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American Morning
'Gimme a Minute'; Paging Dr. Gupta
Aired February 27, 2004 - 08:31 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: That was very interesting, wasn't it? through a no parking sign, another one of the tickets I have gotten in this city.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Obey the law and it won't be an issue, will it, Mr. Hemmer.
Welcome back, everybody. It's just about half past the hour on this AMERICAN MORNING. A lot of people do not like Howard Stern's crude radio show, but a lot of the same people are defending his right to do it. Stern was taking off the air on many stations earlier this week. Our 'Gimme a Minute" panel is going to take a look that it sets and other hot topics this morning just ahead.
HEMMER: Also this hour, Mel Gibson, maybe the hottest interview today. Coming up, we will talk to a gentleman this week who talked with Mel Gibson For an hour and a half about "The Passion of the Christ," conducted for AMC. Gibson talks about his toughest decision in making that film. So we will have that for you as well.
Rather interesting to get his thoughts.
O'BRIEN: Yes, I'll bet. He hasn't really said a lot previously before the film opened, so interesting to hear from him.
Let's get to our top stories, first this morning, Haiti's President Jean Bertrand-Aristide is snowing no signs of standing down as rebels close in on the capital city. Hundreds of Aristide supporters are gathering to protect the president. They've built barricades from wrecked cars and burned tires. The United Nations has been asked to intervene in the three week rebellion.
Council members are scrambling to finish writing Iraq's interim constitution. Tomorrow is the deadline for a major draft to be completed. The council is split on a number of issues and say that the deadline might actually not be met.
President Bush has authorized a tightening of U.S. travel restrictions to Cuba. Under new rules, the U.S. Coast Guard can stop any unauthorized ships from leaving for Cuba, from the U.S. The president says the action is meant to cut resources to Cuba's government due to its use of excessive against innocent victims. Critics say that the president is pandering to anti-Castro Florida voters.
Rosie O'Donnell has married her long-time girlfriend. The former talk show host and her partner, Kelly Carpenter were greeted by well- wishers after the two tied the knot in San Francisco yesterday. The couple says that President Bush's call to ban gay marriage is what inspired them to join the thousands of other same-sex couples who have already tied the knot in that city.
And snow is piling up in the southern part of the country. As much as eight inches fell in South Carolina yesterday. Forecasters say that the snow is not going to hang long there. It looks like -- that's snow, just not a big, white screen, believe it or not. They say the temperatures are going to be in the 40s, and then up to the 50s in the next couple of days. So things will warm up, and it's all going to melt.
HEMMER: It's climbing fast.
(WEATHER UPDATE)
HEMMER: Chad, thanks much. Developing news here just into us. The U.S. economy growing better than expected. GDP is just out, up 4.1 percent in the fourth quarter. Futures indicate a stronger open for the stock market in about an hour from now. Andy's back in a moment for more on the implications on this number just out. Also, same sex marriage among the most controversial topics during last night's debate. The front-runners taking aim at the White House for President Bush's proposed constitutional amendment that would ban such unions.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN EDWARDS (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: What's happening here is this president is talking about first of amending the United States Constitution for a problem that does not exist.
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I believe George Bush is doing this -- he's even reversed his own position. He's reversed Dick Cheney's position. He is doing this, because he's in trouble, he's trying to reach out to his base, he's playing politics with the Constitution of the United States.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: Part of the scrum last night live on CNN. What may have been the best soundbite of the night came from the Reverend Al Sharpton.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REV. AL SHARPTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The issue is not who you go to bed with. The issue is whether either of you have a job when you get up in the morning.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: Democrats stumping today in some of the 10 states that will hold contests next week. That is Super Tuesday. Complete coverage then.
That brings us to "Gimme a Minute."
With us today from D.C. Cliff May, columnist for Scripps-Howard News.
Good morning, Cliff. A first-timer by the way, welcome to "Gimme a Minute."
CLIFF MAY, FMR. RNC COMM. DIR.: My pleasure.
HEMMER: And CNN political analyst Donna Brazile. She's out of New Orleans. She's made it back to the nation's capital.
How was your week, Donna?
DONNA BRAZILE, CNN POL. ANALYST: It was great. I wish I could go back home.
HEMMER: I bet you do.
And here in New York, Andy Borowitz of "The New Yorker." A double shot of Drew today.
Good morning, Andy. Nice to have you back here.
ANDY BOROWITZ, "THE NEW YORKER": I'm still here.
HEMMER: Let's start with Cliff, the first-timer. Presidential politics. It's February 27th. Could the White House not afford to get into this election race this soon?
MAY: No, I think the White House had to get into it. In fact. they're a little bit late really. What happened is everyone expected that the Democratic candidates would during the primary season beat up on each other. They didn't. They all agreed on thing. Let's beat up on Bush. It's time for Bush to begin to push back.
