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CNN Live Sunday
Baby Noor Faces Surgery; Sharon Improving, Doctors Say; Gadget Show Winners
Aired January 08, 2006 - 18:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR, CNN LIVE SUNDAY: Israel Prime Minister Ariel Sharon remains in critical but stable condition. Doctors will try to get him out of his medically induced coma tomorrow. They say the swelling in his brain has decreased and his pulse and blood pressure are normal. A full report from Wolf Blitzer coming up later in this show.
And a U.S. helicopter crashed today in Iraq. Eight passengers, four crew members on board, all American, all were killed. The UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter was supporting a task force near the Syrian border when it went down. The Army is investigating.
This month has already been especially deadly for U.S. service members in Iraq. CNN's Michael Holmes is in Baghdad.
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN INT'L. CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Twenty- eight, that's the four-day death toll for the U.S. Military in Iraq after a series of incidents. The worst came early Sunday, communications with a Black Hawk helicopter lost just west of Mosul, in the northwest of the country; 12 hours later the crash site was found, all crew, eight passengers dead.
The chopper was one of two flying between bases when it went down. The military says it does not yet know what caused the crash. It was the worst accident of its kind since January last year when a transport helicopter crashed in western Iraq killing 30 Marines and one sailor.
Also, Sunday, three Marines were killed in hotbed city of Fallujah, west of the capital, all in separate incidents involving small arms fire. A local says he witnessed one of the killings.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): The U.S. soldiers were walking here with a patrol. They went in this street and we were waiting in that cafeteria. We were trying to go home. When we looked at them, we saw one of them was killed. Gunmen attacked them. They were carrying RPGS and different kinds of weapons.
HOLMES: Two Marines were killed Saturday in separate roadside bomb attacks. And on a bloody Thursday, a U.S. soldier and a Marine died in one of two suicide bombings that killed more than 100 Iraqis. Two other Marines killed that day by gunfire in Fallujah. And roadside bombs claimed the lives of seven soldiers. The loss of life made Thursday the deadliest single day in Iraq in nearly four months. Michael Holmes, CNN, Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Still to come on this program, a Minnesota man who says nothing tells the story of American casualties in Iraq like the numbers. He tallies the dead and makes sure people take notice. We'll talk to him shortly.
One week ago most of you had never heard of Tallmansville, West Virginia. Today it's where 12 coal mining families are grieving the loss of their fathers, their brothers their friends. Lost in a terrible chain of events at that time Sago coal mine.
One man somehow survived more than 40 hours in the poisonous air. His prognosis is uncertain. CNN's Chris Huntington is at the hospital. But in the mining town of Tallmansville, still stunned families are burying the dead. Gary Nuremberg is there.
Gary, let's begin with you.
GARY NURENBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good evening. CNN is honoring the request of those families for privacy at the funerals, but there were numerous other services today, where those miners were remembered in prayer.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(BELL TOLLS)
NURENBERG: At the Sago Baptist Church, where first the good news and then the bad news came Tuesday night, they rang the bell again today, this time to celebrate their belief the perished miners are with God. Some parishioners left with a lesson.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You got anything against anybody, you know, get it settled because you never know when the Lord may call you home.
NURENBERG: At St. Elizabeth's Catholic Church --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our sincere prayers are for those who have gone to the Lord and yet also for those left behind, who has so much suffering.
NURENBERG: Parishioners say their faith helps.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think at times of tragedy we all ask questions beginning with why, and people's faith helps answer that question.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For me it was the happiest and worst night of my life all at the same time.
NURENBERG: Father Andy Cranz was at the Baptist church with miners' families when the bad news finally came.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There were four or five people around me that passed out. There was one elderly lady, I don't know if she had a heart attack, but she went into serious shock or something. There was a fireman next to me who just collapsed right in the mud. And I helped him to sit up, and he just sat there staring with a blank look on his face for about half an hour, just completely out of it.
And there were several people around that night that were like that, just in complete shock. There were state troopers who fell to their knees and were sobbing like babies.
NURENBERG (on camera): There was a little girl running away that you were worried about?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There was one young girl. I don't know who she was. But she was shouting that she was going to go and take her life so she could go be with grandpa.
NURENBERG (on camera): It is a moment here that many here will never forget.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, life goes on. They'll always be in our heart.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NURENBERG: One miner said today he hadn't been to church in 25 years but said today he had to go to pray for his friends.
WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks so much.
Well, new developments now on the condition of 26-year-old Randy McCloy. He's the sole survivor from the Sago mining accident. Chris Huntington is in Morgantown, now.
Chris, bring us the latest.
