let's go to elizabeth cohen. elizabeth, what are you hearing and seeing? >> i'm not sure exactly what just happened, but the police here erupted in applause. the police car came out and took a left and headed down the street. someone yelled out is that him and the police officer said yes. that's all i know. that's all i can tell you from here. i don't know if it means there was a definite round of applause from police as the car drove away. as the police car drove away. >> did you see anybody, the obvious question, did you see anybody in the back of that police car? >> you know, impossible to see. it was totally dark. it was impossible to see. >> what is the situation now? >> the situation now is that everyone, fire truck or ambulance, went in down the street towards the house that we've been talking about. so a police car came out and police applauded as it left, and then another vehicle, what looked like a safety vehicle or perhaps an ambulance, went in down the street. >> so it is right now 8:44 p.m. here in boston. all of this began almost, well, 22 ho

want to go to elizabeth cohen, she's outside the hospital. there are new details about his injuries since i last spoke with you. what do you know? >> these are very important details from deborah feyerick and susan candiotti. he has wounds to his throat. and this is very, very important. he is intubated and sedated. what that means is he has a tube going down his throat that's attached to a ventilator that breathes for him. often doctors will intubate someone and put them on a ventilator to take the strain away if a machine breathes for them. this explains why governor deval patrick says he can't communicate right now. elizabeth, give us an update on the bombing survivors. how many are still in the hospital at this point? >> there are at least 57 bombing survivors still in area hospitals, two in critical condition. >> elizabeth cohen, thank you very much. we appreciate your reporting. we want to go back now to watertown. cnn's susan candiotti, it's still an active crime scene. how long will investigators be there and what are they doing? >> r

we want to go to elizabeth cohen. elizabeth, there are new details about his injuries since i last spoke with you. what do you know? >> reporter: don, these are very details from my colleagues. also what we've learned from susan candiotti. what we've learned is he's had wounds to his throat and also, this is very, very important, it's intubated and sedated. somewhat that means is he has a tube going down his throat that's attached to a ventlator that breathes for him. that doesn't mean he can't believe on his own. often doctors will put them on a ventilator because it takes the strain away. as you said earlier, this explains why the governor has said that he can't communicate right now, injuries to the throat, sedated and intubated. don? >> elizabeth, give us an update on the bombing survivors. how many are still in the hospital at this point? >> reporter: there are at least 57 bombing survivors still in hospitals around the boston area. two in critical condition. >> elizabeth cohen, thank you very much. we appreciate

want to talk a little bit more about this injury with cnn senior medical correspondent elizabeth cohen. and i know this was an open fracture. his right tibia. he's already undergone surgery. what did doctors have to do, elizabeth? >> the first thing you mentioned that it broke the skin, brooke, the first thing they worry about is infection. making sure to keep that site clean then they go in and do surgery, they fix it, they did this very quickly. i was talking to ordrt pedic surgeons not involved with his care and they said it looked gruesome but it's relatively easy to fix. you put a rod, steel or titanium, put a rod in that bone so he's now got a rod in his shin bone, and it works quite well. it was a two-hour surgery. and believe it or not, brooke, they told me that people on him are standing up on crutches the next day. like today. >> no way. >> so even though it looks so horrible it really is quite fixable. >> we should all be hoping for is that he gets up and walks again. he's perfectly healthy. but there are a lot of people asking this question right now, could he possibly get

our elizabeth cohen is standing by. first, we want to catch you up on some of the other developments, up to date on the charges that the suspected bomber may actually face, and show you some new riveting images of that intense manhunt that led to his capture. we're watching all of this unfold. for that, let's go to cnn's joe johns, our crime and justice correspondent. he's working his sources in washington. joe, what are officials telling you about the proceeding that could happen today in the coming hours by the suspect's bedside? this is highly extraordinary. >> that's true, wolf. our sources have told us it's possible, possible we could see charges today. but there's no guarantee. we have heard as recently as yesterday that authorities were contemplating a terrorism charge, most likely something relating to use of a weapon of mass destruction. also, in all likelihood, some type of charge relating to use of a fire arm and commission of a felony. conspiracy certainly also possible because authorities allege that the su

elizabeth cohen, thank you very much.resident obama is cancelling his thursday morning meetings at the white house to travel here to boston to honor the victims of monday's marathon bombings. we have been told he will speak at an interfaith service here, speaking late yesterday morning at the white house calling this a cowardly terrorist act. >>> if you would like to help those affected by monday's devastating terrorist attack there is a way, cnn.com/impactyourworld. >> many people needing blood in boston specifically. stay with cnn for live continuing coverage of the boston marathon attack, including chilling new photos here of the explosive device that inflicted all this pain and suffering. who did it? why did they do it? many, many questions this early wednesday morning. >>> plus there is another very big developing story overnight. a letter addressed to a u.s. senator testing positive for the deadly poison ricin. where that investigation stands right now this morning. you're watching a special edition of "early start.

