iran has expanded its uranium enrichment program. That is according to an Iranian news agency. Iran is locked in a standoff with the West over its nuclear program.

Folks not getting paid and they are showing their frustration. The sound of gunfire rumbling across Gaza City. Palestinian police officers protest a lack of pay. The Palestinian government, led by the Islamic militant movement Hamas, hasn't had the money to pay the police or other government workers for the past eight months.

NGUYEN: All right. This whole issue of trans fats, does it have you confused? New York City is banning these artificial fats in restaurants leaving many asking, trans what? So we want our fitness guru Jerry Anderson to weigh in on this trans fat debate.

Good morning to you, Jerry.

JERRY ANDERSON, FITNESS GURU: Good morning, Betty. How are you doing?

NGUYEN: I'm doing great. Let's talk about this. When we want to decrease or even eliminate trans fat in our diet, does that decrease blood fat?

ANDERSON: Definitely. You know what? A trans fat is so bad that when you take in trans fat it actually decreases your good fat and then it increases the bad fat. So it's really bad. And it clogs and narrows your arteries. You really want to watch it, get that trans fat out of your diet. It's horrible. Betty, it's almost like taking trans fat, it is condensing it and putting it down your sink in your kitchen. What's going to happen?

NGUYEN: It's going to clog it up, right?

ANDERSON: Exactly, it does the same thing to your arteries, so we have to be conscious of trans fat.

NGUYEN: Well, but it's in so many of the foods that we love. That's the hard part about it.

ANDERSON: Right. Right.

NGUYEN: But let me ask you this though. This may help us out in that department. If you eliminate trans fat, will you regain some of those taste buds?

ANDERSON: Well you what? Exactly because what happens is that trans fat is condensed fat. So it enhances the taste buds and it actually throws your taste buds off, which is amazing. So you'll be able to enjoy your food even more when you pull the trans fats out, because it enhances the taste buds. That's why these restaurant people and the manufacturers are fighting so hard because they love and love -- they love the taste buds.

Betty, even one of the largest fast food chains what they did was they said they removed all the trans fats from their food, all of a sudden the independent company came in and tested it. They didn't even change anything. So they know how valuable it is so we have to really beware of what's going on, because these trans fats, they're holding on to them tight.

NGUYEN: So does this mean that broccoli and cauliflower are going to taste so great now?

ANDERSON: Oh, yes, definitely.

NGUYEN: OK.

ANDERSON: It's all in the mind. Just steam a little more...

(CROSSTALK)

ANDERSON: And it will taste good.

NGUYEN: Mind over matter.

ANDERSON: Yes, exactly.

NGUYEN: What about your life span? Is it really going to add years to your life?

ANDERSON: Oh, wow.

NGUYEN: I mean, does it do that much damage, trans fat? ANDERSON: Most definitely. Some doctors say it's like plastic going through your system. Your body can't even break it down. It will definitely increase your lifespan, because there are some studies that show that 30,000 to 50,000 people are affected by it every year. It will clog the arteries going to your brain, going to your heart.

It will definitely increase your life span. It's unbelievable. You have to do it. Because you know what's amazing? Every 30 seconds someone has a heart attack. Every 45 seconds, someone has a stroke. We don't want those numbers to go up. If we pull trans fats out, we'll have healthier people around and longer, Betty. Got to do it.

NGUYEN: You've got to do it. So if you live longer, could you live thinner without those trans fats?

ANDERSON: Exactly. The amazing thing is those trans fats, most people eat almost 5,000 pounds of trans fat a year, which is amazing. If you pour the trans fat out and don't put another fat in its place, that is five pounds a year, that is 50 pounds in 10 years, that is 100 pounds in 20 years. It's unbelievable. And a lot of trans fats build that belly fat. It's crazy.

And, Betty, you know what's really amazing is -- check this out. I brought something for you. I don't want you to have it. Right here.

NGUYEN: What's that?

ANDERSON: This is a doughnut. Do you know how much trans fat and how many calories are in this?

NGUYEN: I'm scared to ask.

ANDERSON: Because it's only recommended we have two grams of trans fat a day. This has about five grams of trans fat.

NGUYEN: Five?

ANDERSON: If you eat -- yes.

NGUYEN: Double what you need for the whole day?

ANDERSON: Right. If you only need two grams a day, this has about five. That's -- if you eat three of these, that's 15. You already five days of trans fats.

NGUYEN: OK, Jerry?

ANDERSON: Yes?

NGUYEN: Step away from the doughnut. Step away from the doughnut.

Hey, you know what you said last week? You said something that we really thought about here at CNN. You were talking about visualizing the body that you want. ANDERSON: Yes.

NGUYEN: When you work out, you have got to visualize that body and actually cut out a picture and put your head on it right?

ANDERSON: Right, very important.

NGUYEN: So we thought about it and this is what we came up with. What do you think?

ANDERSON: Betty, you are crazy.

NGUYEN: What do you think?

ANDERSON: You know what? It's pretty good. Betty, excellent. Wow.

NGUYEN: Are my guns looking pretty good there? I'm telling you. I've been working out. I mean, it's not the right gender, obviously, but Jerry, you're looking pretty good.