HEMMER: Donna, has the battle been joined or just kind of sore to this point?
BRAZILE: Well, the president had to come out and defend that paper thin record he has accumulated over the last three and a half years, but you know what, he said bring it on, and the Democrats are ready for him.
HEMMER: This could be one long election, Andy.
BOROWITZ: The president has refused to mention John Kerry by name, which is weird, because that seems like a name he could actually pronounce.
HEMMER: Just for the record, my calendar says 248 shopping days left before the election in early November.
Talk about day marriage, Donna, the amendment supported by the president. Are the Republicans winners on this issue or not? BRAZILE: I think it's going to be a very difficult issue for them to navigate. It will help solidify their base and to give them more red meat, but swing voters, independents, they are more interested in jobs, the economy, winning the war on terrorism. They don't want another cultural war; they want to focus on the real issues.
HEMMER: How about it, Cliff?
MAY: This issue was not on the president's to-do list, believe me. Reasonable people can disagree about whether marriage should be redefined to include gay people. What they shouldn't disagree on is who gets to decide. It's not for hyperliberal judges in Massachusetts and one liberal mayor in San Francisco. The voters have to have some say. You can't just impose this by fiat.
HEMMER: What's your vote, Andy?
BOROWITZ: No constitutional amendment. If you want to keep gays from getting married, just tell them about in-laws.
HEMMER: Rosie is in on it now, too. So it's getting deeper.
Howard Stern, his radio program has been pulled from Clear Channel Communications from six markets across the country. Rush Limbaugh was coming out yesterday expressing his concerns about free speech and protections that are in. He called it a little frightening, his comments from yesterday.
Cliff, start us off, is there a double standard, as Limbaugh claims, or not?
MAY: I think Limbaugh has got a point, I guess I often do. I think the thing here is that there shouldn't be censorship, but there should be good taste. And the head of a big corporation like Clear Channel should be embarrassed to say yes, I produced "Bubba the Love Sponge" for a living.
BRAZILE: Well, you know, I don't listen to Rush Limbaugh or Howard Stern, but as a former radio talk show host, I believe Howard Stern has every right to appear and say what he feels.
HEMMER: You know who else loves sponges, don't you? Borowitz.
BOROWITZ: You know, in defense of "Bubba the Love Sponge," I think he was one of the finest presidents we ever had.
HEMMER: Under the radar -- Donna, what's under your radar? What did we miss?
BRAZILE: Well, everyone focused this week on Alan Greenspan's dire forecast on the deficit, but no one paid any attention to the Center of Budget Priorities report on the long-term impact that our nation's unemployment is having on our working people in this country. I think that deserves a little more say.
HEMMER: Got a bit of a mention last night.
Cliff, how about you?
MAY: The fundamental human right is the right to live. Without that, it doesn't matter. Terrorism takes away that right. But the U.N.'s court, the international court of justice, so called in the Hague, has never condemned terrorism. This week it sat in judgment of Israel's right to put up fences, nonviolent passive means fences, to keep terrorists of their communities. That part of it was kind of ignored, and I think it's an outrage -- Andy.
BOROWITZ: Well, Mel Gibson denied charges of anti-Semitism from the set of his new movie, "Lethal Rabbi."
HEMMER: That's on borowitz.com, is it not?
BOROWITZ: Borowitzreport.com.
HEMMER: Thanks. Good to see you. Cliff, Donna, Andy, have a great weekend you three, OK.
O'BRIEN: And still to come on AMERICAN MORNING, "The Passion of the Christ" moves audiences and wows box office trackers as well. We are going to talk with an entertainment industry veteran about the movie's momentum.
HEMMER: Also next time you go on a flight, appreciate some of the things you take for granted. One airline passenger. We'll see what passengers can without then. Andy explains that in a moment.
O'BRIEN: And pregnant women can now learn earlier than ever about the health of the fetus. Dr. Sanjay Gupta has got some news on that. Those stories are all ahead as we continue after this short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: A pregnant woman can now find out during the first trimester whether her fetus is at greater risk for Down's Syndrome. That's earlier than ever before.
As Dr. Sanjay Gupta tell us, not only does a new test give you the answer sooner, but it's also more accurate than the standard screening.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Elizabeth Young is 13 weeks pregnant, and today she's having a blood test and an ultrasound to look for evidence of Down's Syndrome and other abnormalities.
Elizabeth is 35 years old, a critical number, because after 35, a woman's chance of having a child with Down's Syndrome almost triples. Now many pregnant women want to know as soon as possible if their child has downs, to either better prepare for a lifetime of need, or to possibly terminate the pregnancy.
But until now, tests were not reliable until the second trimester of pregnancy. But a new exam called the first trimester screening is 80 percent effective in detecting Down's Syndrome. It's for women between 10 and 14 weeks of pregnancy, and consists of a blood test and an ultrasound to measure the thickness at the back of the neck of the fetus.
