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Ford Announces Plans to Increase Sales; Ethics Probe Possible For Weiner; The Mini-Prenuer; Issues For Ohio Voters; Anti-Government Forces Take Yemen City; Soft Shock; Unknown Source in European E. Coli Outbreak

Aired June 07, 2011 - 13:00   ET

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

RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, Suzanne, and thank you. It is bigger than Memphis, bigger than Kansas City, much bigger than Chicago, it's driven thousands of people out of their homes with little hope of seeing those homes ever again. It's not the biggest wildfire in Arizona history yet, but the so-called wall of fire in the Apache National Forest is still growing fast, and the smoke can be seen as far away as Kansas.

CNN's Jim Spellman joins me now from a command center there. And Jim, set the scene for us. Any sign they're getting control of this massive fire?

JIM SPELLMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely not yet, Randi. Still zero percent contained, despite having 2,500 firefighters on the ground. This morning, one of the firefighters described this fire to be simply as a monster. They've not been able to get any kind of control over it.

One of the big things they're dealing with here is the wind. We know that in wildfires like this, weather is the key to getting a handle on it. Twenty-five mile-an-hour sustained winds, 40 mile-an-hour gusts, creating what they call spotting where embers can fly several miles behind the fire line, creating fire on both sides of the firefighters.

Already at least one base camp here has been -- had to be evacuated after fire came into their camp. Really difficult and it's only about -- the edge of the fire is about 10 miles this way, not far over that ridge. So far, if there's any good news from this monster fire is that it's been in largely unpopulated areas in Apache National Forest.

But we're here in the town of Springerville, this is the first population center where we expect the fire to potentially create problems here, only ten miles away, Randi. That's too close for comfort here. Pretty sure what they'd do what they call pre- evacuation, asking people in homes like this to get their stuff, and get on the road.

We've already seen this morning lots of trucks going by with people's furniture, their belongings in it as they try to create some sort of safe buffer distance away from this fire -- Randi.

KAYE: I know, Jim, that some officials have said that they don't even know where the fire is because it's moving so fast. I mean, you mentioned these winds, do firefighters actually hope that they can make any headway today?

SPELLMAN: They hope to but they're not terribly optimistic in my conversations with them today, due to these difficult circumstances and the kind of work they're doing. There's not a lot of roads into the fire area, so it's a lot of hiking, overland, wearing heavy equipment into this fire zone with this thick haze. I mean, there's haze even here, driving in closer to the fire area, it's even thicker.

So, just to get to where they can start to create a line is a huge amount of work. And then, to have the winds change direction and do this spotting is making it really difficult for them. If the fire makes it here to Springerville, they're not even talking about stopping it. They're hoping simply to try to divert it around the town, minimize the amount of damage to structures and people -- Randi.

KAYE: All right, Jim Spellman for us there in Springerville. Jim, thank you, and be safe there.

Well, nature might not seem so cruel sometimes, if only it were more balanced, right? While Arizona battles multiple fires and much of the southwest prays for rain, folks from Montana to Missouri are praying the levees hold. The bigger than normal snow melt and huge amounts of rain having engorged the Missouri River and filled up a half dozen reservoir.

Elsewhere in the hemisphere, more than 5,000 people have fled their homes in the Dominican Republic where a dam is in danger of overflowing or worse. Almost 7 inches of rain fell in a single day. Floods are also plaguing Puerto Rico. And a rain-swollen lake has forced hundreds from their homes in eastern Haiti. Finally, southwest China has had drought and sudden rain and you can see the result, 14 people now reported dead.

The Dominican Republic is evacuating more than 5,100 people because a dam threatens to overflow due to heavy rains, nearly 7 inches of rain fell on Tuesday in a region there, we should tell you.

And if we didn't have a "Sound Effect," well, we might have to invent it, just for the Anthony Weiner scandal. Before we dig into the legal and ethical and political fallout of a Congressman's unseemly tweets, I want you to hear from the guy who actually exposed them from a woman who received them, and from Weiner himself.

Also, from an old college pal who now has his own show. First, Andrew Brightbart, a conservative blogger, who says Weiner's admission is his vindication. On CNN's "American Morning," Brightbart said he has an X-rated photo of Weiner that he has chosen not to circulate and never plans to.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDREW BREITBART, CONSERVATIVE BLOGGER: I am not the cruel person that the media and people -- certain people on the left think that I am. And I guarantee you, that is a news worthy photo. I just don't think that -- I don't want to be known as the person that released that photo. COLLEEN MCEDWARDS, CNN ANCHOR, "WORLD BUSINESS TODAY": So, you will never release it now after he (inaudible.)