CHRIS HUNTINGTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, we got a statement from the doctors here, at West Virginia University Hospital, that Randy McCloy, Jr. is now breathing on his own. He still is attached to a respirator, a ventilator, in case he needs that assistance; but good news that he is breathing under his own power.
Today the doctors removed the sedative that had been keeping him in a medically induced coma for some time. They hope to see signs of wakefulness in the days ahead. You may well be aware that he spent a couple of days getting specialized treatment in Pittsburgh. He returned here last night. And the fact that he is back here in West Virginia, and was able to make the trip is a very positive sign.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HUNTINGTON (voice over): Randy McCloy is back in his home state. Saturday night he left Pittsburgh's Allegheny General Hospital by helicopter after his doctors determined he was stable enough to make the trip. And no one is happier about Randy's return than his wife Anna.
ANNA MCCLOY, RANDY MCCLOY'S WIFE: We're glad to have Randy back home in West Virginia, where he'll receive the best care and be surrounded by people who care about us and our children, which is so important.
HUNTINGTON: McCloy's doctors in West Virginia say the two days Randy spent at Allegheny General were crucial to his recovery. His vital organ functions gained strength. And they say that three 90- minute treatments he received in a high pressure oxygen chamber will hopefully help his brain recover from the damage done by carbon monoxide poisoning.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They took fantastic care of Randy. They did exactly what was the intended plan, which was to give him three days of hyperbaric oxygen therapy. We accomplished that. We brought him back to West Virginia. And now we're prying his continued ongoing care, which was our treatment plan all along.
HUNTINGTON: Doctor Roberts says McCloy is still breathing with the help of a ventilator but is strong enough to be taken off the sedative that has kept him in a medically induced coma for days. Doctors say it could take days for that sedative to fully wear off, because McCloy's liver is weak and cannot rapidly filter the drug out of his bloodstream. But once that occur, the doctors hope to get a better read on Randy's mental condition.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're looking for him to begin to arouse and open his ice. He was beginning to do that a little bit before we had to sedate him. So we're looking for a progressive awakening, neurological improvement.
HUNTINGTON: While McCloy's doctors and family are obviously focused on Randy, they are ever mindful what the Sago mine explosion took from others in their community.
McCLOY: Our families thoughts this morning continue to be with Randy's co-workers and their families. We are thinking of them today and throughout this difficult time.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HUNTINGTON: Now, as Anna McCloy would be the first to tell you, even though her husband is in critical condition, she's well aware that he is the fortunate one -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right, indeed. Thanks so much, Chris.
It is one of the toughest job interviews in Washington. Senate hearings for U.S. Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito begin tomorrow. It could be a bruising encounter. Democrats are not ruling out a filibuster. On the eve of the hearings on Capitol Hill, a setback for the anti-Alito forces. CNN Senior Political Analyst Bill Schneider has our preview.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BILL SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST (voice over): A Supreme Court confirmation fight is supposed to be an all-out war. But it's not clear that will happen with Samuel Alito. It did not happen with John Roberts. His solid qualifications disarmed his opponents. It did not happen with Harriet Miers. Her lack of obvious qualifications, as well as her weak conservative credentials disarmed her supporters. She withdrew. Right now the pro- and anti-Alito forces are girding for battle. This anti-Alito ad attacks his credibility.
(POLITICAL AD)
ANNOUNCER: Alito promised to disqualify himself from certain cases but news reports reveal he broke his own commitment three times, even ruling in favor of a company he invested with.
SCHNEIDER: While this pro-Alito ad attacks his attackers.
(POLITICAL AD)
ANNOUNCER: Every day desperate liberals make up a steady attack against Judge Samuel Alito.
SCHNEIDER: Now the anti-Alito forces have been handed a serious setback. A committee of the American Bar Association, a group President Bush has disdained in the past for not treating conservative nominees fairly, voted unanimously to give Judge Alito the ABA's highest rating to competence and integrity.
Alito has taken some controversial positions. But he's told senators he will not allow his personal views to influence his rulings.
The Senate rejected Robert Bork in 1987 because he came across as a zealot. Alito does not, at least so far. So his critics argue that his new moderation is just an act.
(POLITICAL AD)
ANNOUNCER: Samuel Alito is no moderate, but he plays one on TV.
SCHNEIDER: As of last month, the public tended to favor Alito's confirmation, mildly.
(On camera): The country does not seem eager for an all-out war. Whether Alito's critics can gain traction depends more than anything else on how the nominee performs than on his confirmation hearings this month. Bill Schneider, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Tomorrow CNN will have live coverage of the Alito confirmation hearings in a special edition of "The Situation Room" starting at noon Eastern. Join us for that coverage as well as expert analysis.