Here's what an ultrasound of a Down's fetus looks like. The swelling at the back of the neck is quite thick.
Today, Elizabeth holds her breath.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's a normal measurement. That looks beautiful. Your baby looks great.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I feel very happy.
GUPTA: Dr. Mann point out the first trimester test does not definitively show birth defects, but only assesses the risks.
Amniosentesis (ph), done in pregnancy's second trimester, is 99.9 percent accurate predicting Down's. But amnio means being probed with a long needle, and the test itself can cause miscarriage in one in 200 cases.
When the first trimester screening comes back negative, many parents, like Elizabeth, are glad to avoid that risk.
ELIZABETH YOUNG, RECEIVED SCREENED IN 1ST TRIMESTER: Since this has come back so well so far, I am not going to do the amnio, unless the doctor recommends it.
DR. MARCY MANN, MATERNAL-FETAL SPECIALIST: We are seeing a tremendous increase in the number of patients who coming for the test of all ages.
GUPTA: Over 90,000 first trimester tests were performed last year, and experts expect that to double this year. The testing is available in most cities, and the $100 price tag covered by most insurance plans. But the real payoff may be peace of mind.
YOUNG: I feel very happy seeing the baby developing what looks healthy to me. So I'm very excited.
GUPTA: For this first time mom to be, 35 is now a magical number, in the very best way.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: Most down syndrome babies are born to woman under the age of 35, in part, because these women are rarely screened for that -- Bill.
HEMMER: About 13 minutes before the hour, Soledad.
"The Passion of the Christ" took in $23 million on Wednesday and $3 million more from previews earlier this week. Mel Gibson talked about his film with industry veterans Peter Bart and Peter Guber. They are cohosts of the American Movie Channel's "Sunday Morning Shootout."
Peter Bart asked Gibson about the movies opening momentum.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PETER BART, AMERICAN MOVIE CHANNEL: Was it just the press reacting to people's paranoia about what the picture might represent?
MEL GIBSON, DIRECTOR/ACTOR: Well, I'm not sure. I didn't expect the, sort of, the controversy, the ferocity of the controversy, I really didn't. It was like I expected, hey, if you get into religion or politic, you know, you are going to touch a few nerves, but I didn't know I was going to hit a main artery.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: Peter Guber is a 30-year veteran of the entertainment industry, and I asked him what Gibson had to say about the amount of attention this film has received already.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PETER GUBER, HOST, "AMC'S SUNDAY MORNING SHOOTOUT": I don't think he believed or intended it would get this kind of attention. I don't know if that wasn't his intention. Because I think as a filmmaker, he's very savvy. He's made gigantic films, you know, "The Lethal Weapons" series and "Mad Max." So this is a person that's not naive. He didn't. He might have been born at night, but not last night. He knew that when he put in his $40 million to make this film, he had to get butts in seats, he had to get an audience. And as such, working with a minor distributor, a really small distributor, he had to create some kind of firestorm in order to get people's attention.
HEMMER: Part of that firestorm, Peter, goes to the violence that you see in certain scenes. That at times, and I saw it earlier in the week. It continues to go on and on. Did he say why it was important to him as a filmmaker to carry out scenes such as that?
GUBER: Well, he didn't really talk about the issue of his cumulative effect of the violence. He said what he was doing was actually being thoughtful and sensitive to the issue. To me, it was a powerful, powerful portrayal. And as such, a warning should be in the theaters, because we are talking about violence in films. This is an incredibly violent film. I mean, it's a primer on crucifixions, certainly, but the intention and the attention of the audience will clearly be different.
HEMMER: Part of the quote that I pulled from the interview. He said that I want to push people to the edge. How did he address that to you in the interview? GUBER: I think what he was attempting to do in the film and what he said in the interview, was that he wanted to put in front of people his vision of the Crucifixion, and that he felt it would be ecumenical. He felt it would create a passion of forgiveness. What I think is there's a tremendous amount of kindling wood out there for a fuel for another kind of fire, and that's the danger. You know, I think the value of the film in trying to achieve his goal is outstripped by the audience there that might find this inciting.
HEMMER: Hang on one second. Here's another clip from your interview, the -- how he addresses anti-Semitism regarding this film.
GIBSON: I think it is true to the gospels, and I don't think it's anti-Semitic. That's always been my stance on the whole thing. And people who have seen it are like, oh, yes, we agree, even Jewish people.
GUBER: I think the whole interview revolved around those kinds of issues. And I don't believe that Mel Gibson is anti-Semitic. I just don't believe it. I have known him. I have been around him. I don't believe that. I do believe that you have to be a little blind not to understand that that film has that potential result to incite its audience in that direction. I mean, clearly the response of the film the first day, doing $25 million on a Wednesday for a film that's over two hours long that's in Aramaic, in subtitles, I mean, and no advertising. That tells you something is going on.