i want to bring in cnn senior medical correspondent, elizabeth cohen, who joins me on the phone from watertown. elizabeth, what do we know about the injuries he may have sustained? >> you know, we don't know much about the injuries, piers. we do know, we were just told by police that he was taken away in an ambulance so he was not taken away in a police car as we were told, he was taken away in an ambulance. again, we don't know much about the injuries. there are several hospitals very, very close to here so they don't have to go far to get care for him. >> going to go to susan candiotti. i think you've got some local residents with you who are all both relieved and jubilant this evening. can you hear me, susan? >> yes. i hear you. here we go. listen, piers, we're now joined by some of the people that you've been hearing shouting and chanting and screaming and applauding after learning the news that the suspect is now in custody. tell me about the feeling that you got when you heard that news. >> tremendous feeling of relief. i mean, with what all the city has put up with this week, i

our senior medical correspondent, elizabeth cohen, is there right now. we are told that dzhokhar tsarnaev cannot speak. his throat is injured. what have you learned about his condition and when he might be able to talk? >> i think it is probably going to be a while. he is in the intensive care unit. he is sedated and intubated. they have put a tube down his throat. when patients like this are sedated rkts th sedated, they are out of it. it is as if they are asleep. they might grunt. they might move a bit. really, they are out of it. he would not understand a conversation or anything that was being told to him. don? >> reporter: we keep hearing, elizabeth, that he is in serious condition. that means he is stable, i would imagine, and expected to survive, correct? >> it is difficult to know how stable or not stable he is. the only official word we have gotten is serious. we haven't been told stable or anything like that. serious means that he is acutely ill. he is seriously ill. however, he is not in critical condition. critical condition would mean his li

elizabeth cohen is outside that hospital. federal prosecutors are inside. could the suspect be charged today? >> you know, that's absolutely possible. well, maybe not today but certainly before he leaves the hospital. pamela brown spoke with the justice department official and they said it is quite possible he could be charged before he leaves the hospital. the big question is how long will he be here? all we know is he's in serious condition. i was there last night and heard all the gunshots. if he has gunshot wounds and possibly needed surgery, that recovery could take awhile. so we do know that federal law enforcement has been in there since last night and that they have been thinking about what kinds of charges they want to bring against him. it seems clear there will be federal charges and those will include terrorism. now we don't know exactly what's going on in there. we don't know anything beyond that he's in serious condition. we don't know any other medical or surgical details. jake? >> how intense is the security there? how does a hospital handle

to give us a sense of how dangerous, elizabeth cohen joins us right now. >> we know a lot about this chemical because it's involved in explosions with some frequency. very commonly used industrial chemical. so the impact that it has all depends on how much you breathe in. if you breathe in a lot of it, you can die instantly. if you breathe in -- if you breathe in less of it, then it can irritate your eyes, it can irritate your nose, it can irritate your throat, but, you know that will go away quickly. it all depends on the wind and the temperature at the time that it's released. >> what does it mean that we haven't been hearing about a second wave of exposure at the hospitals? we heard from the ceo of the hospital, they saw some people early on, none since. >> hopefully what that means is that the people who were there at the initial explosion were effected and we heard them talking about t treating people for eye irritation and trying to get that out of their eyes. hopefully those are the only people and that's it. that's what we pray for, is that that's it. >> let's hope it's not a

thank you, sir. >>> i want to move on now and talk to our senior medical correspondent elizabeth cohenu for your patience. got him on the phone, thought it was important to talk to him and talk to you as well. tell bus this injury. how do doctors handle an injury like this? >> yeah, the doctors that i spoke with, it sounds like he broke his shin bone, and it's actually relatively simple to handle. you do surgery, and as we've seen you do it quite quickly. you take a rod, usually either steel or titanium, and you put it down the length of the bone. the bone is hollow so you put it down the length of the bone and then, believe it or not, they have these patients up on crutches the next day which i think is pretty remarkable, and then they start physical therapy quite quickly. >> elizabeth, they said they could see the bone jutting out if you were down. that makes it seem much worse, like it's a much more severe injury than one might think. >> the doctors i spoke to mentioned that. they said they had seen it on television, and i -- i said, wow, you can do surgery that quickly and put the

