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American Morning
American Morning
Aired February 29, 2004 - 08:30 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.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Anderson Cooper is sitting in for Bill Hemmer this morning.
Nice to have you.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: I'm very glad to be here.
O'BRIEN: Thank you. You say that like you really mean it, Anderson.
COOPER: I've been practicing. I've been saying it to a mirror for like an hour now.
O'BRIEN: For days now, right? Well, thank you, even if you don't mean it. This morning, a look at this question, can the U.S. afford to stay out of Haiti? We're going to talk to former Defense Secretary William Cohen about the deteriorating situation there, the second largest city now falling to rebels over the weekend. Just how far is the U.S. willing to let this situation go?
COOPER: Also, how much screening do you do when you go to a new doctor? Sanjay Gupta is with us in a few minutes to talk about deadly mistakes made by phony doctors masquerading as the real thing.
O'BRIEN: That's a scary story, isn't it?
COOPER: Yes.
O'BRIEN: We'll look into that. Let's get right to our top stories, though, first. A car bomb exploded at the police station in Iraq this morning, killing at least eight people, wounding 35 hours. The blast came just hours before Defense Secretary Rumsfeld arrived in Baghdad. Secretary Rumsfeld is meeting with senior coalition officials and U.S. military commanders.
President Bush is expected to give Democrats a jab in a highly political speech tonight. The president will make his remarks at a D.C. meeting with Republican governors. The campaign speech comes about a week before the first campaign ads are set to hit the airwaves.
Howard Dean's campaign debt probably exceeds half a million dollars. That's according to campaign manager Roy Neil. He says despite raising a record $50.3 million, the campaign budget is in the negative numbers. Neil says the campaign may try to raise money from supporters over the Internet. And deja-vu at the box office with "50 First Dates" coming first place with movie goers again. The romantic comedy featuring Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler earned about $21 million this weekend, taking its 10 day haul to over $72 million. Coming in second was Disney's new release, called "Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen," apparently a very big hit with the 14-year old set.
COOPER: You know, a kid I went to high school with wrote and directed, I think, that Adam Sandler movie.
O'BRIEN: Really?
COOPER: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Wow.
COOPER: Who knew?
O'BRIEN: Who knew? Good for him.
COOPER: All right, let's take a look at the weather, what's going on. Chad Myers at the CNN Center with the latest forecast.
Morning, Chad.
CHAD MYERS, METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Anderson. Good to see you here in the morning. I know you like waking up later than you have to in this cold.
COOPER: Yes, I like about noon and that's my average wake-up time.
MYERS: Yes, exactly, that was my old shift as well. Hey, scattered rain showers now in New Orleans. If you're waking up in New Orleans this morning, expect a wet day. It is going to be a wet Monday and a wet Mardi Gras tomorrow as well. A little bit of light rain moving into Atlanta as well, but if you look at the live shot we have from WSB here in Atlanta, not too much on the horizon. A couple of light rain showers to the rest of the city. But later on today, it does get rainy and it does slow down. We will have an awful lot of airport delays across the country this morning and into this afternoon because of all the rain.
Not so much because of the snow across the north. A couple of snow showers across the Detroit. But L.A., you're going to get more rain. Good morning. It's going to be a slow commute for you in a lot of spots. And that rain is moving into Vegas, into Phoenix as well this morning.
Dry day in Orlando today. Enjoy it. It is going to be very wet in the middle of the week. Some computer models printing out three to five inches of rain for you, central Florida before it's all done. 37 Cincinnati. 57 in Nashville today. So the weather gets more pleasant as you move out into the middle part of the country. 39 with sunshine in Denver. Great day for skiing out in the Rockys. They're going to get snow, not only today, but all the way through this week. In fact, you're not only going to probably have enough rain to make mudslides in California, but avalanches in Colorado and New Mexico. We're going to have to keep watching it. Three storms lined up like planes headed to La Guardia.
Soledad, back to you.
O'BRIEN: All right, Chad, thanks a lot.
In Haiti, rebel leaders seeking to overthrow President Jean Bertrand-Aristide say they will control the entire country within two weeks. That prediction comes as government and opposition forces struggle for control of Haiti's second largest city Cap Haitien.