HEMMER: Do you after this film, do you see a guy like Mel Gibson going back and doing a film like "Mad Max" or like "Lethal Weapon?"
GUBER: Absolutely. I think he's a filmmaker and an actor, and that's his career. The question will be whether or not he mixes those with other kinds of films that he feels compelled to tell, either as a storyteller, writer, director, producer or actor. This will be a hard act to follow, it really will be.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: You can see that complete interview AMC, March 7th, Sunday morning 11:00 a.m. for that full interview with Peter Guber there.
A couple of other points that he pointed out in that interview yesterday, he says that the most difficult decision Gibson had in making that film was actually determining the length. Originally at two hours and 40 minutes, later cut down to two hours and six minutes. Also a number of flashback scenes that were conducted throughout the film. Many of them were afterthoughts, not shot on location in Italy, but rather back in California, during post-production.
And we have talked about, Soledad, many times about the $25 million figure that Gibson ponied up for that film. Guber says Gibson tells him it was much closer to 40 million of his own money. Again, March, see the whole interview on AMC -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, there is word that the economy is growing, but is it really? Andy Serwer is looking at a new report when AMERICAN MORNING is back in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: There's a new reading on the economy just out from the Commerce Department. Moments ago, the story of an airline that could be taking no frills to an extreme. They don't want you to fly on the outside strapped to the fuselage, but it's close.
Andy Serwer, "Minding Your Business."
Good morning.
ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Yes, good morning, Jack.
Let's talk about economy first. Some good news on the economic front coming out about growth in the economy in the fourth quarter. You may remember the first take on that was that the economy was growing 4 percent, economists thought it was going to be revised downward to 3.4 percent, but guess what, the economy is actually growing faster than they first thought, 4.1 percent. That's a little bit, but that's good.
CAFFERTY: Those jobs, though, we still need those jobs.
SERWER: Yes, we still need those. It's the jobless recovery. As far as the markets go, this should be good news, though, Jack. Futures were already higher because Japan was rallying. This was yesterday, by the way. You can see we had a mixed bag. Futures this morning, though, higher because of Japan, and this will only be fuel to the fire to drive stocks higher, at least at the open.
CAFFERTY: All right, the next quantum leap forward in no service, no frills, no comfort, or nothing.
SERWER: Yes, this is unbelievable. Ryan Air out of Europe -- it's out of Ireland, of course, Europe's biggest discount airlines, kind of like the Southwest Airlines of Europe -- they are starting to make some frills -- not frills, they are cutting stuff back. This is going to blow your mind. This is going to give you a backache. This is going to you a headache. Let's check out what Ryan Air is getting rid of, window blinds, who needs them. The sun in your face? Forget about it. Reclining seats, no, we don't need those. This is for real. Headrest covers? Nope, and seat pockets, don't need those either, because they will have those safety booklets dangling off the string.
CAFFERTY: But they spend money on those stupid hats that people behind the counter are wearing. They had money to buy those.
SERWER: Yes, they do.
CAFFERTY: Thanks, Andy.
Time for "The Cafferty File." Insomniacs pay attention, there's an English farm that claims its milk can help you sleep better, because it comes from younger cows. Younger cows produce higher levels of melantonin, which is the stuff in milk that makes you sleepy. So Nighttime Milk is the brand and what they're calling it. It used milk from young cows, has twice the normal level of melantonin, and early tests indicate that it's improving sleep patterns for folks who drink it. Go figure.
Here's a squirrel caught on the roof of a burning building in St. Louis, Missouri, an inventive creature this. Instead of sticking around to get his tail feathers toasted, he took a leap. He's not a real flying squirrel. Look at that jump, right onto the roof of the garage nearby, and then he jumped onto the fence and made it to the ground and got the hell out of dodge. He said, hey, the neighborhoods burning to the ground, I'm out of there. Watch this again.
SERWER: Quantum leap.
CAFFERTY: And he didn't break anything. He hopped right up, and away he went. That's one tough little dude right there.
And we liked this so much we wanted to show you once again, whether you want to see it or not. The Japanese Navy has a new recruiting commercial. Check this out.
Makes you want to run and sign up. The Japanese Navy hopes this will boost its popularity, and no doubt Japan's enemies can just hardly wait. What can kind of war could those people win? But the Army's been getting all attention in Japan, so the Navy;s trying to get their share.
O'BRIEN: A war of choreography.
SERWER: A Broadway show.
O'BRIEN: That was worth seeing twice.
HEMMER: Let's get a break here. In a moment, a question on the minds of many:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Have you heard anything that either one has said that would make it impossible for you to run together as a ticket?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: Yes, the answers from the candidates last night, and a breakdown of last night's debate. Bill Schneider is back in a moment with us, top of the hour after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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Aired February 27, 2004 - 08:31 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: That was very interesting, wasn't it? through a no parking sign, another one of the tickets I have gotten in this city.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Obey the law and it won't be an issue, will it, Mr. Hemmer.