cnn's medical correspondent elizabeth cohen is on the phone but we'll start with kenny klein. he is the senior associate athletic director for the university of louisville. thank you for joining us tonight. mr. klein, how is kevin doing? >> kevin's still currently in the methodist hospital here in indianapolis and undergoing surgery at this time. >> yeah. >> we're showing video of the players. players from both teams who are visibly shaken, visibly upset even crying. how does this -- were you at the game? >> i was. i was at mid-court, and it certainly was a gruesome injury, and it affected a lot of our players but while kevin was down, wanted the players, called the players over and said, you know, win the game, win the game. that was his message to the team, and they certainly took it to heart and got the task accomplished. >> it's pretty gruesome to ask, but, i mean, people in the crowd and players were saying they could hear the injury. they could hear the break. >> it was an awful thing. it's something that one of our football players went through, michael bush, very simil

thanks so much, elizabeth cohen. >>> hey, guess what? a new show debuting tonight on cnn.anthony bourdain bringing his taste for adventure to cnn. this new show with no boundaries, cnn brings you the world as bourdain and his crew travel to myanmar, libya, peru and more. we'll have a sneak peek in a minute. show airs tonight at 9:00 p.m. eastern and pacific. "parts unknown." >>> international pop star justin bieber creates a stir for what he wrote in a guest book at the ann frank house. that story straight ahead. aaah! aaaaah! theres a guy on the window! do something, dad! aaaah! aaaah! what is happening? they're rate suckers. their bad driving makes car insurance more expensive for the rest of us. good thing there's snapshot from progressive. snap it in and get a discount based on your good driving. stop paying for rate suckers. try snapshot free at progressive.com. blast of cold feels nice. why don't you use bengay zero degrees? it's the one you store in the freezer. same medicated pain reliever used by physical therapists. that's chilly! [ male announcer ] bengay zero d

cnn's senior medical correspondent elizabeth cohen is outside the hospital where he is being treated. elizabeth, what more can you tell us about his condition, how sedated he is and tell us a little bit more about this in r intubation and how significant it is? >> it is very significant. it means that doctors do not want him to breathe on him own. they want to help him. that will help in his recovery. his body is under such strain from the loss of blood they'd rather have the machine breathe for him. when someone's intubated that means a tube is going down their throat. as you can imagine this is extremely uncomfortable. that's why they sedate people when they intubate them. the level ofization might vary but basically they're not holding conversations. they're not really aware of what's going on around them. if you tap them on the shoulder or say their name they might grunt at you but they're not having conversations, they're not understanding what people are saying around them. fred? >> and so what about security inside his room, outside the room? just fortified around the hospital?

elizabeth cohen is outside that hospital. elizabeth, federal prosecutors are inside. of course, the question, could the suspect be charged today? >> you know, that's a definite possibility, jake. our colleague, pamela brown, spoke to an official at the justice department and this person told her that they thought it was highly possible he could be charged before he leaves the hospital. of course, we don't know when that's going to be. we don't know how seriously he is wounded or hurt. he's in serious condition, but that doesn't really necessarily tell you a whole lot. we are expecting an update on his condition, but i don't think we're going to get many details, just a one serious or stable. probably won't learn much about what actually is going on inside. jake? >> elizabeth, there's a photograph of dzhokhar tsarnaev after he was apprehended, it was from i think the bureau of alcohol, tobacco, firearms, a picture of him down, and he was being intubated, a tube being put in his mouth to help with his breathing. that would suggest that he was in bad condition there. exp

i want to bring in our senior medical correspondent elizabeth cohen. you've also done some checking, elizabeth, on this medical facility, this prison. what kind of capabilities do they have? and the fact he was able to be transferred, what does that suggest about his condition? >> right. the fact he was able to be transferred tells you he wasn't in the same kind of serious condition that he was in when he was first captured. as a matter of fact, he was upgraded to fair a few days before he was sent over to fort devens. it's a serious facility. it has about 1,000 patients in there right now, and they have a full medical staff, doctors, nurses, things like dialysis and x-raies. now, as deborah mentioned, i was told they can't do extensive invasive surgeries. so, again, that tells you something about his condition. if he needed surgery immediately, like a real surgery, they wouldn't be able to do it there. so they must feel comfortable that he wouldn't need a surgery like right away in a second. they also don't have an accredited intensive care unit. so it

