[Savidge:] Well, today there could be a breakthrough in the deadliest ever outbreak of E. coli. Test results are expected to determine if bean sprouts are the source of that mysterious strain that has killed 22 people. More than 2,000 people have gotten sick, including several here in the United States. Frederik Pleitgen is in the German town where the sprouts are grown. And, Frederik, they know so far what do they do, I guess, about the source of the E. coli?
[Frederik Pleitgen, Cnn Correspondent:] Well, what they're doing right now, Martin, is they are testing several samples of sprouts that were grown here. Of course, the German authorities are saying is that they believe this could be the possible source of the E. coli outbreak. However, they just got back the first test results, literally a couple of minutes ago, and they say that of the first 40 samples they have taken, 23 have come back negative for E. coli. Now, the other thing that they also say is that it doesn't mean that this is not the source for the E. coli. They think that because a lot of these sprouts that could possibly be involved in this E. coli outbreak were bred about four weeks ago, that possibly all the traces would be gone, because most of the sprouts would be sold off to things like cafeterias and restaurants. But, so far, the results here are negative. But, again, the German authorities say they've traced back the food chain from where people got sick all the way to this food company in the northern part of Germany, Martin.
[Savidge:] And, Fred, didn't the Germans already come out and blame cucumbers originally?
[Pleitgen:] Well, yes, absolutely. I mean, what they say in the beginning is they thought cucumbers from Spain were the possible culprits. And, indeed, there is still a warning in place from German health authorities not to eat things like lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers as well, especially in their raw form. Now, German authorities have come out and they're saying don't eat sprouts at this point in time. They have not taken back any of the other warnings, simply because they don't know what the exact cause of the outbreak is. Now, the good news for consumers in America is, obviously, America doesn't really export any of these foods from Germany. However, we do that there have been some people who have gotten sick in America as well. But so far, those are people who actually visited the northern region of Germany before coming back to the U.S So, again, this health scare here in Germany persists, it's still going on. However, the German authorities think that they might be a step closer to finding the source of this outbreak, and therefore, also, potentially cutting it off Martin.
[Savidge:] Which is why we'll stay in touch. Frederik Pleitgen, thanks very much for the update. The former head of the International Monetary Fund has pleaded not guilty in a New York courtroom. Dominique Strauss-Khan, that is, is charged with sexually assaulting a hotel maid. CNN's Deborah Feyerick is outside the courthouse. And, what do we know, Deborah?
[Feyerick:] Well, Martin, we can tell you, they certainly wasted no time the arraignment actually taking place about 10 minutes earlier than expected. Not really a big deal, but clearly, the judge understanding the importance and the high level of interest. We kind of want to show you the scene outside of the courthouse, all of those cameras there. And it was interesting, because when Dominique Strauss-Kahn walked out of his SUV to enter the courthouse, he was almost surprised by the line of cameras that were waiting for him. He was equally startled when a number of hotel employees who had gathered began to boo him, and then chant, "Shame on you, shame on you." He entered the courthouse, went through the security detector. By 9:17 he was in the court. Five minutes later, it was over. So, we're just waiting for him to leave the courthouse. He is with his wife, Anne Sinclair. We're also told a daughter was in the courtroom as well. They are expected to leave any moment now, and then return to the luxury town house that's really just a matter of blocks from here. So, all in all, a very quick morning. But, certainly, a lot of international interest because of the fact many people thought he would become the next president of France, Martin.
[Savidge:] And, Deborah, do we know what comes next in this saga and when?
[Feyerick:] They're going to set a number of key dates. The defense team is asking for proper discovery. They had initially asked for it from prosecutors saying, look, it's been leaked out there. We're certainly entitled to have it. Prosecutors said, whoa, file the right papers and we'll get it to you. So, now, we begin some of the arduous process of getting all the documents, and, of course, Dominique Strauss-Kahn has hired a very high -powered league team, they've got investigators as is the case in these kind of incidents involving men of his stature, there's going to be a lot of due diligence when it comes to finding out exactly who this woman is and what is her background, Martin.
[Savidge:] All right. Deb Feyerick, thanks very much for the update. Checking more of our top stories right now: A mortar attack in Iraq has killed at least five U.S. service members. It happened at a forward operating base that is known as Loyalty in Baghdad. Iraqi officials say that the Americans were asleep in their trailers. The attack was one of several explosions across Iraq. Saudi state-run television, meanwhile, says that Yemen's embattled president, Saleh, has decided to or has had two operations and will return to his country after he recovers. Saleh was wounded last week when a rocket hit a mosque inside the presidential compound. Two leaders in Yemen have expressed cautious support for his vice president. The Miami Heat dousing water on the Dallas Mavericks and Dirk Nowitzki. The Heat behind another standout performance by Dwayne Wade beat the Mavs, 88-86, last night in game three of the NBA championship series. And that is despite Nowitzki taking the Mavs on his shoulders and scoring the last 12 Dallas points. The big guy went for 34 points, but failed to hit his last shot when the Heat Udonis Haslem, excuse me, was all over him. We'll have more sports in about 20 minutes, including a look at one racing fan's great leap of faith. That's still to come. She grew up in a wheelchair, and has never walked. But a high school student in Michigan took her first steps to get her diploma. That story is just ahead. And also ahead, the job market could soon suffer with another major blow. A new study says that state and local governments are preparing to slash jobs as early as next month. We'll go to the New York Stock Exchange for details, next.