Welcome back, everybody. It's just about half past the hour on this AMERICAN MORNING. A lot of people do not like Howard Stern's crude radio show, but a lot of the same people are defending his right to do it. Stern was taking off the air on many stations earlier this week. Our 'Gimme a Minute" panel is going to take a look that it sets and other hot topics this morning just ahead.
HEMMER: Also this hour, Mel Gibson, maybe the hottest interview today. Coming up, we will talk to a gentleman this week who talked with Mel Gibson For an hour and a half about "The Passion of the Christ," conducted for AMC. Gibson talks about his toughest decision in making that film. So we will have that for you as well.
Rather interesting to get his thoughts.
O'BRIEN: Yes, I'll bet. He hasn't really said a lot previously before the film opened, so interesting to hear from him.
Let's get to our top stories, first this morning, Haiti's President Jean Bertrand-Aristide is snowing no signs of standing down as rebels close in on the capital city. Hundreds of Aristide supporters are gathering to protect the president. They've built barricades from wrecked cars and burned tires. The United Nations has been asked to intervene in the three week rebellion.
Council members are scrambling to finish writing Iraq's interim constitution. Tomorrow is the deadline for a major draft to be completed. The council is split on a number of issues and say that the deadline might actually not be met.
President Bush has authorized a tightening of U.S. travel restrictions to Cuba. Under new rules, the U.S. Coast Guard can stop any unauthorized ships from leaving for Cuba, from the U.S. The president says the action is meant to cut resources to Cuba's government due to its use of excessive against innocent victims. Critics say that the president is pandering to anti-Castro Florida voters.
Rosie O'Donnell has married her long-time girlfriend. The former talk show host and her partner, Kelly Carpenter were greeted by well- wishers after the two tied the knot in San Francisco yesterday. The couple says that President Bush's call to ban gay marriage is what inspired them to join the thousands of other same-sex couples who have already tied the knot in that city.
And snow is piling up in the southern part of the country. As much as eight inches fell in South Carolina yesterday. Forecasters say that the snow is not going to hang long there. It looks like -- that's snow, just not a big, white screen, believe it or not. They say the temperatures are going to be in the 40s, and then up to the 50s in the next couple of days. So things will warm up, and it's all going to melt.
HEMMER: It's climbing fast.
(WEATHER UPDATE)
HEMMER: Chad, thanks much. Developing news here just into us. The U.S. economy growing better than expected. GDP is just out, up 4.1 percent in the fourth quarter. Futures indicate a stronger open for the stock market in about an hour from now. Andy's back in a moment for more on the implications on this number just out. Also, same sex marriage among the most controversial topics during last night's debate. The front-runners taking aim at the White House for President Bush's proposed constitutional amendment that would ban such unions.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN EDWARDS (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: What's happening here is this president is talking about first of amending the United States Constitution for a problem that does not exist.
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I believe George Bush is doing this -- he's even reversed his own position. He's reversed Dick Cheney's position. He is doing this, because he's in trouble, he's trying to reach out to his base, he's playing politics with the Constitution of the United States.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: Part of the scrum last night live on CNN. What may have been the best soundbite of the night came from the Reverend Al Sharpton.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REV. AL SHARPTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The issue is not who you go to bed with. The issue is whether either of you have a job when you get up in the morning.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: Democrats stumping today in some of the 10 states that will hold contests next week. That is Super Tuesday. Complete coverage then.
That brings us to "Gimme a Minute."
With us today from D.C. Cliff May, columnist for Scripps-Howard News.
Good morning, Cliff. A first-timer by the way, welcome to "Gimme a Minute."
CLIFF MAY, FMR. RNC COMM. DIR.: My pleasure.
HEMMER: And CNN political analyst Donna Brazile. She's out of New Orleans. She's made it back to the nation's capital.
How was your week, Donna?
DONNA BRAZILE, CNN POL. ANALYST: It was great. I wish I could go back home.
HEMMER: I bet you do.
And here in New York, Andy Borowitz of "The New Yorker." A double shot of Drew today.
Good morning, Andy. Nice to have you back here.
ANDY BOROWITZ, "THE NEW YORKER": I'm still here.
HEMMER: Let's start with Cliff, the first-timer. Presidential politics. It's February 27th. Could the White House not afford to get into this election race this soon?
MAY: No, I think the White House had to get into it. In fact. they're a little bit late really. What happened is everyone expected that the Democratic candidates would during the primary season beat up on each other. They didn't. They all agreed on thing. Let's beat up on Bush. It's time for Bush to begin to push back.
HEMMER: Donna, has the battle been joined or just kind of sore to this point?