BREITBART: You know, here's what I'll say, I'm starting to hear from somebody that they're going to start -- if they start going after the girls, if they start releasing stuff about the girls, some of the images that were sent to him as a way to tell girls to not come forward, I have the photo. I have no intention -- I can't fathom that he would be stupid enough to start going after the girls, and to start releasing photos of them, that they have given. Let it lie, OK?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAYE: One of the girls Brightbart refers to is Megan Broussard who talked to ABC about her relationship with Weiner.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MEGAN BROUSSARD: He was eager to hear about if I wanted him or thought he was attractive or that sort of thing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How much of it was sex talk?

BROUSSARD: I mean, he would attempt all of the time.

REP. ANTHONY WEINER (D), NEW YORK: I believe that everyone deserves an apology here, and I certainly -- I am -- I am -- I'll be -- here's what --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Where is your wife right now?

WEINER: I apologized to Andrew Breitbart, I apologize to the many other members of the media that I misled. I apologized first and foremost to my -- to my wife and to my family.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAYE: Some of those misled media members are right here at CNN. You may remember this exchange with my colleague, Wolf Blitzer, just days ago.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WOLF BLITZER, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: This is the picture, I'm sure you've seen it by now, is this you?

WEINER: I can tell you this, we have a firm that we've hired to -- I've seen it, it's -- I've seen it, a firm that we've hired to try to get to the bottom of it. It certainly doesn't look familiar to me, but I don't want to say with certitude.

BLITZER: Well, we just want to resolve it, once and for all. You would know if this is your underpants, for example.

WEINER: The question is -- I appreciate you continuing to flash that at me. Look, I've said the best I can that we're going to try to get to the bottom of what happened here.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAYE: "Daily Show" host, Jon Stewart, has known Weiner for years. For him, the pain of what's happened is personal.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JON STEWART, HOST, "DAILY SHOW": You know what is perhaps the most upsetting thing -- the most upsetting thing about having a friend caught up in a scandal of this nature is finding out, a., he's packing jumbo heat, and b., that he's ripped! I can't believe this guy and I are the same [inaudible] age, that's my problem.

Here's a picture of me from this morning. I mean, how good is the Congressional health care plan?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAYE: And we want to know what you think about this. Should representative Weiner resign? Join the conversation on our blog, CNN.com/Ali. And you can also post on either Ali's or my Facebook and Twitter pages as well to share your thoughts.

We are also keeping our eye on the Casey Anthony murder trial, right now, where the twists and turns just keep coming. The focus again turns to the smell and analysis of Anthony's car. Prosecutors claim the 25-year-old used chloroform on her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee, before suffocating her. The defense admits there was chloroform in Anthony's car but only at modest levels.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And it wasn't overwhelming amount of chloroform, was it?

MICHAEL RICKENBACK, FBI CHEMIST: On the specimens?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

RICKENBACK: It was significantly less than the -- sorry, not the internal standard, the positive control that I analyzed.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And it wasn't the most chloroform you had ever seen in 20 years, was it?

RICKENBACK: It was not the most chloroform I have seen in 20 years, no.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's not what you would call shockingly high levels of chloroform, would it?

RICKENBACK: No, it's not.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAYE: And for continuing live coverage of the Casey Anthony trial, you can head over to our sister network, that is HLN.

Meanwhile, in Yemen, anti-government fighters have taken control of a major Yemen ease city today. Witnesses say more than 400 tribal gunmen fought back government troops, forcing them out of Ta'izz in southwest Yemen. The fighting is intensifying as the country's president Bela Sala recovers in Saudi Arabia from burns over 40 percent of his body and a collapsed lung. A U.S. government official briefed on the situation says the fate of the embattled leader and whether he will go back to Yemen remains uncertain.