More than half of Haiti is beyond the control of the Aristide government. Dozens of people have been killed since the uprising began nearly three weeks ago. The rebels say that they're going to respond today to a U.S. backed peace plan, which would keep Aristide as president, while sharing some of his power.
In the capital Port-au-Prince overnight, one person reportedly died in a bomb blast at a carnival celebration. It is unclear, though, if that bombing was connected to the insurgency in any way.
(LIVE INTERVIEW)
COOPER: Well, parents of about 30 University of Colorado football players say they are behind suspended Coach Gary Barnett.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RONNIE GORDON, MOTHER OF CU PLAYER: It has been our experience that Coach Barnett is a man of utmost integrity and has our wholehearted support. We're proud to have our sons as part of the football program at the University of Colorado. Give us back our coach.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Barnett was suspended, you'll remember, amid six allegations of rape against Colorado football player since 2000. The team is also accused of using sex parties to recruit players.
No formal charges have been filed, but as Josie Burke reports, investigations are underway.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOSIE BURKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For more than three weeks, allegations of sexual assault have battered the University of Colorado football program. Late last week, one of the accused, Anarika Dawn, stepped forward and through his attorney insisted not only was he not involved, but he was a victim of racial profiling.
NANCY HOLTON, ANARIKA DAWN'S ATTORNEY: I feel appalled that all the investigation had a description of the possible perpetrator was that he was big and black. It makes this investigation appear to me to be racially motivated.
BURKE: Dawn's charges only add to the already smoldering campus atmosphere. A university women's group is holding a rally Monday to voice concerns over the make-up of a panel investigating the scandal.
GEORGINA SOLOMAN, STUDENTS ADVOCATING FOR FAIR AND EQUAL TREATMENT: We'd like to see a sexual assault prevention expert on the panel. And student participation wouldn't be bad.
BURKE: It is against this backdrop that interim football coach Brian Cabral begins his first week at the Colorado helm. Cabral was named Friday to replace suspended Coach Gary Barnett.
BRIAN CABRAL, COLORADO INTERIM HEAD COACH: There's a lot of wounded spirits. And there needs to be a lot of healing. And it's just a matter of time, I believe, that yes, the truth will come out. And we'll survive this.
BURKE: The first meeting of the independent panel looking into the football program is scheduled for March 2nd. With an April 30th deadline to file a report, that leaves much to look at and not a lot of time.
Josie Burke, CNN, Boulder.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: University president Elizabeth Hoffman says Barnett can have his job back if investigators find that the charges don't represent a pervasive culture within the football and athletic program.
Soledad?
O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning on AMERICAN MORNING, making sure you're in good hands when you go to the doctor. Dr. Sanjay Gupta was going to give us some tips on what you should look for.
COOPER: Plus the new $20 bill is designed to stop counterfeiters. Is it working? Andy Serwer will have a new report about the bill's effectiveness. Stay with us on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: Well, police believe that a man who was charged with practicing medicine without a license may be responsible for the death of a woman who disappeared last year. The body of Maria Cruz was discovered last week buried in a concrete tomb in a Newark, New Jersey home. That home was once owned by this man, Dean Faello (ph). Authorities believe he has since fled to Costa Rica. Such cases may be rare, but they are frightening. How can patients be sure their doctor is legit?
Dr. Sanjay Gupta joins us from CNN Center with some important advice. Good morning, Sanjay.
SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Anderson. Frightening and rare, those are exactly the two words probably that best describe this.
There aren't many anecdotal stories of fraudulent doctors over the years. Interestingly in our reporting, we found that the American Medical Association or any other organizing committee does not keep track of fraudulent doctors. So mainly these stories are anecdotal.
It's important to remember that it is very rare as well, but it is possible for someone to pose as a doctor, to pose as an imposter. Cosmetic surgery, usually the field that attracts the most imposter doctors.
Let's go through some tips here, interestingly, to try and find out if your doctor is legitimate. This is what a lot of people wonder when they hear a story like this.
Check the license and good standing. You can get that either from the office itself, the doctor's office, asking the doctor about the license. Usually they're posted on the wall. Use the American Medical Association. They're going to have a listing on their website of all the active and practicing doctors.
The state medical boards probably are going to be your most valuable website. It's going to give you all kinds of information, including recent sanctions against the doctor. And get a comprehensive doctor report as well. This is something you can get for - from some of these for pay websites. One of the ones that we looked at was healthgrades.com. That's a pretty good website. For $6.95, you can all the recent information on your doctor.