Critical but stable; that's what doctors say about Ariel Sharon's condition. But what does that mean for the future of the Middle East? We'll check in with Wolf Blitzer in Jerusalem.
Plus, new pictures tonight in to CNN. Hundreds are evacuated as wildfires rip through now Colorado. Details ahead in our look "Across America."
And next:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It has pit neighbor --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When I saw the sign, I was really angry.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Against neighbor.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have very little problem with where he put it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: One Vietnam war veteran's effort to draw attention to the situation in Iraq, as some of his neighbors are up in arms. You're watching CNN LIVE SUNDAY. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: These pictures just coming in out of Aguilar, Colorado, where a wildfire is under way there. Apparently already scorched 6,000 acres, two homes. And apparently many other structures are being threatened as well.
Every week we bring you the more personal stories from the frontlines. Today a sign of the times; a man in Duluth, Minnesota, a Vietnam veteran, has posted a sign listing the number of American casualties in Iraq. And as Jason Carroll reports, it has caused quite a reaction.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Superior Street in Duluth, Minnesota; an average street in a small town, with a national debate over the war in Iraq becoming personal. All because of a sign. It has pit neighbor --
CHUCK HORTON, DULUTH RESIDENT: When I saw the sign I was really angry.
CARROLL: Against neighbor --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have very little problem with where he put it.
CARROLL: Soldier --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pretty tacky.
CARROLL: Against senator.
STEVE KELLEY, STATE SENATOR: We're not going to back down just because it's difficult. CARROLL: This is the man who started it all, Scott Cameron, a Vietnam veteran.
SCOTT CAMERON, VIETNAM WAR VETERAN: When I put it here originally, all right, I thought it would be taken with open arms.
CARROLL: Cameron is against the war in Iraq, but says he created the sign to draw attention to veterans' rights. The past month he has been keeping a tally of the number of U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq and posting it in the office window where he volunteers, a campaign office for Minnesota state Senator Steve Kelly, who is running for governor. The office is right next door to an army recruiting center.
(On camera): What point are you really trying to make here? Or are you trying to make a point?
CAMERON: Oh, very much so. I'm trying to make debate.
CARROLL: Some of the soldiers next door say they don't want to debate when they're coping with the loss of their comrades in Iraq. Cameron's sign, to them, is an insensitive reminder.
SGT. GARY CAPAN, U.S. ARMY: It's like, you know, if you worked in an office and someone died some kind of death, you know, the office space next to you puts up a sign saying how they died, you'd have to see that every day.
CARROLL: Sergeant Gary Capan asked Cameron to move the sign and when Cameron refused he thought that was the end of it. But then the local media picked up on the story. It wasn't long before Sergeant Capan started getting messages and letters.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm pretty disturbed about what I've seen.
CAPAN: "Please don't inject your perverted misunderstanding into minds of young, unexpecting recruits."
I just take them and I throw them in the garbage.
CARROLL: Some people in Duluth say that is exactly where it belongs. Chuck Horton coaches boxers at the Veterans hall. He's a veteran of the first Gulf War.
HORTON: I went right to anger. When I saw the sign -- I think it's pretty transparent that it's a political ploy.
CARROLL: At a nearby cafe, Karen Sather couldn't disagree more.
KAREN SATHER, DULUTH RESIDENT: I really appreciate that it's next door because of the fact that it makes people more aware. It makes you more aware, coming here, being on national news.
CARROLL: But Sergeant Capan says some people are missing his point.
CAPAN: We just were hoping out of consideration for the guys in the office that are offended, that they just simply move it somewhere else, to a better location.
CAMERON: I support the gentlemen next door. I have total respect for our troops.
CARROLL: Their feeling is you can best support us by taking the sign down. Is that going to happen or not?
CAMERON: No, it's not.
CARROLL: And so while there is a standoff, the debate continues. Jason Carroll CNN, Duluth, Minnesota.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: We'll talk to Vietnam war veteran Scott Cameron in a moment.
From triumph to tragedy, what happened to a long distance runner after he finished a long distance race.
Also, one city's fight against drugs runs into an opponent no one could have foreseen. The story of one feisty grandmother, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Tragedy at the Walt Disney Half Marathon in Orlando. A runner collapsed after he crossed the finish line and died later if a hospital; 43-year-old Gary Kane was from Tucson, Arizona. An autopsy will be performed to find the cause of death.
A theater in Utah decides not to show the film "Brokeback Mountain." The movie is an R-rated romance about two gay cowboys. A notice posted at the theater, said simply, "Change in Booking". A gay rights group in Utah called the decision disappointing, but the conservative Utah "Eagle Forum" says not showing the movie sets a proper example for young people.