Some good news for investors. Ford motor today announced plans to boost worldwide sales 50 percent by aggressively expanding its operations. How, you wonder? Well, CEO Alan Mulally says the answer is smaller cars and playing catch-up in Asia. The second largest U.S. auto company plans to significantly increase the kinds of cars it offers in growing markets like China and India, and he even expects to see growth stateside where auto sales are still off by 30 percent.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALAN MULALLY, CEO, FORD: We saw a slow down the first quarter, especially in the United States and the GDP expansion, and a slow down within the last couple months, especially with the fuel prices moving up and the economy slowing down. But, again, we are committed to the long-term. We invested during the worst of times, because we want to be there for the consumer as the economy starts to expand.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: Coming up, he has confessed to a pack of lies, but in doing so, has Congressman Anthony Weiner opened up a can of worms? Up next, the possible probe headed his way, and what that could mean for his political future. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: After a week of angry denials, testy exchanges, allegations of hoaxes, hacks and pranks, Congressman Anthony Weiner finally admits it was all a lie. At his press conference yesterday, Weiner said he wanted to clear the air, accept responsibility for his actions, but in his confession, Congressman Weiner has raised even more questions, more serious questions. Listen closely to what a reporter asked him.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You didn't use Congressional phones, Congressional e-mail, or Congressional accounts?

WEINER: No, I didn't do -- listen, I'm going to try to tell you everything that I can remember. It was -- my Blackberry is not a government Blackberry, my home computer is usually where I did these things.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE.)

WEINER: I don't have a knowledge of every last communication, but I don't believe that I used any government resources.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAYE: You heard it there, he doesn't believe he used any government resources, but he couldn't say for sure. Shortly after that, house minority leader Nancy Pelosi called for a house ethics investigation to determine whether any official resources were used, or any other violation of house rules occurred. The Congressman says he will cooperate fully, but is he ready for what such an investigation might find?

Joining me now to discuss this, David Bossie, former chief investigator for the house committee on government reform, and oversight. David, thanks for coming on the show today to talk about this. The first rule of the house's code of conduct states that members shall behave at all times in a manner that shall reflect credibly on the house. Did Weiner break this rule?

DAVID BOSSIE, FORMER CHIEF INVESTIGATOR, HOUSE COMMITTEE: Well, I think everybody in America would agree with that. It's -- look, did he break any criminal law? I don't know yet. Definitely, we're going to find out many more embarrassing things. I compare this to the Tiger Woods incident, where really you have this one little incident, and then it spirals out of control.

And you've seen Congressman Weiner now for 10, 11 days attacking conservatives, attacking Andrew Breitbart, attacking the vast right wing conspiracy as though it was somebody who did it against him. And, of course, now we're finding out that it was all a lie. And so I think he's really doing the House a disservice. He's doing the other members a serious disservice because this is the last thing that we need as a country right now.

KAYE: Well, let's talk some specifics here. I mean the ethics committee, of course, has to agree on an investigation first. But if that happens, where does the investigation begin? I mean how does this work? What do they look at first?

BOSSIE: Well, first they're going to ask for all of his telephone communications, all of his telephone records, his e-mails. This opens up a can of worms that Anthony Weiner really should not want to go down, I believe. We have heard from Andrew Breitbart and other members of the now mainstream media covering this story, as a real story, is -- that there are other photographs out there.

Congressman Weiner has to be concerned about his family. That is what my point is, they're going to go after everything. If the ethics committee looks at it, it will -- they will find the photos of these six women and the communi -- and the sexting with these six women. It's the next six. The six after that. If that's really where it will spiral out of control for the congressman.

KAYE: Well, he has only said that he had conversations online with six. So let's just leave it at that. But --

BOSSIE: Yes, and -- no, but that's my -- but that is my point is, it's the same thing with other investigations. You don't know when you start -- which is why he didn't call for the FBI or the Capitol Police to investigate. He knew this was the result.

KAYE: And how long does something like this normally take? I mean are we talking weeks or months?

BOSSIE: It definitely is not a short investigation. It can take months and many months to conduct a thorough investigation of this sort.

KAYE: I don't think that it can be understated, though, how important Congressman Weiner is in the Democratic caucus. I mean we all know that. He's one of the president's most outspoken critics on the left. Will that, do you think at all, play into this investigation or a possible punishment even?

BOSSIE: Well, unfortunately, it does. You look at Chris Lee (ph). You know, Leader Boehner, you know, I think it was three hours after Leader Boehner found out about that, that he was -- he announced his resignation. You have Nancy Pelosi asking for an ethics investigation. She should really be calling for his resignation to clean the decks of this thing. Debbie Wasserman Schultz has said this is a personal matter. This is not a personal matter. This is a matter for the House of Representatives and the people's body to really handle appropriately. And I think that's where the politics come to play.