let's get elizabeth cohen who's near by.what are you hearing. >> i'm not sure exactly what just happened but the police here erupted in applause. they erupted in applause. the police car came out and took a rest and headed down the street. someone yelled out is that him and the police officer said yes. that's all i know. that's all i can tell you from here. i don't know what it means but there was a definite round of applause from police as the car drove away. as the police car drove away. >> did you see anything, the obvious question, did you see anybody in the back of that police car? >> it was impossible to see. it was totally dark. it was impossible to see. >> what could here be a huge development. it appears that the suspect, suspect number two this 19-year- old man may now be in custody. as you heard a moment ago. that reporter there saying that she saw a car go by, a police car go by and police in the area broke out in applause. we're also seeing some tweets from reporters on the scene saying that from their understan

our senior medical correspondent elizabeth cohen is right outside of the hospital. elizabeth, federal prosecutors are inside. could the suspect actually be charged today? >> you know what, wolf? my colleague pamela brown has been talking to a justice department official who says yes. the charges could come down while tsarnaev is still in the hospital. he is in federal custody and we know that we are told that he's going to be charged with federal crimes including terrorism. now, what we don't know is much about his condition. he's in serious condition but they haven't given us anymore details than that and i don't think they're going to. wolf? >> how does the hospital where you are specifically handle security for someone like this? >> big urban hospitals like this one are very accustomed to taking care of suspects and inmates so they know how to do this. i was talking to a doctor who does this on a regular basis and he says that -- a doctor some place else. not here. he guesses or thinks they'll handcuff him to the bed. handcuffed to the bed and likely two security,

elizabeth cohen joins me. you have been following the story and the story is interesting because the judge said there is no real reason it should be sold over the counter. what are you hear aing from your doctor sources? >> what he basically said is, look, the fda is charged with deciding if it is safe and effective. if it is safe and effective for 17 and older, it is safe for 17 and younger. it works the same in a women's body. safe and effective no matter what age. therefore, it should be available over the counter to anyone at any age? >> still some require a prescription. >> if you're not going to require a prescription for 17 and older, why are you requiring a prescription for younger than that. the obama administration said they were worried the younger girls wouldn't know how to take it. >> i want to introduce you to a woman named brooke mackie. brooke, thanks for joining us. you've, obviously, been following the story and this is so personally relevant to you. you told us when you were a young teenager

paul anka on the phone, elizabeth cohen and nischelle turner, thank you very, very much. >>> now, she was a woman in a man's world. margaret thatcher, margaret thatcher has died at the age of 87 from a stroke while staying at the ritz hotel in london. nicknamed the iron lady, she was the first and the only woman to ever lead britain as prime minister. she's been called tough, even broodish and was a towering and unshakable force. >> what really gets me is this. it is very ironic that those who are most critical of the extra tax are those who are most vociferous in demanding the expenditure. what gets me even more is that having demanded that extra expenditure, they're not prepared to face the consequences of their own action and stand by the necessities to get some of the tax to pay for it. and i wish some of them had a bit more guts and courage than they have. >> she stood up against communism. she led her country to victory in the falkland war. she got britain through the final painful years of the cold war. but it was her tough economic medicine for a sickened country by inflation

to joining me to talk more about this is my friend and colleague elizabeth cohen. you've been following this story for some time. the news is interesting because the judge said there was no real reason that it shouldn't be sold over the counter. what are you hearing from your doctor sources? >> right. the judge called it capricious and i think doctors would agree. what he basically said was look, the fda is charged with deciding whether a drug is safe and effective, and if it's safe and effective for 17 and older, it's also safe and effective for 17 and younger. he said the medical data is clear. it works the same in a woman's body. therefore his reasoning was it should be available over the counter to anyone at any age. >> but there are things that are safe and effective that still require prescription. >> that's true, but he's saying if you're not going to require a prescription for 17 and older, why are you requiring a prescription for younger than that? the obama administration said because they were worried the younger girls wouldn't really understand how to t

yes well as soon as the soon after set of the man deposits on the back elizabeth cohen and the big boys last played in value to about seven point two trillion dollars which is equal to all the currency in existence and that's why because of the ease of mobility of those currencies of this coin currency it will be preferred over the others right so the current market cap if you will a bit go and they number because in circulation times the current price is roughly a billion dollars but there is a case to be made and rick fox media and stockholm of course founder of the swedish pirate party the first pirate party in the world has made the suggestion that bitcoin could capture between one and ten percent of global forex exchange business which would imply a price a bit going between one hundred thousand to a million per bit going from the current price in the eighty to ninety level is that when you concur with that oh i think it's around seven hundred thousand and that that equals the amount of money in circulation and that's basically where the it'll only take two and a half percent of th