Officials in one California city are trying to force an 82-year- old woman to sell her longtime home. They say her home has become a public nuisance and is a magnet for crime. She says she's not going anywhere. Here's CNN's Peter Viles.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PETER VILES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): City officials in Chino, California, say they have a major crime problem and they say this 82-year-old grandmother is part of it. It's not Amelia Cordero that's the problem, it's what police say goes on at her house.
GLEN ROJAS, CHINO CITY MANAGER: Criminal activities, we're talking about heroin overdose. We're talking about weapons -- assault with weapons in there, on the property, numerous narcotics.
VILES: The city says there were so many problems at the house, they did something very unusual. They sued and cut a deal under which Cordero agreed to sell the house if the problems continued. ROJAS: This is a very unusual tact for a city to take. The circumstances required it. Back in 1997, we started receiving calls for service from that residence. From 1997 to 2003 we received over 100 service calls through the 911 service line. And 41 of those calls resulted in arrests.
VILES: But here's the rub, the city says it's time for Cordero to sell the house, but she says she's not going anywhere.
AMELIA CORDERO, HOMEOWNER: I'm going to fight it. I don't care how long. I'm not moving from here. And I want them to know that I'm not moving from here at all. Tell them to get it through their head because I worked for my home. They didn't work. I did.
VILES: What about the 100 911 calls, the allegations of drug dealing and gang members in the house?
CORDERO: I have never sold drugs to nobody. I have never sold drugs. I work for what I have.
VILES: Cordero does admit to taking in needy strangers on occasion. Could they be the problem?
CORDERO: I don't know. I don't know about that. I don't know who is telling them whoever. They probably know. The policemen probably know.
VILES: Cordero insists her neighbors cause more trouble than she does, and that police are hassling her.
CORDERO: Look at them. Right now. That's the way they are, all day long. They're crazy.
VILES: If the case goes to trial, it will raise major issues on property rights. But in Amelia Cordero's mind the issue is already settled.
CORDERO: I'm not going no place. No place. I'm not going no place. I'm going to stay here.
VILES: Peter Viles for CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Bringing him back; even with doctors bringing the prime minister out of his medically induced coma, many know that Ariel Sharon's condition is a setback for peace in the Middle East. We'll get an update from Wolf Blitzer in Jerusalem next.
Plus, who will be rescued next? The story of an Iraqi girl receiving help in the United States has become an inspiration to parents all over that country, desperate to save their children's lives. Their story straight ahead.
The world's most eligible bachelor goes from civilian to soldier tomorrow. You're watching CNN LIVE SUNDAY. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Welcome back. Here's a quick look at what's happening "Now in the News": Funerals began today in West Virginia for the 12 miners who died in the Sago mine explosion. More services are scheduled tomorrow and Tuesday.
The man who shot Pope John Paul II will be released from prison this week. The pope personally forgave Mehmet Ali Aga for the 1981 shooting. He spent nearly a quarter of a century behind bars.
The Republican chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee wants the attorney general to testify on the domestic spying program. Senator Arlen Specter says that Alberto Gonzales didn't object to that idea. He says that Gonzales' testimony is important because he's a key spokesman for the administration.
The movie "Hostile" checked in as the weekend's top box office hit. According to studio estimates the bloody horror flick brought in $20 million. "The Chronicles of Narnia", "King Kong", "Fun With Dick and Jane" and "Cheaper by the Dozen 2", round out the weekend's top five.
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon remains in a critical but stable condition. Doctors will try to bring him out of his medically induced coma tomorrow. Sharon has had three operations to stem bleeding on his brain. He suffered a severe stroke on Wednesday. Doctors are concerned about swelling on his brain. But now they say his condition has improved. CNN's Wolf Blitzer has the latest from Jerusalem.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, here in Israel today there were attempts to show that things were going on as usual. For the first time, the acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert presided over the weekly meeting. But the gathering was dominated by Ariel Sharon's empty chair.
EHUD OLMERT, ACTING ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): I imagine if I could ask him this morning, I would say, Arik, what do you want us to do? What should we do? And he would say, I respect that you are concerned about my health, but you must get to work.
BLITZER: The reality is that the attention of the entire region is focused on Hadassah Hospital, where Sharon is in intensive care. After another brain scan, Sunday morning, doctors said his vital signs were holding steady.
DR. SHLOMO MOR-YOSEF: The condition of the prime minister is still severe but stable, and there was slight improvement in the CT scan imaging of the prime minister.