KAYE: Well, a lot of people with a lot of very strong and very different opinions about all of this.

David Bossie, thank you. Appreciate your time.

BOSSIE: Thanks, Randi.

KAYE: As we mentioned earlier, Congressman Weiner's role in Washington can't be understated. First elected in 1998, the 46-year- old New Yorker has solidified his reputation as a liberal liberal, frequently criticizing President Obama from the left. He's fought for issues like women's rights and gun control with a determined, feisty and above all fire-brand rhetoric.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. ANTHONY WEINER (D), NEW YORK: You vote yes if you believe yes! You vote in favor of something if you believe it's the right thing. If you believe it's the wrong thing, you vote no. We are following a procedure --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE).

WEINER: I will not yield to the gentleman! And the gentleman will observe regular order! The gentleman will observe regular order!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: Last July, Weiner married long-time aide to Hillary Clinton, becoming the only Jewish member of Congress to marry a devout Muslim. Officiating the ceremony, former President Bill Clinton.

Coming up in the next hour, we're going to tell you much more about another man with an important role in the Weiner scandal, that is Andrew Breitbart. So stay tuned for that.

At 14, were you running your own business? How about using your profits to end child sex slavery? Well, in two minutes, we'll introduce you to a very impressive young girl who is building an empire and making a difference.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: All this week we are taking a special look at pint-sized entrepreneurs who are shaking up the business world. My next guest is building her own business and fighting human trafficking at the same time.

At 13, Asya Gonzalez launched Stinky Feet Gurlz, a company that designs, markets and sells 1940s inspired T-shirts and apparel. Her company donates a portion of every shirt sold to She's Worth It, a nonprofit organization she also founded dedicated to ending human trafficking and child sex slavery. She is now 14 and she joins me via Skype from California.

Asya, thanks for joining us today. First, I have to ask you about this name, Stinky Feet Gurlz? Where did this come from?

ASYA GONZALEZ, FOUNDER, STINKY FEET GURLZ: Actually, my mom was telling me this story of how she was going to play with her cousins and her sisters and then when they would come into the house, her grandma would be in the living room watching TV, and they would go to watch TV, and her grandma would go, oh my gosh, you guys have such stinky feet. And then that's how it was Stinky Feet Gurlz. And they were -- they were the original Stinky Feet Gurlz and I thought that was so adorable.

KAYE: That is adorable and very catchy, as well, for your company. Well, as the daughter of two entrepreneurs, I mean did you always plan this? Did you always think that you'd follow in their footsteps?

GONZALEZ: Yes. I thought because like -- well, we would always go on trips. And I would ask my dad why my uncle couldn't come with us and why our other family members couldn't come, and he would say, well, they work in an office and they don't have their own business hours and they can't, you know, work their own schedule. So I thought, well, I want to be able to do that. I don't want to be stuck behind a desk my whole career, and I want to be able to, you know, make my own rules and is my own money.

KAYE: Smart girl. Well, let's talk about what inspired you to dedicate your time and the money that you're making to fighting child sex slavery. Why was that important to you?

GONZALEZ: Because I just -- this crime is just evil. I've heard about it, and you see it everywhere. And, you know, the drug business is number one. But then the human trafficking is number two. And soon that's going to become number one, and I don't want that to happen. I want to help these poor girls from this -- you know, atrocious crime. And I just think this is horrible.

KAYE: And how much are you expecting --

GONZALEZ: And I want to be able to help these girls --

KAYE: How much are you expecting to donate this year?

GONZALEZ: Probably, you know, thousands.

KAYE: Well, that's great. We're happy -- we're happy to talk with you and certainly happy to hear that you're helping so many people there, strangers that you've never met. So, thank you, Asya, appreciate what you're doing.

Giving voice to the voters beyond the polls. We'll go in-depth on the issues that matter most, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: CNN In Depth this week and we are taking the pulse of the American voter. Listening to the issues and concerns as we move closer to that 2012 election. It is not about the individual candidates, but more about what people are looking for from their leaders. So today our Ted Rowlands is at a Toledo, Ohio, institution. Rudy's Hot Dog stand.

You lucky guy, Ted. The president was there, we know, chowing down on chili dogs just last week. What are you hearing there today?

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Randi, everything. This is -- and this is the place to come, boy. This is real food and real people here in Toledo, Ohio. We've heard opinions from both Republicans and Democrats who have come here to eat lunch, and they vary across the board. But there are some themes. Jobs is a big one.