ANDERSON: I'm trying. I'm trying. You know what? You've got to keep it buff. I like the way you're looking, Betty. Wow.

NGUYEN: Thank you. I know.

ANDERSON: You can actually beat me in a competition.

NGUYEN: I did it in a week. In a week. That's all it took, Jerry.

ANDERSON: Whoa, Betty I'm going to have to test you.

NGUYEN: Eliminate those trans fats, boom.

ANDERSON: You're going to be tested. We're going to have to test you. Boom, boom.

NGUYEN: All right, my friend.

ANDERSON: And you know? Trans fats, I just want to get some trans fats, and just give it one.

NGUYEN: Knock them out.

ANDERSON: Here, here, here. Just want to knock out, right in the chops. Let me at it, Betty. Let me at it. Let me at it.

NGUYEN: You know, I'm tired just watching you.

ANDERSON: Come on, let me at it. I want to get to it.

NGUYEN: Jerry, next weekend. Next weekend. Stay away from the doughnuts. We'll see you then.

T.J., whoa, I'll tell you, is that man full of energy? Thank you. That facial expression said it all.

HOLMES: What just happened? Can we please not ever use that picture of Betty on that body again?

NGUYEN: He wanted us to visualize.

HOLMES: Please, please throw that away.

NGUYEN: Next weekend, T.J., we're going to have one with you.

HOLMES: We've got to throw that away. All right. We are going to try to get back at on track here, folks. We're going to keep talking about trans fats, though, and could you be eating a lot of artificial trans fats and you don't even know it?

Well coming up next hour of CNN SUNDAY (sic) MORNING, find out where the artery-clogging substance may be hiding on your grocery shelf. And of course we want to know where you stand on the trans fat ban. E-mail us at WEEKENDS@CNN.com. Comment on that or about that picture you just or anything else you just saw with Jerry's segment.

And then coming up in 10 minutes, find out how a multi-million dollar football contract can help families in need.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice-over): After signing his first NFL contract, Warrick planted the seeds for what would be the Warrick Dunn Foundation.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Congratulations to your new home.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Well, a nice, pretty picture here. We're showing you a live picture of Chicago. But it's not all nice in that part of the country, really. Can you imagine no heat, no lights, and no way to cook for more than a week? That's what some people in Illinois and Missouri have been coping with since last week's snow and ice storm. Utility officials say power should be back on soon, actually, to the last 1,300 or so customers. And at its peak. power was knocked out to about half a million customers.

NGUYEN: In fact, Jeff Flock was spending the night with one those customers, an Illinois family who just making due with candlelight, kerosene heater. And I understand Jeff joins us live. And there's been, I guess, a change in what's going on.

You're laughing, but this is a good change because the electricity company is...

JEFF FLOCK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We could call it breaking news, Betty.

NGUYEN: Yes, exactly. They've arrived.

FLOCK: It's breaking news to these people. In fact, it's their headline of the day. If I can get my -- Bruce, can you follow me without falling down and killing yourself? If you come through the door here, as you can see, the good folks from Ameren -- I don't want to bother them because I know they have got big work to do.

This is the backyard of the house, Betty, that we're talking about that lost power. This is the new box. They got a new box. And look up, up top. There you can see where the old one snapped off. It pulled this pole off. They have secured that. And now they're just about to hook stuff up.

And, in fact, Bruce, if you come over here, maybe you can see this gentleman just about to do -- can you still move? Just sort of need to see this sort of thing happen right before our eyes live here on CNN. They're about to make the connections. And before long I'm guessing they're going to be able to put the candles away and get rid of the kerosene heater and we'll be all good to go here in Decatur. So it's kind of nice to see that story unfold in this way. And if we had any small part to play in it, by golly, that would be wonderful. So there you go, that's...

NGUYEN: Oh, yes, absolutely. Well, you know, you spent the night with them and they were making do the best they could. But how many days were they without electricity?

FLOCK: Well, the interesting thing about them is initially when the line went down; their line came to the ground. And then - - oh, that's our line. But their line came to the ground but it was still live. So they kept power for awhile. And then they lost power after everybody else started getting to get theirs back on. So, you know, it's a tough thing. These guys have a tough job out here and I know they take a lot of heat from some of these folks who don't have heat. But I think they are doing the best they can.

NGUYEN: Yes, they are. And that family...

FLOCK: Happy ending here.

NGUYEN: Exactly. Ecstatic, in fact, that they're finally going to get the heat back on. Many in that area have been without power for about a week.

HOLMES: Can't imagine. Can't imagine.

FLOCK: A week and a day. Not to interrupt you guys, but we were talking about a hurricane, a Katrina situation. At least when a hurricane comes through, it knocks your house down but you're warm. Here if you don't have power you can't stay warm.

NGUYEN: Jeff thank you for that. And the morning's top stories they are just three minutes away.

HOLMES: And then coming up "Open House," find out how to decorate for the holidays without breaking the bank.

And then at the top of hour lost, cold and scared. What to do when you find yourself stranded in the woods in the winter.

NGUYEN: And at 11:00 Eastern, one of the best electronic gifts for your loved ones. If you don't know the difference between an iPod and bluetooth or LCD and plasma, stick around. We'll tell you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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