BLITZER: Former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres, Sharon's longtime political opponent who just joined forces with him in a new centrist party, said that acting Prime Minister Olmert was the right person to keep Israel on course. SHIMON PERES, FORMER ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: The man has a lot of experience and I think as far as policies are concerned, he'll clearly continue the policies of Mr. Ariel Sharon.
BLITZER: Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat urged Olmert to continue what Sharon had begun.
SAEB EREKAT, PALESTINIAN NEGOTIATOR: We offer him our hand, and urge him to consider coming back and resuming negotiations immediately. Because I believe this is the only way for Palestinians and Israelis to stay the course, and to save lives and to change the pattern of the way we're living now.
BLITZER: In this period of crisis, politics was not in the forefront. Likud party leader Benjamin Netanyahu, who often clashed with Sharon over his Palestinian policies:
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, LIKUD LEADER: I'm not going to discuss politics. There are two and some months -- almost three months -- left until the elections. I would prefer at this point to tell you that there is unity in the country in the hopes that this particular man, who is now battling for his life, Ariel Sharon, the prime minister of Israel, wins that battle.
BLITZER (on camera): Tomorrow, the medical team will begin to bring Sharon out of the medically-induced coma he's been kept in since Wednesday. Only then will they be able to tell how much permanent damage has occurred. Doctors say it's almost certain there has been at least some cognitive damage. Ariel Sharon is still fighting for his life, but as one of his senior aides told me here in Jerusalem, that's not the first time he's done that.
Fredricka?
WHITFIELD: All right, thank you, Wolf, in Jerusalem.
Staying in the Middle East, millions of Muslims begin the holy pilgrimage known as the Hajj today. For details on that and some of the other world top stories, here is CNN's Anand Naidoo.
ANAND NAIDOO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Fredricka. Thanks and hello from me. That's right -- about 2 million Muslims from around the world are gathering in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. The Hajj will last six days. It takes place amid pretty heavy security and that's because there have been several deadly incidents in the past. These have mainly been stampedes that have taken place during those ceremonies.
The Hajj is one of the five pillars of the Islamic faith. Every able-bodied Muslim who can afford the trip is obliged to perform the pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in a lifetime.
Now on to Turkey, it looks like the bird flu in humans in that country is spreading. At least three people in the capital, Ankara, have tested positive for the H5N1 strain of the disease. These are the first suspected cases outside of the eastern city of Ban that we've been reporting on. Two siblings died from the disease there during the past week. A third sibling also died, although officials have not yet confirmed the cause of that sibling's death.
Now, those fatalities are the first caused by the virus outside of East Asia, where more than 70 people have been killed so far. And World Health officials are cautioning, though, that this is not the beginning of a pandemic -- Fredricka?
WHITFIELD: All right, Anand. And what is this about Prince William now having to learn the basics?
NAIDOO: Well, yes, this is -- well, this is one for the books, you know. Prince William -- he's the heir to the British throne, if you didn't know -- he arrives at Sandhurst. You can see pictures there of him arriving. It's a bit of a family tradition -- not arriving, but going to Sandhurst. He brought his own black boots and an ironing board. If you are wondering why he did that, he's going into Sandhurst -- he'll be there for the next 44 weeks -- and although he didn't have to carry those boots or the ironing board himself, after today -- reality check -- he will be expected to rise at dawn, polish those boots, iron those shirts using that ironing board and wash his own clothing.
So if you thought that being king was going to be -- or in this case, a future king was going to be easy, think again.
WHITFIELD: I have a feeling he can handle it. He seems very grounded.
NAIDOO: Yes, he does. Forty-four weeks later, we'll check.
WHITFIELD: Yes, we will. We'll be following that. Thanks a lot, Anand.
Tomorrow morning, doctors in Atlanta will perform life-saving surgery on Baby Noor, an Iraqi infant suffering from spina bifida. The girl was brought to the U.S. for treatment after Georgia National Guardsmen discovered her in Baghdad. Dr. Roger Hudgins is chief of neurosurgery at Children's Health Care in Atlanta. He will head up Noor's surgery. Dr. Hudgins appeared on CNN this afternoon.
DR. ROGER HUDGINS, PEDIATRIC NEUROSURGEON: Baby Noor has the spinal cord out on the surface at the top of this very large sac. So our objective tomorrow is to find that spinal cord, clean it off as much as possible, put it back down where it belongs and then close multiple layers over the top of it.
At the same time, we will be getting rid of that mass on her back.
WHITFIELD: Hal Pote is the president of the Spina Bifida Foundation. He joins us from New York to help us understand more about this debilitating birth defect.
Good to see you, Hal.
HAL POTE, PRESIDENT, SPINA BIFIDA FOUNDATION: Fredricka, thank you for having me on.