BRAZILE: Well, the president had to come out and defend that paper thin record he has accumulated over the last three and a half years, but you know what, he said bring it on, and the Democrats are ready for him.
HEMMER: This could be one long election, Andy.
BOROWITZ: The president has refused to mention John Kerry by name, which is weird, because that seems like a name he could actually pronounce.
HEMMER: Just for the record, my calendar says 248 shopping days left before the election in early November.
Talk about day marriage, Donna, the amendment supported by the president. Are the Republicans winners on this issue or not? BRAZILE: I think it's going to be a very difficult issue for them to navigate. It will help solidify their base and to give them more red meat, but swing voters, independents, they are more interested in jobs, the economy, winning the war on terrorism. They don't want another cultural war; they want to focus on the real issues.
HEMMER: How about it, Cliff?
MAY: This issue was not on the president's to-do list, believe me. Reasonable people can disagree about whether marriage should be redefined to include gay people. What they shouldn't disagree on is who gets to decide. It's not for hyperliberal judges in Massachusetts and one liberal mayor in San Francisco. The voters have to have some say. You can't just impose this by fiat.
HEMMER: What's your vote, Andy?
BOROWITZ: No constitutional amendment. If you want to keep gays from getting married, just tell them about in-laws.
HEMMER: Rosie is in on it now, too. So it's getting deeper.
Howard Stern, his radio program has been pulled from Clear Channel Communications from six markets across the country. Rush Limbaugh was coming out yesterday expressing his concerns about free speech and protections that are in. He called it a little frightening, his comments from yesterday.
Cliff, start us off, is there a double standard, as Limbaugh claims, or not?
MAY: I think Limbaugh has got a point, I guess I often do. I think the thing here is that there shouldn't be censorship, but there should be good taste. And the head of a big corporation like Clear Channel should be embarrassed to say yes, I produced "Bubba the Love Sponge" for a living.
BRAZILE: Well, you know, I don't listen to Rush Limbaugh or Howard Stern, but as a former radio talk show host, I believe Howard Stern has every right to appear and say what he feels.
HEMMER: You know who else loves sponges, don't you? Borowitz.
BOROWITZ: You know, in defense of "Bubba the Love Sponge," I think he was one of the finest presidents we ever had.
HEMMER: Under the radar -- Donna, what's under your radar? What did we miss?
BRAZILE: Well, everyone focused this week on Alan Greenspan's dire forecast on the deficit, but no one paid any attention to the Center of Budget Priorities report on the long-term impact that our nation's unemployment is having on our working people in this country. I think that deserves a little more say.
HEMMER: Got a bit of a mention last night.
Cliff, how about you?
MAY: The fundamental human right is the right to live. Without that, it doesn't matter. Terrorism takes away that right. But the U.N.'s court, the international court of justice, so called in the Hague, has never condemned terrorism. This week it sat in judgment of Israel's right to put up fences, nonviolent passive means fences, to keep terrorists of their communities. That part of it was kind of ignored, and I think it's an outrage -- Andy.
BOROWITZ: Well, Mel Gibson denied charges of anti-Semitism from the set of his new movie, "Lethal Rabbi."
HEMMER: That's on borowitz.com, is it not?
BOROWITZ: Borowitzreport.com.
HEMMER: Thanks. Good to see you. Cliff, Donna, Andy, have a great weekend you three, OK.
O'BRIEN: And still to come on AMERICAN MORNING, "The Passion of the Christ" moves audiences and wows box office trackers as well. We are going to talk with an entertainment industry veteran about the movie's momentum.
HEMMER: Also next time you go on a flight, appreciate some of the things you take for granted. One airline passenger. We'll see what passengers can without then. Andy explains that in a moment.
O'BRIEN: And pregnant women can now learn earlier than ever about the health of the fetus. Dr. Sanjay Gupta has got some news on that. Those stories are all ahead as we continue after this short break.
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O'BRIEN: A pregnant woman can now find out during the first trimester whether her fetus is at greater risk for Down's Syndrome. That's earlier than ever before.
As Dr. Sanjay Gupta tell us, not only does a new test give you the answer sooner, but it's also more accurate than the standard screening.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Elizabeth Young is 13 weeks pregnant, and today she's having a blood test and an ultrasound to look for evidence of Down's Syndrome and other abnormalities.
Elizabeth is 35 years old, a critical number, because after 35, a woman's chance of having a child with Down's Syndrome almost triples. Now many pregnant women want to know as soon as possible if their child has downs, to either better prepare for a lifetime of need, or to possibly terminate the pregnancy.
But until now, tests were not reliable until the second trimester of pregnancy. But a new exam called the first trimester screening is 80 percent effective in detecting Down's Syndrome. It's for women between 10 and 14 weeks of pregnancy, and consists of a blood test and an ultrasound to measure the thickness at the back of the neck of the fetus.