This is Rick Suiter. He works at the Smucker's plant. Next -- tomorrow is his 25th anniversary working there.

You say you're doing well. But you're concerned about young people like your daughter who don't have career opportunities. Is that your number one issue?

RICK SUITER, CUSTOMER: Yes, I think all the young people here, they need to stay in school. They're not going to go anywhere without an education. And I think President Obama is doing a fine job. The mayor of Toledo, Mike Bell, they're trying to spur the economy on. The jobs just aren't there. I think they're going to be coming. And, overall, they need an education. They've got to stay in school. Keep their -- keep the heads up. I think the economy is going to turn around.

ROWLANDS: All right. And, Randi, that's one of the things that we've been hearing over and over again, concern about the economy, obviously, and concern about jobs. We've also heard a lot of concern about Washington and politicians and the fighting between the parties. It's amazing, a lot of people are just frustrated, saying that politicians are spending 90 percent of their time trying to derail each other's plans and nothing really gets done. Jobs, though, your number one concern, isn't it? Jobs is your number one concern?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Jobs is my number one, right.

ROWLANDS: What if you had an opportunity to talk to all of Congress and the president right now, what would you say to them in terms of where this country needs to go and what the concerns are?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The economy. But don't mess with the seniors' Medicare and Social Security. That's too big. Pensions. Pensions and Social Security. That's what we live on. That's what Medicare.

ROWLANDS: A lot of people would say that the budget is going to bust unless entitlements are changed in some way.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And that's false. If they use it for what it was meant for, it's sound. It's good for years for us and our children. If they use it to pay off the deficit, it's gone. And that's what they're trying to do. They're trying to do away with Medicare and Social Security, in my opinion.

ROWLANDS: All right.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And it's not right.

ROWLANDS: And this is Lewis who's worked in construction all his life, retired. Chuck worked at Ford for 33 years.

Shirley, what do you think, if you had a chance to talk to politicians?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, I'm worried about Medicare, too, because when I worked, I worked for a small company, and there were no benefits. So that's mainly what I get now is my Social Security, you know? And with the price of prescriptions, you know, it's --

ROWLANDS: It's tough. All right.

Prescriptions. Gas, also a big one, Randi. We're taking the pulse of folks here in Toledo. We'll be here all day and throughout the week we'll be around the country in preparation for next week's big debate, and, of course, the upcoming election -- Randi.

KAYE: All right, Ted. Appreciate it. Thank you.

Say thank you to all those folks for talking with us.

In a special three-part series beginning tonight at 10:00 Eastern, "ANDERSON COOPER 360" examines a shocking experimental therapy designed to make feminine boys more masculine. Tune in tonight to see what one family says was the devastating result in a special report titled "The Sissy Boy Experiment."

His doctors called him Craig. His parents were afraid he was too effeminate, so at age four, Craig was enrolled in a government funded program at UCLA, where he was plunged into a series of experiments using aversion therapy. The behaviors judge effeminate were beaten out of him, literally and figuratively. And Craig's case was judged a success.

But at age 38, this poster child for changing gender identity disorder was so depressed and disturbed, he committed suicide. In this heartbreaking series, Anderson Cooper speaks with Craig's family and we'll look at the man behind the therapy, Dr. George Rekers who was later caught up in scandal after hiring a male escort.

Here is just a glimpse.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is my brother Kirk Andrew Murphy right here. This is what he was supposed to be right here.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST (voice-over): This is the last time Mark Murphy remembers his brother, Kirk, as a happy child. The photo was taken when Kirk was four, a year before he was placed in an experimental therapy at UCLA to treat what doctors identified as exaggerated feminine behavior.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It left Kirk just totally stricken with the belief that he was broken, that he was different from everybody else.

COOPER: Kirk's sister, Maris (ph), and brother Mark, say Kirk was never the same after therapy.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The only thing they did was destroy our brother. I mean, they took him away from us. He was empty. Nothing there.

COOPER: In 1970, Kirk Murphy was a smart, outgoing five-year-old, growing up near Los Angeles. His mother, KT Murphy, however, was worried about him.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, I was becoming a little concerned about playing with the girls' toys, and stroking the long hair and stuff. I was seeing effeminate mannerisms that bothered me, because I wanted Kirk to grow up and have a normal life.