WHITFIELD: How much does Baby Noor's case perhaps help illuminate the issue of spina bifida, helping people in this country to understand how it happens and what the potential treatments are?
POTE: In fact, as Baby Noor has attracted attention here in the U.S., it really has caused people to ask about spina bifida: What is it; how common is it, and what can we do about it?
WHITFIELD: And in fact, this is something that can be detected by doctors through sonograms, et cetera, early while the baby is still in the -- the fetus, that is. And what are the possibilities, though, that are opening up for surgeries, how to actually treat spina bifida?
POTE: First of all, you're right, Fredricka. The very first testing of the fetus can detect the presence of the spina bifida birth defect. There is some surgery that has been done now over the past few years, in a number of centers of excellence around the country, in which surgeons literally go into the uterus and repair the damage to the back --
WHITFIELD: But that's very rare and that's still in a test phase, though, isn't that?
POTE: It is very much new. It's been done a few times. And we're now undertaking, with the help of the folks at the CDC in Atlanta, to verify whether or not the surgery is really having beneficial long-term impacts for these babies.
WHITFIELD: Are you seeing some real promise, potentially, with that procedure?
POTE: There is some promise there, but probably more importantly for our viewers, the real issue is that 70 percent of the incidents of spina bifida could be prevented if women of child-bearing age were consuming folic acid prior to becoming pregnant. Folic acid is present in just about every multiple vitamin that you take daily, and is in many of the enriched grains and cereals and breads that folks consume in our country.
So the real message is, take that vitamin every day before you become pregnant.
WHITFIELD: Now, this is an issue that you feel very passionately about. Your nephew has spina bifida. He's 19, correct?
POTE: He is, indeed.
WHITFIELD: Give me an idea of what his quality of life has been?
POTE: First of all, he is a wonderful young man. But he was dealt a very tough hand. He has neurological issues. He's been in a wheelchair since he was an infant. And like many of our other kids with spina bifida, he deals with many other difficulties as well. But it hasn't stopped him. He's a terrific kid with guts like you can't believe. WHITFIELD: All right. Harold Pote, president of the Spina Bifida Foundation. Thank you so much for joining us.
POTE: Thank you, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: From New York.
And later on at 10:00 this evening -- Eastern Time -- we'll continue to talk about the case of Baby Noor. We'll be talking with one of the leading neurosurgeons involved in this, Dr. Roger Hudgins on 10:00.
Sadly Baby Noor is not alone. Many other Iraqi children are in critical need of medical care. A Baghdad children's hospital, in fact, is filled to more than capacity. The plaintive cry from anguished families, What about us? Here is CNN's Jennifer Eccleston.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JENNIFER ECCLESTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Baby Hajjer's (ph) serene demeanor belies a deadly condition. The 6-week- old has cerebral atrophy. Her brain is shrinking. Hajjer (ph) means, nomad, wanderer, traveler. So fitting these days as mother, father and baby are living a nomadic existence, wandering from hospital to hospital, seeking treatment that will save her life.
But this Baghdad children's hospital is their final stop.
MAHMOOD JAWAD HUSSEIN, FATHER: The doctor tell in Iraq, no care here. Must be go to outside.
ECCLESTON: But Mahmood can't afford to go abroad, so they'll go home.
HUSSEIN: Where to die.
ECCLESTON: Mahmood's heartache etched across the faces of nearly every family in this ward. Their infants, toddlers, kids, crammed three to a bed, desperately ill, unable to get life-saving, life- sustaining treatment in this hospital, in this country.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We just give them the basic treatment only. But they need more treatment, more investigation, but many of it not present in this hospital.
ECCLESTON: Sanctions, war, neglect and the insurgency -- they've crippled Iraq's once-exemplary medical care, says Dr. Yedala (ph). Now there's only one way to ensure her young patients survive.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They need to go outside of Iraq.
ECCLESTON: But only a handful do. The obstacles -- government red tape and lack of funds -- often insurmountable.
But then one story gave many Iraqis new reason for hope -- the story of Baby Noor. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I hope Abdullah will become like Baby Noor.
ECCLESTON: Abdullah has leukemia. The hospital often runs out of his medicine. When his mother heard we were from America, she begged us to make him another Baby Noor.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I hope when to see him go to Europe or America.
ECCLESTON: As word spread, other families approached us with medical records, giving us cellphone numbers. Could we help Abdullah, whose legs are paralyzed, or Moj (ph), who has cancer?
In quiet anguish, Hudda Hraham (ph) watched the procession of desperate families. Her 8-month-old son has heart disease; he's barely conscious. She's already lost two children to the same illness.