There are a lot of doctors practicing without - with suspended licenses are more common than imposter doctors. That's more of a concern to people. There are ways to try and check for that as well.
The state medical boards, again, going to be your best source of information there. They're going to track doctors to revoke or suspended license, probation, practicing beyond the scope of training, drug or alcohol abuse, sexual misconduct, litigation pending against the doctor. Again, all these situations pretty rare.
For the most part, when you go to a hospital, when you go to a doctor, you're going to get a doctor who is in good standing. But it's all - if you feel like checking here, some ways to do it - Anderson?
COOPER: Sanjay, why are cosmetic procedures more susceptible to fraud?
GUPTA: Well, you know, there's a lot of interesting stories about that. One story actually has to do with Mr. Mexico, a former body builder, who went to a doctor in South Beach, Dr. Reynaldo Silvestri, now known as the butcher of South Beach. But essentially, this guy went to the doctor for pectoral implants, body builders sometimes get those. Woke up, and in his words was mutilated and actually fit with women's breast implants, size C. Sort of an interesting side note that. Silvestri was charged with a lot of things, including aggravated assault, but skipped town and for four years has been on the loose.
Cosmetic surgeons, such as Dr. Silvestri, a lot of concerns because a few things. One is that if you think about cosmetic procedures and why they attract imposter doctors, these doctors are less likely to interact with other doctors. So they're going to be less the subject of scrutiny.
Patients pay out of pocket. So you have less of a paper trail with the insurance companies. And they're doing this for money. And the cosmetic procedures are some of the more profitable procedures, Anderson.
COOPER: And I guess any advice on how to either tell if your doctor is legit or not or ways to test it?
GUPTA: Well, I mean, you know, I think there's some sort of realistic things, and just some gut things when it comes to trying to figure out if your doctor's legitimate. I think it's worth reinforcing that most doctors are going to be perfectly legitimate. And that's the good news.
But you know, go with your instincts. If you have some concerns about your doctor, you may want to start asking some questions. If the doctor refuses or cannot answer the questions, that might be a bit of a red flag.
Second opinions are not something most doctors are offended by. If you're concerned about the advice that you're getting, go ahead and get a second opinion.
Also, doing your homework and research. You know, it's amazing, Anderson, people will do the amount of homework and research they do to buy a house, but when it comes to their healthcare, when it comes to their doctors or their hospitals, they do less of it. It's important to do that.
If you think you've been a victim of fraud, do talk to the state medical board. He can prevent for people down the road - Anderson?
COOPER: All right, good advice. Sanjay Gupta, thanks very much.
GUPTA: Thank you.
O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, when a hotel room fits just like some nice expensive clothes. The big name in the fashion industry enters the hotel business. Andy Serwer's got that story just ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: And welcome back, everybody. CAFFERTY: Those new $20 bills changed the color of money. The idea was if you made them in different colors, they'd be harder to counterfeit.
Andy Serwer's here minding your business. He's going to tell us if it's working or not.
ANDY SERWER, FORTUNE MAGAZINE: Yes, I don't think it's working.
CAFFERTY: No?
SERWER: This, according to a story in "USA Today," the Secret Service, excuse me, saying that they know the new $20 bills are effective against counterfeiters because they're finding more.
CAFFERTY: Yes?
SERWER: It requires a little bit of a leap of a faith here in the logic department, I think. The Secret Service saying they've caught about $1 million worth of fake $20 since they rolled these things out in October. That's five times more than they did when they did revisit - revise them before.
So you know, it could be they're making more of them they're not making as well. I like some of the towns that are finding these fake ones. In Rogers, Arkansas, Garden City, Iowa - Idaho, excuse me, that bastion of counterfeitism, and Xenia, Ohio.
CAFFERTY: Yes, but when they draw the face of the presidents on with a crayon...
SERWER: Yes.
CAFFERTY: ...I mean, that's your tip off right away.
SERWER: Do you think they're in the basement with these old machines like that or with Xerox machines?
CAFFERTY: Mimeographing them.
SERWER: Right, that's right, yes.
CAFFERTY: The stuff's mailed off. Giorgio Armani getting in the hotel business?