elizabeth cohen our thanks to you. people fighting for their lives in hospitals right now. 17 in critical condition. there's an investigation unfolding before our eyes here this morning in boston. we will be talking about that all morning as our live team coverage continues. that is all for "early start." i'm john berman. >> i'm chris cuomo. stay with cnn. we'll be covering this all day giving you the latest. o. omnipotent of opportunity. you know how to mix business... with business. and you...rent from national. because only national lets you choose any car in the aisle. and go. you can even take a full-size or above. and still pay the mid-size price. i could get used to this. [ male announcer ] yes, you could business pro. yes, you could. go national. go like a pro. yes, you could. are you still sleeping? just wanted to check and make sure that we were on schedule. the first technology of its kind... mom and dad, i have great news. is now providing answers families need. siemens. answers. the in their portfolio, ise

right now we want to bring in cnn's senior medical correspondent elizabeth cohen. e been talking about all morning with this ammonia fertilizer chemical that can be very toxic is often explosive. let's start with what can happen if you are in close contact with the chemical. >> right. if you're in close contact with the chemical, chris, and you're breathing it in at high concentrations, it can kill you very quickly. it can get into the lungs and it can be extremely, extremely harmful. however, if you're breathing in lower concentrations or if you're not breathing it in for that long a period of time, it isn't necessarily all that dangerous. it's going to irritate your nose and your throat and your eyes. but as long as they can get you to fresh air, get some water down you to wash that out, then it becomes a much easier situation to handle. there aren't necessarily any long lasting effects. >> okay. elizabeth, right now we got word that the governor's presser in texas is starting. so let's go to that. >> -- birdwell is on a phone. they're out of power in west. and he

elizabeth cohen joins us now. good to have you with us. as far as we know has there been any change in dzhokhar's condition since he was admitted to that hospital? >> reporter: no. we've been told this whole time he's in serious condition. we've been told by sources that he's intubated and sedated. when you do this you sedate them to the point they're asleep and not able to communicate. you can take them out of that quite easy. you just decrease the amount through iv and they would be able to communicate by writing on a note pad. >> we don't know if authorities will be able to question the individual. people questioning the prognosis of the suspect. what are you hearing as you talk to medical experts? >> reporter: he would be completely out of it as a doctor put it. not a doctor here but in another city. it's not usual for doctors to give sedation holidays to patients intubated. they want to talk to the patient and test some neurological functions. see if he can respond to commands. they could take his sedation away or decrease it. we've n

senior med corral correspondent elizabeth cohen at brigham & women's hospital with the update on the ny survivors are being treated? what are their injuries, elizabeth? >> the injuries are a wide range. some people aren't very severely injured. as fwhoete we noted, they have discharged. and others have had to have a leg or both legs amputated. yesterday at boston hospital, they had ten patients in critical condition, today, only two. one couple shared their story. they were only ten feet away from the blast. their names are nicholas and lee ann yanni. they managed to get to a store that sold clothing. the husband looked at his wife, saw blood gushing from her calf, he tore shirts from the racks and made a tourniquet. he went out to help other people. he saw his wife getting on the ambulance. she had surgery on a shattered bone in her calf this is what he had to say after the surgery. >> it was like home, like you felt safe, because the people you love are there with you, and you know they are okay. >> nicholas yanni says his wife are as cool as a cucumber through the entire thing. now

let's bring in senior medical correspondent elizabeth cohen. what does this mean for birth control as we know it? >> for a very different scenario than we have right now. what this judge did, he over turned an obama administration decision and said, look, the morning after pill should be available to anyone over the counter, no matter what age. so, again, as i said, overturns an obama administration decision. the obama administration said girls under the age of 16 need a prescription. now a girl can walk in, get it without a prescription. as you can imagine, folks in the burt control advocacy community are very happy about this. and we're looking into this more. i would imagine that other folks are very unhappy that girls can walk in, get the prescription. >> a clear understanding about the argument that took place, why this decision was overturned? >> we are still getting details on this, fred. i will say that the arguments in the past have been, no scientific reason why let's say a 15-year-old should need a prescription, but a 17-year-old sho

i want to bring in our elizabeth cohen. elizabeth, explain to us first of all remind us what the morning after pill does. why is this so controversial? >> it's so controversial because it is a popular medicine, it is used as you would expect the morning after. have unprotected intercourthouse frid -- intercourse, you take it that day although it does work for several days, what happened is the obama administration said a couple years ago if you're under 17 you need a prescription. and what this judge is say, huh-uh, there's no reason for that. it's just as safe and works just as well for younger girls. >> so why did this judge overturn this? because it seems like it is a very significant move. >> it is a very significant move. he said, look, the fda is supposed to look at this from a medical point of view. is this drug safe? and is it effective? so safe and effective for girls under the age of 17. same way that it's safe and effective for older girls and women. you don't get to play morality police here. you don't get to say