Here's what an ultrasound of a Down's fetus looks like. The swelling at the back of the neck is quite thick.
Today, Elizabeth holds her breath.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's a normal measurement. That looks beautiful. Your baby looks great.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I feel very happy.
GUPTA: Dr. Mann point out the first trimester test does not definitively show birth defects, but only assesses the risks.
Amniosentesis (ph), done in pregnancy's second trimester, is 99.9 percent accurate predicting Down's. But amnio means being probed with a long needle, and the test itself can cause miscarriage in one in 200 cases.
When the first trimester screening comes back negative, many parents, like Elizabeth, are glad to avoid that risk.
ELIZABETH YOUNG, RECEIVED SCREENED IN 1ST TRIMESTER: Since this has come back so well so far, I am not going to do the amnio, unless the doctor recommends it.
DR. MARCY MANN, MATERNAL-FETAL SPECIALIST: We are seeing a tremendous increase in the number of patients who coming for the test of all ages.
GUPTA: Over 90,000 first trimester tests were performed last year, and experts expect that to double this year. The testing is available in most cities, and the $100 price tag covered by most insurance plans. But the real payoff may be peace of mind.
YOUNG: I feel very happy seeing the baby developing what looks healthy to me. So I'm very excited.
GUPTA: For this first time mom to be, 35 is now a magical number, in the very best way.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: Most down syndrome babies are born to woman under the age of 35, in part, because these women are rarely screened for that -- Bill.
HEMMER: About 13 minutes before the hour, Soledad.
"The Passion of the Christ" took in $23 million on Wednesday and $3 million more from previews earlier this week. Mel Gibson talked about his film with industry veterans Peter Bart and Peter Guber. They are cohosts of the American Movie Channel's "Sunday Morning Shootout."
Peter Bart asked Gibson about the movies opening momentum.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PETER BART, AMERICAN MOVIE CHANNEL: Was it just the press reacting to people's paranoia about what the picture might represent?
MEL GIBSON, DIRECTOR/ACTOR: Well, I'm not sure. I didn't expect the, sort of, the controversy, the ferocity of the controversy, I really didn't. It was like I expected, hey, if you get into religion or politic, you know, you are going to touch a few nerves, but I didn't know I was going to hit a main artery.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: Peter Guber is a 30-year veteran of the entertainment industry, and I asked him what Gibson had to say about the amount of attention this film has received already.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PETER GUBER, HOST, "AMC'S SUNDAY MORNING SHOOTOUT": I don't think he believed or intended it would get this kind of attention. I don't know if that wasn't his intention. Because I think as a filmmaker, he's very savvy. He's made gigantic films, you know, "The Lethal Weapons" series and "Mad Max." So this is a person that's not naive. He didn't. He might have been born at night, but not last night. He knew that when he put in his $40 million to make this film, he had to get butts in seats, he had to get an audience. And as such, working with a minor distributor, a really small distributor, he had to create some kind of firestorm in order to get people's attention.
HEMMER: Part of that firestorm, Peter, goes to the violence that you see in certain scenes. That at times, and I saw it earlier in the week. It continues to go on and on. Did he say why it was important to him as a filmmaker to carry out scenes such as that?
GUBER: Well, he didn't really talk about the issue of his cumulative effect of the violence. He said what he was doing was actually being thoughtful and sensitive to the issue. To me, it was a powerful, powerful portrayal. And as such, a warning should be in the theaters, because we are talking about violence in films. This is an incredibly violent film. I mean, it's a primer on crucifixions, certainly, but the intention and the attention of the audience will clearly be different.
HEMMER: Part of the quote that I pulled from the interview. He said that I want to push people to the edge. How did he address that to you in the interview? GUBER: I think what he was attempting to do in the film and what he said in the interview, was that he wanted to put in front of people his vision of the Crucifixion, and that he felt it would be ecumenical. He felt it would create a passion of forgiveness. What I think is there's a tremendous amount of kindling wood out there for a fuel for another kind of fire, and that's the danger. You know, I think the value of the film in trying to achieve his goal is outstripped by the audience there that might find this inciting.
HEMMER: Hang on one second. Here's another clip from your interview, the -- how he addresses anti-Semitism regarding this film.
GIBSON: I think it is true to the gospels, and I don't think it's anti-Semitic. That's always been my stance on the whole thing. And people who have seen it are like, oh, yes, we agree, even Jewish people.
GUBER: I think the whole interview revolved around those kinds of issues. And I don't believe that Mel Gibson is anti-Semitic. I just don't believe it. I have known him. I have been around him. I don't believe that. I do believe that you have to be a little blind not to understand that that film has that potential result to incite its audience in that direction. I mean, clearly the response of the film the first day, doing $25 million on a Wednesday for a film that's over two hours long that's in Aramaic, in subtitles, I mean, and no advertising. That tells you something is going on.