SERWER: Yes, I mean, this could be pretty swanky, Jack. 14 hotels, the Armani people are rolling out over the next seven years in the usual places that Jack and I like to travel to - Milan, New York, London, Shanghai. It's going to be very, very, very high end. And of course, they'll be Armani boutiques in the hotels. What a surprise that is.
But what I didn't know, Jack, is that a lot of these other designers already have hotels. Check this out, Bulgari, seven hotels are going to be doing over the next years with Marriott in Milan. They got one already. Ferragamo's got one in Firenze. And then the Versace Palazza Versace in Australia, the Gold Coast.
CAFFERTY: What about like Levi hotels? I mean...
SERWER: Yes. Well, they had a Levi - I think they had an Explorer, a Levi's Explorer at one point or.
(AUDIO GAP)
Lowe's came out, the number two home improvement retailer, saying it's business is better than expected. Last week, pretty much flat across the board. The Dow was only down about nine points.
Nasdaq, a little troublesome though, Jack. It's been down five weeks in a row.
CAFFERTY: Five weeks, yes.
SERWER: Yes.
CAFFERTY: All right, thanks, Andy.
SERWER: Mm-hmm.
CAFFERTY: Time now for the cavity file. Donald Trump says his hair's all his. Trump, who's reality show, "The Apprentice," is red hot, allowed a "Newsweek" magazine reporter to look at his hair. And according to Trump...
COOPER: This is like the search for WMDs.
CAFFERTY: Yes, I think I'd rather have done the Staten Island Landfill myself, but according to Trump, I don't say my hair is my greatest strength in the world, but it's not terrible.
Yes, it is Donald. He swooped up his bangs twice during the interview to show the reporter he wasn't wearing a toupee and to prove he's never had a face lift.
O'BRIEN: Yes...
CAFFERTY: Hmm?
O'BRIEN: Imagine being the reporter on that.
CAFFERTY: Yes, exactly.
O'BRIEN: You don't get paid enough money to do that.
CAFFERTY: No, I would go back to "Newsweek", say I want a different assignment next time.
Pamela Anderson says she has no time for dating and may single for the next 12 years.
SERWER: Now here's an assignment. CAFFERTY: Anderson, who's had relationships with Tommy and Kid Rock, says being a full-time mom dominates her time. She has two sons, six and seven and claims she may not date again until they're 18 years old.
SERWER: OK.
CAFFERTY: Jerry Springer the Opera won four of Britain's top theater awards yesterday in England.
(SINGING)
The foul mouth opera about Springer's talk show won best...
SERWER: The Klansmen.
CAFFERTY: ...new musical, as well as prizes for best actor and actress. More than 230,000 people have seen the show and it's taken in more than $9 million. It is very successful, as is his television show here in the United States. I wonder when they're going to bring that puppy to New York. It's a matter of time, right?
SERWER: You know, I was just about to say that's right.
CAFFERTY: I mean, if it plays well in London, it'll do gangbusters here.
SERWER: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Right.
COOPER: Rosie O'Donnell might open it up here or something.
CAFFERTY: Well, that's - yes. Since the Boy George thing didn't work so well.
O'BRIEN: Yes, that didn't work. So maybe she should try something else. I would say that.
SERWER: I would.
O'BRIEN: Sure.
SERWER: Yes, yes, very much so.
CAFFERTY: That would have sold four tickets right here.
O'BRIEN: See - we'll see.
All right, let's talk about snow boarding. Bill Hemmer, as you know, is snow boarding, but I don't think it's here. Here is...
COOPER: Is that him?
O'BRIEN: That's - no, that is not him. He ain't that good, where an unexpected warming of relations between India and Pakistan is now boosting tourism. And it's attracting snow boarders. The boarders say it's not only breathtakingly beautiful, but also breathtakingly cheap. Guess how much a lift ticket costs?
CAFFERTY: I don't, how much?
O'BRIEN: Sixty cents a day.
SERWER: I'm there. Yes, but if you fly over there, it kind of...
O'BRIEN: Yes, the airline ticket offset all the savings of a lift ticket.
SERWER: But still, sixty cents.
COOPER: Not bad, not bad at all. I'd do it. All right, still - if I only know how to snow board.
SERWER: Yes, I was going to say...