i am joined by cnn's senior medical correspondent elizabeth cohen. so elizabeth, effectively, a judge has come in and said the administration is wrong on this one, but it can't be the last word at this point. >> yes, they can always appeal this decision, and in fact, when we got in touch with the fda, they said we can't comment on an ongoing legal process, makes me think they want this to go on longer than it already has. >> so what does this effectively mean? does this mean today, everywhere in the united states, if you are 16 or 14 years old and you don't want to tell your parents that you are pregnant or fearing of pregnancy, you can go and get plan b without anyone knowing? >> no, not the next day. what that decision says is in 30 days plan b should be made available to anybody who wants it without a prescription. right now, if you're under the age of 17, you would need a prescription, which would be something that would discourage girls from getting it because they might have to tell their parents, go to the doctor, so that would definitely be a

our senior medical correspondent elizabeth cohen is outside the beth israel deaconess hospital, medicalelizabeth, what are you learning? >> reporter: wolf, governor deval patrick said earlier today that the suspect, this is a quote from the governor, i think is not able to communicate yet. i think not able to communicate yet. that's really important, wolf, because legal sources tell me you cannot arraign someone that's enable to communicate. right now, there's no rush here, no rush to arraign him. he's in there, he's not going anywhere. right now, they have to put that process on hold until he is able to communicate. wolf? >> what's the security like there at the hospital? it must be pretty intense, elizabeth? >> reporter: it is pretty intense. we've got five police officers just at this one entrance, there are several entrances to the hospital. i have spoken to doctors in other cities that worked before with suspects, with inmates. they say that they think he is probably handcuffed to the bed, a guard at each side, guard at the hospital door. >> elizabeth cohen is at the hospital for u

elizabeth cohen talked with anderson cooper about police ee. >> i'm not sure exactly what just happened, but they erupted in applause, the police car tame caught, took a left and headed down the street. someone yelled out, is that him? the police officer said yes. >> reporter: what a week it's been for boston police, fbi, multiple jurisdictions throughout this year. and with that news tonight, people to the streets of watertown where this whole thing went down to cheer the police. look. >> reporter: what a crowd. suddenly fear turned into relief. the boston marathon suspect, dzhokar tsarnaev. there is also plenty of appreciation here in boston for the s.w.a.t. team. it swooped in and helped in this manhunt. the governor of massachusetts added his personal thanks. governor duval patrick declaring it's a night where i think we're all going to rest easy. but as the sell was here, an another say, if you're thinking about us, go home. thiscy young town, a university town. take a look at these spontaneous celebrations. >> reporter: on this friday night, those students are out and about. they

want to head to elizabeth cohen, standing outside the hospital. elizabeth, federal prosecutors are inside. could the suspect be charged as early as today? >> you know, i think today might be unlikely, but an official from the justice department did tell our colleague pamela brown that there could be charges brought before he leaves the hospital. he is in serious condition, which means that, you know, he's still got a ways to go. so he could be here for a little while. don? >> how does the hospital handle security for someone like this? i would imagine there's incredible presence there, elizabeth? >> oh, there certainly is, there's certainly a police presence here, and i was speaking with a physician who frequently treats suspects and inmates. he worked in a different city. he said he wouldn't be surprised if the suspect here were handcuffed to the bed and had a guard on each side of the bed as well as guards outside the door. they really are not taking any chances. they don't want anyone coming in and out who doesn't need to be there, and certainly

cnn medical correspondent elizabeth cohen joining us now live on the phone. elizabeth, what have you learned about this place where he was taken? >> what i've learned, john, is that it's one of six facilities operated by the federal bureau of prisons. there are small hospitals all over the country but only six are designated as medical -- centers and one source told me they handle the tough cases. it is the only center that is located in the northeast. so it makes that he would have been moved there. it is about an hour away from the beth israel by car. or by ambulance, i would guess. we're learning a little bit more about -- piece of the puzzle of why he was moved. a doctor tells me that he is in touch with a doctor who does not work at beth israel, tells me he was in touch with colleagues who do work at the beth israel, and this doctor said that the families of the victims, and the victims themselves, were very unhappy, were freaking out, those were the words he used, were freaking out that they were being treated in the same hospital as tsarnaev. they were