I would do anything to help him, she says. But it's too late. He's dying. Doctors agree -- without surgery, he won't make it another week.
Jennifer Eccelston, CNN, Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Earlier we told you about one man's campaign in Duluth, Minnesota, to remind people about casualties in the Iraq war. Not everyone liked his posted sign, tallying the numbers. But Vietnam War veteran Scott Cameron says the sign should be posted.
He's joining us on the phone now. And Scott, you're getting pressure from the community, who are saying that this is rather disrespectful of the soldiers who are still fighting abroad. Why won't you remove the sign?
SCOTT CAMERON, VIETNAM VETERAN (via telephone): Well, first of all, I have a problem with that statement completely. I've gotten 100 percent response, coast to coast, actually, let alone in my community, in support of my sign. And you know the sign puts out a statistic. And that statistic should be out there. From what I am seeing and what I'm getting myself, maybe it will give people pause.
WHITFIELD: Do you believe you're getting this kind of attention particularly because you strategically located this sign right next to the Army recruiting office?
CAMERON: Actually, I think somewhat, probably. You know, it wasn't intentional. I'd like to point out this is a pro veterans sign, not an anti-war sign. When it was first put there, I thought originally that actually the active duty people next door would really appreciate the numbers out there. But it didn't go that way.
And I think it brings a bigger point up. The point of this sign is to make debate, and with debate, maybe some consensus, and with consensus maybe a solution. If I understood your article today -- WHITFIELD: Well, you definitely have provoked some kind of debate, because we saw in the piece that aired earlier, that there were people on both sides in their response to the sign. So that you have achieved -- provoking debate.
CAMERON: All right. I'd like to point out that the numbers today are 2,210, with 16,329 wounded.
WHITFIELD: As far as you know, how long are you going to maintain this campaign of posting this sign with the numbers?
CAMERON: Well, I'm having so many people come behind me and ask me not to take it down. I think the main message I'm trying to get out, it's a pro veteran sign. Maybe we should be looking at a federal veterans bill of rights, guaranteeing veterans benefits and mandatory spending for the VA.
WHITFIELD: Vietnam War veteran Scott Cameron. Thanks so much for being with us and sharing with us your point of view.
CAMERON: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: Next on CNN LIVE SUNDAY: We've all heard the old adage, an apple a day -- well, you know how it goes. Next I'll talk with a doctor who believes certain superfoods are the key to long life. Apples are included.
And later, we'll show you all the future gizmos, gadgets and electronic devices you won't be able to live without, they say.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: We've all heard that "an apple a day keeps the doctor away." But our next guest says there are other so-called superfoods that could do the same thing. Dr. Steven Pratt is the author of "SuperFoods Health Style: Proven Strategies for Life Long Health." His previous book is also about superfoods. He's one doctor that certainly we don't want to keep away, at least not right now.
Dr. Pratt, good to see you.
DR. STEVEN PRATT, AUTHOR: Thank you very much. Nice to be here.
WHITFIELD: You begin with this kind of diet strategy saying you have to have five pillars of Superfoods Health Style, beginning with superfood, --
PRATT: That's right.
WHITFIELD: -- movement, portion control, stress reduction and sleep. All of this seems pretty self-explanatory except for the superfoods. What defines a superfood?
PRATT: Well, really, Fredricka, superfood is a food which is commonly available in the United States, one that has a lot of peer- reviewed literature to substantiate that that food really indeed is good for you, and one that people can acquire and recognize and want to have. Also it brings great health to you. Also it's found in many, many of the great dietary cuisines around the world, which are associated with low risk for chronic disease.
WHITFIELD: And in your last book, the types of superfoods you defined and identified were salmon, blueberries, broccoli -- now you talk about adding nine more superfoods. And they are: apples, for example, pomegranates, kiwis, cinnamon, of all things, and dark chocolate. We love to hear that.
PRATT: Everybody likes that.
WHITFIELD: What constitutes these superfoods?
PRATT: Well, let's talk about dark chocolate. Dark chocolate actually stimulates the feel-good part of your brain. It will lower blood pressure, decrease inflammation, actually raise HDLs, which are good cholesterol, in your body. That's a taste good, feel good, good for you type of treat to have.
WHITFIELD: What kind of quantities are we talking about with dark chocolate? Start with the dessert first.
PRATT: We're talking about an ounce a day. You want to control -- you've got to maybe take some calories away someplace else and have these dark chocolate calories. Little bits throughout the day is the best way to do it, not all at one time.
WHITFIELD: Apples, pomegranates, kiwis -- how do we -- what's the portion control on those?