COOPER: Still to come, Oscar predictions walk the plank after Johnny Depp stages a surprise at a Screen Actors Guild Award. Not sure why it was surprise, but anyway, we'll have the scoop on all the big honorees when AMERICAN MORNING CONTINUES.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Ralph Nader now off the fence and into the presidential race. What the candidate is saying this time. And is anybody listening? Rebels in Haiti say it will not be long before they take over the entire country. Is there any way to stop spreading the violence? And southern California soaked by rain, but it's the previous natural disaster that makes this so dangerous. We'll explain ahead on this AMERICAN MORNING.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: From the CNN Broadcast Center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Soledad O'Brien and Bill Hemmer.
O'BRIEN: And good morning, everybody, as we start our 9:00 hour in the East coast here. Bill Hemmer has the morning off. Anderson Cooper is filling in for him. It's nice to have you.
COOPER: It is nice to be here.
O'BRIEN: Thank you very much.
Lots of political news to start with this morning. Dana Bash is going to join us in just a few moments. She's got much more on the president's decision to get into a full campaign mode, bringing everything that comes with that. Speeches, TV ads, we're going to tell you what to expect.
COOPER: Even babies.
O'BRIEN: Kissing the babies always, of course.
COOPER: All right.
O'BRIEN: Thank you very much.
Lots of political news to start with this morning. Dana Bash is going to join us in just a few moments. She's got much more on the president's decision to get into a full campaign mode, bringing everything that comes with that. Speeches, TV ads, we're going to tell you what to expect.
COOPER: Even babies.
O'BRIEN: Kissing the babies always, of course.
COOPER: All right, it's all beginning. Also from the Other Side, the chairman of the Democratic National Committee, Terry McAuliffe. We're going to find out how the Democrats are going to respond to the president and to Ralph Nader.
O'BRIEN: And Jack...
CAFFERTY: What is wrong with Ralph Nader?
O'BRIEN: Some people say he has a very healthy ego.
CAFFERTY: Yes, apparently.
O'BRIEN: He's 70-years old, getting into the race. That's a lot of work.
CAFFERTY: Swell. Gee, that's great.
We're reading e-mails about this. If you're not a native born American, you cannot run for president of the United States. Arnold Schwarzenegger out there in California thinks that maybe we should change the constitution to allow people born elsewhere to be president. Am@cnn.com. Please give us your thoughts on that.
COOPER: All right, let's look at our...
CAFFERTY; Or Ralph Nader or...
O'BRIEN: Whatever you want.
CAFFERTY: Whatever's chewing at you this morning.
COOPER: All right, let's check out our top stories right now this hour. AT least eight people are dead after a suicide car bombing in Iraq. The explosion took place outside a police station in Kirkuk just hours before Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld arrived in Baghdad. Rumsfeld is meeting with senior coalition officials, as well as U.S. military commanders in his fourth visit to Iraq since the fall of Saddam Hussein.
A U.N. report to be released today may set a timeframe for future elections in Iraq. Speaking from Tokyo, U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan said the report contains ways to establish a government in Iraq. The report was created after a team of U.N. experts visited Iraq to study the possibility of holding elections there before the June 30th handover.
Ground controllers will fly an empty space station for a few hours this week. According to a report obtained by "The Washington Post," both astronauts from the station will go outside the craft at the same time. The walk is expected to last around 5.5 hours and is set to take place this Thursday.
Same-sex couples can still marry in San Francisco, but there will not be as many of them. Starting today, the process will be by appointment only. That will limit the number to about 50 a day. More than 3,000 same-sex couples have married since February. 12 legal battles on the issue are ongoing.
Heavy rains caused travel delays and flooded roads in southern California. The severe weather, during the weekend, triggered mudslide warnings. It's also being blamed for hundreds of car wrecks. Scattered showers are expected throughout today. A lot of water on the ground as you can see.
O'BRIEN: Yes, and of course, the - all that is caused by the fires in southern California is really what led to the barren lands, meaning the mud floods. California has such a big problem with that.
COOPER: They do every year.
O'BRIEN: Huge mess there.
Weather now. And here I am, stealing Chad's thunder, right? Am I right, Chad?
MYERS: You are absolutely correct.
O'BRIEN: Thank you.
MYERS: And you remember what the fire season was like. It was big. We had hundreds of thousands of acres going up in flames. And now all that rain coming back down.