and i want to bring in our senior medical correspondent, elizabeth cohen. zabeth, i know you've done some checking on this medical facility. tell me about it. and what does this place suggest about his condition? >> right, brooke. prisons across the country have some form of medical facility, but there are only six medical facilities like the one that tsarnaev is in at fort devens. it is a lot of patients. they have about a thousand inmates getting medical care there. they have six doctors, 60 nurses, they have 24-hour care, dialysis, x-rays. but it is interesting. there is some things they don't seem to have. one is that they can't do big surgeries. and also according to -- if you look on the website, the joint commission, they're not accredited for intensive care unit. don't have -- don't appear to have an intensive care unit. that tells us that he is not in terrible condition. we know he was discharged in fair condition. apparently they felt comfortable discharging him to a place that doesn't do big surgeries, that appears not to have an intensive care un

elizabeth cohen joins us live from brigham & women's hospital. where many are being treated. i can tell you, there is a wide variety of injuries out there. the least severe have begun home. the most severe are the ones that required amputations. maybe about a dozen people or so who required amputations. some a single leg, others two legs. many of these needed to be what is called above the knee amputations because they were so severe. but there are other people doing much better. i want to tell you about a couple who we heard about. their names are nicholas and lee ann yani. ten feet away from the explosion and they managed somehow to get into a nearby store. nicholas looked at his wife. saw blood gushing out. went to the rack on the store, took down shirts, made a tourniquet for his wife. she said i'm okay, go help some other people. he helped other people that had fallen to the ground. and he looked up, saw his wife getting into an ambulance, got on an ambulance with her, went to tuft's medical center, and here is what he said when she got out of surgery. >> you know, it was

elizabeth cohen joins us from boston where it is 2:00 a.m. and the vigil continues and what kind of shape is he in? >> we are told that he's in the intensive care unit and that he has been intubated and sedated, that means a tube has been put down his throat, he's been attached to a ventilator which is breathing for him. in this case they sedate patients because it's so uncomfortable, even painful. you can't have a conversation when they're in this condition. they can put them on sedation holidays where you take them off the sedation briefly to assess their cognitive ability. >> he's a suspected terrorist after all, are there police officers by the bed in scrubs guarding him. >> our affiliate tells us that there are two guards by the bed and he is handcuffed to the bed. i would guess these guards are not wearing scrubs, they're not touching him or doing procedures on him. but a guard at each side, handcuffed to the bed and guards outside at the door. we are told in the intensive care unit, he's been separateded off kind of in his own little a

. >> elizabeth cohen, the vigil continues, thanks very much. >>> federal prosecutors are said to be preparing charges against the 19-year-old suspected bomber. as correspondent brian todd told cnn's don help money it's not clear yet what those charges are and when they will be presented. >> we believe it could happen in the next few days. one of the key reasons why he was not charged today, he is not able to communicate verbally. he is under sedation, intube bated, serious condition at beth israel hospital. a lawful officer told susan candiotti he had been shot in the neck. it's not clear if that came in the thursday night to friday morning shoot-out he was involved in with his brother or during the friday evening take-down when he was finally captured. but those are some of the reasons maybe they could not level formal charges against him tonight. that could come in the coming days. >> so talk about the bombs, brian. you've learn ed something about where they came from. >> that's right. susan candiotti has spoken with a lawful official familiar with the investigation. the thinking is the bom

elizabeth cohen standing outside the beth israel deaconess medical center where he's being treated. what do we know about his condition specifically, elizabeth? >> wolf, according to our affiliate, whgh, tsarnaev is in the intensive care unit, and cnn sources tell us -- sources tell cnn he has wounds to the throughothroat and he is sedated and intubated. intubation means a tube is placed usually down the throat into the windpipe and is attached to the ventilator and that ventilator breets for him. it doesn't mean he can't breathe. very often when patients have a large loss of blood, doctors prefer the machine breathe ratherthen the patient. it puts less strain on the patient. and people are often sedated when they're intubated. they're out of t not able to hold a conversation. wolf. >> all right, elizabeth, there could be some dramatic developments over at the hospital where you are. we're going to get back to you. we'll see if a magistrate or a judge actually shows up to notify this suspect at bedside about potential charges, what's going on. stand by, elizabeth. certainly, building