COOPER: To treat Kirk's so-called sissy behavior, he was repeatedly placed in a room with two tables. He was observed through a one way window. He was given toys to play with and could choose between traditionally masculine ones, like plastic knives or guns, or feminine toys like dolls and a play crib. He could also choose clothing to wear. An army hat and military fatigues or a girl's dress, jewelry and a wig.

His family says the impact of the experimental therapy lasted his entire life. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He had no idea how to relate to people. It's like somebody just walked up and turned his light switch off and we got what we wanted and we'll see you later.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He actually ate his lunch in the boy's bathroom for three years where he didn't have to put himself out there, even just to have a friend.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: This is very powerful stuff. Really powerful story. This "AC360" special examines a shocking therapy to keep effeminate boys from growing up to be gay.

And that is tonight at 10:00 Eastern on CNN. You don't want to miss it.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Thirty-five minutes past the hour. Time now to catch you up on some stories you might have missed.

It's not yet the biggest wildfire in Arizona history, but the so- called wallow fire in the Apache National Forest is still growing fast and the smoke can be seen as far away as Kansas. Crews say they're having a tough time battling the blaze. It's already scorched more than 230,000 acres. Spillover smoke into neighboring New Mexico has grounded some flights.

Congressman Anthony Weiner says he is not resigning. But his political future may still be in jeopardy. Weiner admitted posting a lewd picture on his Twitter account and lying to cover it up, but, he says, he didn't break the law.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. ANTHONY WEINER (D), NEW YORK: I engaged in inappropriate, online conversations with people that included, you know, photographs and it was a mistake to do that. But I didn't -- I don't believe that I did anything that violates any law or any rule.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi says she will call for an ethics investigation.

A well-known female blogger has allegedly been abducted in Syria. Relatives Amina Abdullah say she hasn't been seen since she was bundled into a car yesterday. Abdullah's outspoken blog, "Gay Girl in Damascus" has made her an icon of the Syrian uprising, often challenging the al Assad regime. Her disappearance has prompted thousands to join online campaigns on Facebook and Twitter demanding her release. Abdullah is a dual citizen of the U.S. and Syria. And some amazing pictures we want to show you coming out of Chile today. The volcano has been shooting smoke and ash six miles into the sky. Take a look at that. The volcanic ash is grounding flights in that country and in neighboring Argentina. Check out the lightning as you saw there. Wow. So far, 3,500 people have evacuated that area.

The source is still unknown in the deadly E. coli outbreak in Europe. The question now, should this cause concern for Americans? Up next, Dr. Sanjay Gupta has the very latest for us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: The E. coli outbreak in Europe has claimed another life, raising the death toll there to 23. And authorities still don't know the source.

Our chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta has been following this story.

Sanjay, should Americans be worried?

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Randi, it appears that people of the United States probably are not that much at risk any longer. We know that four people were infected, but they had all traveled to Germany.

But because of the fact that there's so much attention on this, an increased sense of vigilance and people paying more attention, it's unlikely that we're going to see more or many more cases certainly here in the United States.

We know that this is a rare form of E. coli, particularly what virulent form in medical (INAUDIBLE). It means that it's making people pretty sick. About 2,200 people have been infected in 12 different countries and more than 600 of them also developed a pretty significant complication of this infection, something known as HUS -- Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome -- where your blood doesn't clot as well, your kidneys may start to shut down. More than 600 people developed that.

And we also know that 70 percent of them were women that developed this complication. And 60 percent of people who developed the infection overall were women. So for some reason, women seem to be more affected by this, perhaps because of the food choices they're making.

So far, those bean sprouts people have been talking about, the testing has appeared negative. But that may very well continue to be the case and we may never have a complete answer as to exactly from are where this bacteria originated.

We've done some investigating on this in the past, and, you know, tracing all these steps, you know, from the farm, so to speak, to the fork, there's lots of different steps involved. And a lot of times, trying to figure out exactly what step this bacteria was potentially introduced can be a laborious and sometimes fruitless task. So at this point we don't have a clear answer but it's worth pointing out we may not know for sure.

For consumers, the best bet is to take simple precautions that they've been told about. Wash your hands certainly before eating. Wash your food as much as possible, although it's tough to get this E. coli out of certain vegetables. And don't cross contaminate your food.

But a lot of the emphasis, a lot of the focus right now is on all those steps before that. Trying to make sure that the food that is potentially contaminated is pulled from shelves and that further contamination does not happen. And that's what's going on right now.