And Soledad, the problem is not the rain that came down yesterday. We have another three days of rain to go.
Rain for New Orleans, though, Mardi Gras on tap for the next couple of days. It is going to be wet. Make sure you take your ponchos there. Otherwise, back out to the West, here's the rain now. It's raining in Phoenix. Also, still raining in parts of the L.A. Basin.
But another storm will drop down here for Tuesday, go down another couple of inches on top of that now, very saturated ground. And we will have mudslides later in the week there. Folks there don't want to hear it.
43 in New York City, 48 in D.C. today, 54 in St. Louis. Pleasant across the plains. The rain stays well south of Kansas City, into Oklahoma City and also into Tulsa.
Good morning, West Coast. Seattle and Portland. A couple of showers in the Cascades, but rain not snow. Vegas today rain and a high of only 55. Oklahoma City the same. No airport delays just yet, but we have some ceilings coming down, some fog being reported in some spots. So some of those airports are going to slow down pretty soon.
Soledad, back to you.
O'BRIEN: All right, Chad, thanks a lot.
Turning to politics now, consumer and political activist Ralph Nader says he is running for president as an Independent. But will his third party candidacy be as effective the second time around?
Here's CNN's Candy Crowley.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CROWD: Run, run, Ralph! Run, Ralph, Run!
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Oops, he'll do it again.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I wish Ralph Nader wasn't running.
CROWLEY: Much to the angst of Democrats, Ralph is running for president as an Independent. "Monumentally irresponsible," fumed the defenders of Wildlife Action Fund. "Friends don't let friends help Bush," said the Progressives United Against Bush, etcetera.
GOV. BILL RICHARDSON (D), NEW MEXICO: He has no movement. He has no support. He wants to be a spoiler.
CROWLEY: Visions of Florida and other squeaker states pound through their heads. 2000 could have been so different, Democrats argue, if only Nader, then a Green Party candidate, had not siphoned off votes that otherwise might have been Gore's. Nader rejects that role then and now.
RALPH NADER (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: A spoiler is a contemptuous term, as if anybody who dares to challenge the two party system in corrupt politics and broken politics and corporate power is a spoiler? Come again?
CROWLEY: Surely it will be more difficult for Nader this time around. Without the Green Party as home base, he may have money troubles. With the past as prologue, he may have voter troubles.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hopefully Democrats will have learned their lesson and this will now make Ralph Nader completely obsolete.
CROWLEY: Still, he could make a difference. Note the kid glove treatment from the mainstream campaign trail.
SEN. JOHN EDWARDS (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think it's for Ralph Nader to decide for himself what he should do.
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm going to appeal to everybody in this race. We'll make it unnecessary in the end for an alternative.
CROWD: Run, Ralph, Run!
CROWLEY: In an election that will be tough and might be tight, no sense riling up anybody's voters if you don't have to.
Candy Crowley, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: Senior political analyst Bill Schneider's with us for a little bit more about what Nader's candidacy's means to the presidential race. He's in our Washington bureau this morning.
Bill, good morning. Nice to see you, as always.
BILL SCHNEIDER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Good morning.
O'BRIEN: Terry McAuliffe said Ralph Nader's entry is very unfortunate. What do you think the impact's going to be? And do you think it's going to be the same as the impact back in 2000?
SCHNEIDER: No, I don't. Of course, most of the votes that Ralph Nader gets are votes that the Democrat would otherwise expect to get. And if it's excruciatingly close, then once again, it could hurt the Democrats.
But there's a big difference between 2004 and 2000. The difference is this. We know what happened in 2000. Liberals inclined to support Ralph Nader know the consequences of supporting him. In 2000, the evidence is very clear, he elected Bush president.
So this time, they understand that if they vote Ralph Nader, they're voting for George Bush. And they may be very reluctant to do that a second time.
O'BRIEN: It seems that we keep analyzing what the impact will be on the Democrats. Well, what about the impact on President Bush in the White - in the Bush administration and the White House now?
SCHNEIDER: Well, you know, Ralph Nader has a very tough criticism of President Bush. He says Washington is now corporate occupied territory. That's got to be Republicans, because they occupy everything in Washington, Congress, the White House, everything.