our senior medical correspondent elizabeth cohen joins us live with more on that.th, good morning. what is the update? >> reporter: good morning. the update is that some of these pains now are well enough to tell the stories of what they went through. i'd like to introduce you to nicholas and lee ann yanni. they were ten feet away from the explosion, they managed to get to a nearby store, and nicholas noticed his wife's calf was gushing blood. his wife had the presence of mind to say get the shirts off the rack and make a tourniquet for my leg. he then went outside and saw a woman who was seemingly unconscious. he was told to get away from the scene because he went very injured, he looked up and saw his wife getting into an ambulance, he said i have to be with my wife. after the surgery this is what he said. >> it was like home. you felt safe, because you know the people you love are there with you. you know they're okay. >> reporter: nicholas said throughout this ordeal, his wife had a shattered bone. his wife was as cool as a cucumber. his wife was at tuft's medi

i want to bring in elizabeth cohen and sunny hostin. first to you, elizabeth.after pill, what does it do? >> you're supposed to take it preferably within 24 hours of having unprotected intercourse, but it can work within three days. and what it does mainly is it tells the ovary don't release an egg. that's the main way that it works. as you said, the obama administration wanted -- said if you're younger than 17, you need a prescription. obviously a huge road block. getting to a doctor and get the prescription is tough to do within a day. >> so sunny hostin, you have this federal judge in new york saying, no, it's fine, young women you don't need a prescription, you can get it over the counter. are you surprised by that? >> i am surprised not necessarily by the order, but the manner in which the order came. it's a 59 page order, and i would suggest any legal geeks out there like myself, we do have it posted on our website, cnn.com, it is a rare time when the judge give as thorough tongue lashing to a defendant. basically this judge calls in to question kathleen

>> elizabeth cohen, thanks very much.ng orthopedic surgeon which specializes in sports medicine in washington, dr. j.r. wattski, i'll give you greater respect. you brought an example of what's going on. i'm pretty amazed that after what looked like such a horrific disaster yesterday he's already up on crutches. >> yeah. the beauty of this proceed sur that we can stabilize the fracture acutely with the rod as we saw from elizabeth's presentation there. we'll take it first in approach to the knee where we're going to make an incision just along the side of the patella tendon which gives us exposure to the tibia and looking at the other model and the entire tibia along its length, we can place a rod through a small drill hole that measures around a sent meter down. >> that would be that titanium rod that she was talking about. that will stay in there forever, is that right? >> typically. it's rarely necessary to remove it it. sometimes there will be irritability from locking screws or bolts that go above or below the fraukt

our senior medical correspondent elizabeth cohen is with us and criminal defense attorney brian silverh i have so many people in the legal and medical community saying this is a giant case today. what's at issue today? >> it could set a huge precedent, a giant case. basically what's at stake is, can a company own a part of you? we all have genes, these genes that we're talking about here with breast cancer. and can a company say, hey, we found it first so we own it? that means they're the only ones who can make the test to detect it. and i just got off the phone with george annas a professor and lawyer. he was in the room for the arguments this morning. he said there was a lot of attention focused on this particular analysis, that the justices said, look, let's say you discover a plant that would be a great drug, that could really help a lot of people. you can't patent that plant. that plant occurs in nature. so the justices were asking, can you really patent a gene? that gene is in all of us, occurs in nature. >> so i understand the sort of law school legal question there which you la

elizabeth cohen is joining us. and is there really lead in baby food?t, the environmental law foundation, went out, bought a bunch of baby foods and had them tested and said many of them, not all of them, but many of them had lead in them. so this group says, look, in california, the law is that you're supposed to label things with lead. and so that's their interpretation of the law. and they say so we think there ought to be warning labels on them. >> is it safe? >> as a parent, i want to know. i don't have babies anymore, but you want to know the answer to that. we spoke to an expert and this is the way she put it. she said, look, there may in fact be lead in baby food because there is often lead in produce. comes from the soil, may come from air pollution that falls on the crops, but, yeah, there could be lead, very well be lead in baby food. she said, well, we see children who have been damaged by lead, and they can tell, brain damage, other kinds of damage, it is usually something like lead paint in their house. dust with lead in their house. those

elizabeth cohen is our senior medical correspondent. re you seeing, what are you hearing about triage efforts under way right now dealing with the injured? >> hi. >> elizabeth, can you hear me? are you there? >> yes, i am, wolf. we see injured. we know some of them have been taken to hospitals in the area. but there are other triage efforts i understand under way right now as well. >> right. as we understand it, this is a huge event. i grew up in boston, been to this event many times. the presence of medical staff is very obvious and apparent. you can go to the mayor's blog and a week ago he spoke about the number -- someone wrote about the number of staff, 50 extra emts and paramedics, four physicians, ambulances, medical tents, bikes. so this is a place where there is already a big presence of emergency medical staff. now, obviously you want to get people who are really injured to a hospital as soon as possible, and there are many great hospitals right there in that area, but it is good to know how well staffed that area right there is