So, again, you know, some pretty significant numbers here. Not the largest outbreak overall, Randi, but something we're going to certainly keep an eye on.

Back to you.

KAYE: All right. Thanks, Sanjay, for the update.

The wounds of Yemen's president may be far more serious than previously known. A live report on President Saleh's condition and the fighting in Yemen, right after this.

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KAYE: More fighting and more killing in Yemen today. The key question, how much longer before a civil war engulfs the country? Witnesses report that tribal fighters seized control of a major city in the south. There are also reports of deadly fighting in other southern cities.

Deepening the country's uncertainty -- the fate of President Saleh. You'll recall he was would you minded in an attack on the presidential compound Friday and flown to Saudi Arabia for treatment. Based on remarks by U.S. officials, his wounds may be more serious than initially reported and there is still no word whether the Saudi government will allow him to return home.

Senior international correspondent Nic Robertson is following all of the developments in Abu Dhabi and he joins us now.

Nic, bring us up to speed on today's fighting. Who is involved, and where is this all happening?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, one of the centers of the fighting has been Ta'izz. Last night, gunfire was exchanged by anti-government forces with government forces.

What we have seen today is protesters marching through that city; the government forces seem to have withdrawn from the city. The fighters there are loyal to rebel groups who are with the opposition.

The government says, no, they haven't lost control of that city. This is a city of close to 700,000 people. The government says it hasn't lost control, but independent witnesses are saying they are seeing government forces gathering themselves outside of the city. And what happened last week when the government forces went in, in force, 50 people were killed. So residents there are worried that a similar situation could be repeated as the government tries to take control there.

That's where some of the worst violence seems to be. In the capital, it's been somewhat calmer. This tentative, shaky cease fire sort of holding there, Randi.

KAYE: And what about President Saleh's condition? I mean, it sounds like it's much worse than first reported.

ROBERTSON: It sounds bad -- 40 percent burns, a collapsed lung, which could take either surgery to repair or at least weeks, perhaps, for it to recover by itself. The burns themselves would have been life threatening at his age, in his condition. Forty percent of the body covered, as we understood, second-degree burns on Friday.

He seems to be pulling through with the surgery, but the indications are it will take some time before he goes back. However, he is still refusing to do what the international -- many in the international community want him to do, and the opposition, which is to step down, hand power to a transition government, which is create -- continuing to create the uncertainty on the ground, the fragile conditions leading to the violence, Randi.

KAYE: All right, Nic Robertson in Abu Dhabi. Nic, thank you.

Both Washington and Yemen's regional neighbors have expressed grave concern over recent developments, in large part because the ultimate outcome, whatever that is, will have far-reaching implications.

So just consider a few facts here. Yemen is the poorest country in the Arab world. It's the base for al Qaeda in the Arabian peninsula, that's the same terrorist group that tried to blow up an American jetliner over Detroit two years ago.

Unemployment, very high. The country's oil reserves are shrinking, and it's running out of water. Plus, there's a separatist movement in the south, and a long-running Shiite insurrection in the north.

Forty-seven minutes past the hour. Let's check our top stories for you.

In Libya, waves of NATO war planes bombed Moammar Gadhafi's compound and other targets in the capital, Tripoli. The daytime attacks were the heaviest since the air campaign started two months ago. The Libyan government says two people were killed during the attacks. Gadhafi spoke in a live audio broadcast on state television vowing he will never surrender.

In Syria, government troops backed by tanks are moving on areas in the northern part of the country near the border with Turkey, vowing to crush a revolt claimed for killing scores of security forces. The government says 120 security force members were killed yesterday by what it called armed gangs. However, a Syrian rights group says the victims were civilians killed by government forces.

Now, take a look at this amazing video of snowboarders landing on what looks like, well, you'll see here. It sort of looks like a giant pillow. After the break, we'll tell you why some call it one of the top inventions of the year.

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KAYE: Every day on the show we do a segment called the "Big I," it's all about big ideas, innovations and solutions to problems.

In today's "Big I," well, we are looking at a great idea that was inspired by a tragic accident. Today's guest, Aaron Coret, was an inspiring pro-snowboarder who lost control in a jump six years ago, crushing two vertebrae and leaving him partially paralyzed. His life changed forever, but he did not give up.