It's possible he could bring out a lot of new angry voters fed up with the Bush administration, who will think twice about voting for him and instead, vote Democrats. And in any case, they may vote for Democrats for the Senate and for the House, where Ralph Nader is not on the ballot and Democrats are.
O'BRIEN: Al Sharpton says it's just an ego trip. There are people who are progressives who previously supported - I'm having trouble speaking today - Bill, I got to tell you - who previously supported Ralph Nader, who now say not a chance. No way. What do you think? What's the conventional wisdom about why he's doing this? Is it as simple as it's an ego trip?
SCHNEIDER: Yes, well, that - the conventional wisdom is vanity. I think there's one more thing here. He proved in 2000 that he has clout. He knows he has clout. Look, he made Bush president. So now he's saying, look, I can make a difference. This time, you better pay attention to what I say because I'm a king maker.
O'BRIEN: At the same time, because he's running as an independent, he has a lot more and higher hurdles he has to overcome. Do you think financially and logistically he can do it?
SCHNEIDER: It's going to be tough for him to get on the ballots in 50 states. I don't think he'll do that. He's already said that while he's going to try, a lot of those states really are contested. I mean, I'm not sure what good it'll do him to get on the ballot in Texas, which is almost certain to go for George Bush in any case.
He'll try to get on as many ballots as possible, where he has a chance of making a difference, like say Florida.
O'BRIEN: And maybe New Hampshire again as well. A quick question for you on Senator Kerry and Senator Edwards' reactions. You heard just moments ago, both of them downplaying. Senator Kerry didn't even mention Nader by name. Just sort of said any alternative is not going to be an issue.
They seem to be poo-poohing the idea that it's a big deal. Do you think that they're overstating their understatement?
SCHNEIDER: Well, I think they're - they got to be a little bit worried about him. And I think, you know, there's not much they can do. You can't stop Ralph Nader.
I think Kerry may be worried because Nader's critique is very pointed at candidates who seem to be enthralled corporate interests. And one of the charges against Kerry is that he's gotten a lot of money from lobbyists over the years. So when Nader says Washington is corporate occupied territory, that criticism I think falls very hard on a guy like John Kerry, who has raised a lot of money from lobbying organizations.
O'BRIEN: We will see what happens in the days and weeks and months ahead. Bill Schneider joining us this morning. Nice to see you. Thanks.
SCHNEIDER: Good to see you.
O'BRIEN: Coming up at the half hour, I'm going to speaking with Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe. Also, CNN will have live coverage of Ralph Nader's news conference. That's scheduled to start in just a little less than an hour from now at 10:00 a.m. Eastern time - Anderson? COOPER: Well, President Bush is about to shift his re-election campaign to high gear with a major speech tonight. Dana Bash is live at the White House with a preview.
Dana, what can we expect to hear from the president?
DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Anderson, tonight, we expect to see candidate Bush in a way that we haven't seen him yet this election cycle. We're told that he is not going to name names, but he will definitely go after his opponents in a way that he hasn't done yet at all, particularly on the issues of the economy and national security, the two named themes that his campaign is preparing for him this election year.
Now this is part of what campaign aides call a tactical shift, that is really starting earlier than planned. The Bush campaign wanted to wait until the Democratic nominee was settled on, but because of what they call a barrage of negative attacks against the president, and his poll numbers certainly are sliding, they decided to step up the timing of this just a big - Anderson?
COOPER: We also understand there are going to be some new ads released, I think starting in March. What do you know about them?
BASH: Well, the campaign is actually going to start making calls today to national cable networks and also to local media markets, key ones for sure to start buying ad time. And they are going to start running next week.
Now they will feature, we are told, the president. They were shot earlier this month. They are going to talk about what the campaign says is his positive message. And the tag line we expect to be "steady leadership in times of change." These ads, Anderson, will run two days after the Super Tuesday primaries. That's March 4th. And they will run, we are told, no matter if the Democrats have a final nominee or not at that time.
COOPER: All right, Dana Bash at the White House. Thanks very much, Dana.
BASH: Thank you.
O'BRIEN: An explosion during a carnival celebration in the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince reportedly killed a person overnight. It was unclear if that bomb was connected to the political violence that's spreading in Haiti.
Yesterday, rebels who want to overthrow President Jean Bertrand- Aristide took over the nation's second largest city, Cap Haitien. The violence has claimed dozens of lives in the last weeks. And rebels say they will respond today to a U.S.-backed peace plan that would let them share power with Aristide until new elections are organized.