PRATT: Kiwis -- there's really no portion control for most produce. You can have as much as you want, because you're going to get full long before you've had too much. Remember, most of these superfoods are calorie-sparse and nutrient-dense. So, you get a lot of fiber, you get a lot of nutrients but not a lot of calories. So it's a win-win situation for your body.
WHITFIELD: Something that's interesting about cinnamon -- we consider it really more of a spice and not necessarily a real food. But you're saying that this is in the category of superfoods and we need to think about putting a little cinnamon in our diet every day. Why?
PRATT: That's a good thing. Especially if you're a diabetic. If you a quarter teaspoon a day -- and that's not very much -- you will lower your requirements for insulin, you will stabilize your blood sugar and you will decrease your risk for cardiovascular events because you're going to lower the bad fat in your blood and you're going to increase or boost up the good fat.
WHITFIELD: All right, and before I let you go, other anti- inflammatories: onions and garlic. We've been hearing that for a long time, it's always good for us. But raw or cooked?
PRATT: Either way. In other words, variety again is the spice of life. So, you can have garlic raw, you can have it cooked. But cooking it actually does bring out some of the health benefits of most of these foods. I tell people don't worry about if it's raw or cooked, just find a way to get it into your diet.
WHITFIELD: All right, sounds good to me.
PRATT: Create a healthy habit.
WHITFIELD: Dr. Steven Pratt, thanks so much in helping us to get the New Year started with a new outlook on all the good foods that we need to be taking in. Thanks so much.
PRATT: My pleasure. Thank you.
WHITFIELD: Pay attention, gadget heads: A preview of all the toys you won't be able to live without in 2006 after this quick break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Finally, gizmos, gadgets and electronic devices you can't live without. CNN's Renay San Miguel has more on what you could call the Academy Awards for gadget heads.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Welcome to the best of CES Awards for International CES 2006.
RENAY SAN MIGUEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Every year at the International Consumer Electronics Show, the technology website C/NET and the Consumer Electronics Association name the devices and technologies they think are the most innovative. Wouldn't you know, the Best of Show award winner for 2006, Creative Labs Zen Vision portable mp-3 and video player, sure looks familiar.
SAN MIGUEL (on camera): It looks like an iPod. We talked about this before. It looks like the best selling media player that's out there right now.
BRIAN COOLEY, CNET EDITOR: Yes; it's a little chunkier. It is thicker from front to back, so it's a little more hefty in your hand. We actually find that it feels a little better. Sometimes slimmer and more svelte is not always good for your hand. It is just good for your eye. We like actually holding that Creative Zen Vision a little better than its competing iPod rival.
SAN MIGUEL (voice-over): Other than that case of digital imitation being the sincerest form of flattery, it seems to be the year of living in high definition. The winner in the digital photo and video category, Sanyo's Exacte HD1 (ph), a camera that records video in high def on to a hard drive. No more tapes or disks.
In the television category, the winner is --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sexy names carry the day. The Samsung HLS 5679W. SAN MIGUEL: This is a high def big screen rear projection TV that uses digital light processing -- that's millions of tiny mirrors on a computer chip. They mean better color quality.
And in home video, it was Pioneer's DVD player they're uses blu- ray technology. It beat out another player using the competing HD DVD technology. Players using both new standards will fight over your consumer dollars starting this spring.
COOLEY: But this is a long race and these are the earliest entrants in it. Look for an exciting '06 and an exciting '07 for the establishment of hi def DVD.
SAN MIGUEL: So which cell phone did C/Net editors deem the coolest?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The Samsung ZX-20.
SAN MIGUEL: It receives data at faster speeds than other phones and also holds a camera and music downloads.
Pioneer wins again in the car technology category, with its Avic Z-1 (ph). That's a car stereo that connects to your cell phone that provides detailed traffic navigation from XM satellite radio.
Speaking of satellite radio, C/Net's web audience voted the Pioneer Eno (ph) its People's Voice award. It receives live XM signals and records 50 hours worth of satellite programming. You can also download your favorite mp-3 music files.
Just a few of the tech products cutting through the clutter of the cutting edge.
From the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Renay San Miguel, CNN.
WHITFIELD: Coming up on CNN LIVE SUNDAY, U.S. forces on the offensive to rid Afghanistan of the Taliban once and for all. We'll take you on foot patrol with America's finest. It's only on CNN.
At 8:00 Eastern, CNN Presents goes inside the Sago Mine tragedy.
At 9:00, Larry King talks to Howard Stern in his first television interview since leaving free radio.
I'll be back at 10:00 p.m. Eastern with a conversation with the doctor set to operate on Baby Noor. That's scheduled for tomorrow -- the surgery is.
More of CNN LIVE TODAY right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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