At 20 years old, he set out to make the sport safer. He co-created the Katal Landing Pad. So think of it a giant pillow pad that absorbs impact, providing a safe landing for freestyle skiers and snowboarders of all ages and even all ability levels. This month, "Popular Science" magazine called it one of the year's top inventions.

Aaron joins me now from Vancouver.

Thanks for coming on the show, Aaron.

Tell us more about how this works. I mean, you created this while you were a student at the University of British Columbia, right?

AARON CORET, CO-INVENTOR, KATAL LANDING PAD: That is correct, Randi.

Essentially, the landing pad has two main functions. One, as you alluded to, it absorbs the impact; and number two, it provides a landing surface to quickly and safely transition the rider off of the landing pad.

And to absorb the impact, the name of the game there really is air displacement. The landing pad will prevent or absorb the impact simply by controlling the amount of air in the landing pad, which is controlled by vents on the side. And by simply deflating the pads by different amounts of air, you can control the resistance of the air when the rider impacts the airbag. And as the resistance changes, the basically the impact softness will change. So it is easily modified, and that happens in our bottom chamber.

The top chamber is essentially a closed chamber that provides a ride- off surface that quickly transitions the rider off of the landing pad.

KAYE: And obviously, it looks safer which is your goal, and it also looks like a lot of fun. So I'm curious, are you getting the feeling that it is bringing more people to the sport?

CORET: Oh, definitely, and that was one of the intentions from to get-go. I mean, you know, snowboarding or free-style snowboarding, if you look at it, can look pretty dangerous to a lot of people coming on to the hill, but what we wanted to do was to basically provide a safe way for people to get involved in the sport.

And I strongly believe that once resorts start to adopt the landing pad, that more people will find this a great way to get involved, because, you know, right now all they see are these dangerous barriers to injury.

KAYE: Well, Aaron, I think that what you have done here is wonderful. I wish you the best of luck with it. I'm sure that a lot of people will take advantage of it. Thank you for coming on today.

And for more on the Katal Landing Pad, you can go to our blog at CNN.com/Ali.

And don't forget to tune in tomorrow. As always, same "Big I" time at the same "Big I" channel.

President Obama taking a hit on the economy from Republicans and from the American people. Your CNN Political Update straight ahead.

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KAYE: It is time now for a CNN Political Update, and some tough new numbers for President Obama.

Our Joe Johns is at the CNN Political Desk in Washington.

Hi, Joe. What numbers are we talking about here?

JOE JOHNS, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Randi.

Well, this afternoon, the White House is coming to grips with tough new numbers involving the economy. President Obama has taken a big hit in the polls over his handling of the economy. A whopping 59 percent of respondents said they disapprove in the latest ABC/"Washington Post" poll.

And the news, frankly, is even worse for the president on his handling of the budget deficit where 61 percent said they disapprove. So not good news for the president going into an election year, Randi.

KAYE: So Republicans are no doubt seeing an advantage on this issue. Apparently Tim Pawlenty got a jump on everyone else on this one.

JOHNS: Well, it may be a coincidence, but the timing of the polling couldn't be better for him. Pawlenty chose the president's old stomping ground to unveil his plan to grow the economy. He went over to the University of Chicago where President Obama used to work.

Pawlenty's plan calls for spending cuts and tax reform, including cuts in individual and corporate tax rates as well as the elimination as the capital gains tax, interest income tax, dividends taxes and the estate tax. So pretty full house there.

KAYE: Yes. We're also hearing, Joe, from the heavy hitter who just signed up to help Michele Bachmann n her race for the White House, if she chooses to go that way, Ed Rollins. JOHNS: Sure. I mean, if you watch TV, you know Ed Rollins, true Republican campaign veteran. He's telling the us what a lot of conservatives have been saying, that Michele Bachmann will be a force in Iowa. He said she has a tremendous opportunity to follow the pattern of Mike Huckabee, who he just happened to work for four years ago.

She'll be a strong candidate in Iowa, born in Iowa first Republican woman ever to represent the neighboring state of Minnesota. And she's also probably going to get some support from the religious right, which helps in Iowa for sure.

KAYE: Yes, certainly does. All right. Joe johns, nice to see you. Thank you.

JOHNS: You bet.

KAYE: Remember, everyone, next Monday, CNN will host the New Hampshire Presidential Debate. Join us as Republican hopefuls gather to size one another up and debate the issues. New Hampshire Republican Presidential Debate, CNN next Monday night at 8:00 Eastern, only on CNN.