HEMMER: Do you after this film, do you see a guy like Mel Gibson going back and doing a film like "Mad Max" or like "Lethal Weapon?"
GUBER: Absolutely. I think he's a filmmaker and an actor, and that's his career. The question will be whether or not he mixes those with other kinds of films that he feels compelled to tell, either as a storyteller, writer, director, producer or actor. This will be a hard act to follow, it really will be.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: You can see that complete interview AMC, March 7th, Sunday morning 11:00 a.m. for that full interview with Peter Guber there.
A couple of other points that he pointed out in that interview yesterday, he says that the most difficult decision Gibson had in making that film was actually determining the length. Originally at two hours and 40 minutes, later cut down to two hours and six minutes. Also a number of flashback scenes that were conducted throughout the film. Many of them were afterthoughts, not shot on location in Italy, but rather back in California, during post-production.
And we have talked about, Soledad, many times about the $25 million figure that Gibson ponied up for that film. Guber says Gibson tells him it was much closer to 40 million of his own money. Again, March, see the whole interview on AMC -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, there is word that the economy is growing, but is it really? Andy Serwer is looking at a new report when AMERICAN MORNING is back in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: There's a new reading on the economy just out from the Commerce Department. Moments ago, the story of an airline that could be taking no frills to an extreme. They don't want you to fly on the outside strapped to the fuselage, but it's close.
Andy Serwer, "Minding Your Business."
Good morning.
ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Yes, good morning, Jack.
Let's talk about economy first. Some good news on the economic front coming out about growth in the economy in the fourth quarter. You may remember the first take on that was that the economy was growing 4 percent, economists thought it was going to be revised downward to 3.4 percent, but guess what, the economy is actually growing faster than they first thought, 4.1 percent. That's a little bit, but that's good.
CAFFERTY: Those jobs, though, we still need those jobs.
SERWER: Yes, we still need those. It's the jobless recovery. As far as the markets go, this should be good news, though, Jack. Futures were already higher because Japan was rallying. This was yesterday, by the way. You can see we had a mixed bag. Futures this morning, though, higher because of Japan, and this will only be fuel to the fire to drive stocks higher, at least at the open.
CAFFERTY: All right, the next quantum leap forward in no service, no frills, no comfort, or nothing.
SERWER: Yes, this is unbelievable. Ryan Air out of Europe -- it's out of Ireland, of course, Europe's biggest discount airlines, kind of like the Southwest Airlines of Europe -- they are starting to make some frills -- not frills, they are cutting stuff back. This is going to blow your mind. This is going to give you a backache. This is going to you a headache. Let's check out what Ryan Air is getting rid of, window blinds, who needs them. The sun in your face? Forget about it. Reclining seats, no, we don't need those. This is for real. Headrest covers? Nope, and seat pockets, don't need those either, because they will have those safety booklets dangling off the string.
CAFFERTY: But they spend money on those stupid hats that people behind the counter are wearing. They had money to buy those.
SERWER: Yes, they do.
CAFFERTY: Thanks, Andy.
Time for "The Cafferty File." Insomniacs pay attention, there's an English farm that claims its milk can help you sleep better, because it comes from younger cows. Younger cows produce higher levels of melantonin, which is the stuff in milk that makes you sleepy. So Nighttime Milk is the brand and what they're calling it. It used milk from young cows, has twice the normal level of melantonin, and early tests indicate that it's improving sleep patterns for folks who drink it. Go figure.
Here's a squirrel caught on the roof of a burning building in St. Louis, Missouri, an inventive creature this. Instead of sticking around to get his tail feathers toasted, he took a leap. He's not a real flying squirrel. Look at that jump, right onto the roof of the garage nearby, and then he jumped onto the fence and made it to the ground and got the hell out of dodge. He said, hey, the neighborhoods burning to the ground, I'm out of there. Watch this again.
SERWER: Quantum leap.
CAFFERTY: And he didn't break anything. He hopped right up, and away he went. That's one tough little dude right there.
And we liked this so much we wanted to show you once again, whether you want to see it or not. The Japanese Navy has a new recruiting commercial. Check this out.
Makes you want to run and sign up. The Japanese Navy hopes this will boost its popularity, and no doubt Japan's enemies can just hardly wait. What can kind of war could those people win? But the Army's been getting all attention in Japan, so the Navy;s trying to get their share.
O'BRIEN: A war of choreography.
SERWER: A Broadway show.
O'BRIEN: That was worth seeing twice.
HEMMER: Let's get a break here. In a moment, a question on the minds of many:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Have you heard anything that either one has said that would make it impossible for you to run together as a ticket?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: Yes, the answers from the candidates last night, and a breakdown of last night's debate. Bill Schneider is back in a moment with us, top of the hour after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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