COOPER: Well, still to come this morning, why some parents are defending a football coach who was suspended for criticizing an alleged rape victim? We're going to hear from one of the coach's supporters.
O'BRIEN: And Martha Stewart's defense begins to argue its case, and tries to get some charges dismissed, but will Stewart take the stand in her own defense? A live report is just ahead.
COOPER: And it may be a preview for the Oscars. We'll tell you who won big at the Screen Actor's Guild Awards last night. All that ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: With the University of Colorado football program reeling from allegations of rape, parents of several dozen players are defending suspending head coach Gary Barnett.
One of those parents, Bob Creighton, was a news conference yesterday. And earlier on AMERICAN MORNING, I asked him why all the parents decided to come forward.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BOB CREIGHTON: To this point, we had been a very silent group, quiet in a way to protect our children, to watch out for them and let this story unfold, and let the committee begin their investigation to get to the truth in this matter.
O'BRIEN: I know that you have said that this entire situation is bizarre. In addition, you've said that you consider the coach a mentor to your son. Do you think that the coach is being treated unfairly by the university, by the media, by both?
CREIGHTON: I think that first the media has made and perpetuated the allegation, that is bizarre at best, that you would think that Gary Barnett would promote excessive alcohol and sex to lure athletes - student athletes to the University of Colorado just cannot and is not true.
The university is trying its best to protect the entire student body and its faculty. There are 28,000 students there, good students. And those people we need to hear about and hear about them more often.
O'BRIEN: At the same time, it seems like some of the coach's own words were what seemed to leave the university president Hoffman to take the action of suspending the coach with pay. For example, his comments about Katie Neyda, as you well know. What did you think of those comments when you heard them?
CREIGHTON: Well, first of all, I thought it was important that you take the entire comment in its total context. Gary Barnett's a football coach. I was frankly surprised that he was able to stand up for 18 days and take the constant barrage of the media and press, both locally and nationally without making a mistake.
And I think Gary would say that he wish could he could have those words back, but he also would say I wish they'd take the entire comment in its complete context. O'BRIEN: In addition, we've heard from at least one mother of another player, who said that her son can't even walk around wearing a sweatshirt or anything really with a C.U. insignia because of the harassment that he gets.
What's your son been telling you about what's going on at the school and his experience?
CREIGHTON: Well, I had a chance to visit with that mother yesterday. And it's true. The student athlete walking across campus is picked out and is singled out. I know a large number of the student athletes on campus, the football players, have been receiving e-mail threats consistently, phone message, text mail threats and words to criticize them as responsible young men and citizens.
They are first students and second athletes and contributing members of that community. And we as parents, all parents, would want this. We as parents specifically want the community to know our student athletes are important to us and important to that community.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: No charges have been filed in connection with those allegations. University president Elizabeth Hoffman says Barnett may have his job back if investigators find that the charges don't represent a pervasive culture within the football and athletic programs.
COOPER: On a complete different note, Johnny Depp and Charlize Theron took the top acting prizes during the Screen Actor's Guilds Awards. Depp was a surprise winner, a lot of people said last night in what is often seen as a dress rehearsal for the Oscars.
"The Lord of the Rings" won the SAG equivalent of Best Picture, but the sentimental favorite was clearly the cast of "Sex and the City." The HBO series picked up the award for top ensemble in a series. Last night, Kristin Davis, Cynthia Nixon and Kim Cattrall reflected on the end of the show's six year run.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KRISTIN DAVIS, ACTRESS: It's been great so far, you know. It's been an amazing, amazing time. And HBO has been just wonderful to us.
CYNTHIA NIXON, ACTRESS: It's been a suggestion of Kristin's for many years.
DAVIS: I personally have had a fantasy for many years about this. And I'm just really happy that someone listened. But you don't know, we don't know. We don't know really.
KIM CATTRALL, ACTRESS: Don't ask her about it because she gets teary eyed.
DAVIS: It's true.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Later, this hour, our 90 second pop crew will tell us if the "Sex and the City" finale was good for them.
O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, aren't you glad you don't live in Italy? If you don't like flying fruit, you might be...
COOPER: What?
O'BRIEN: ...because look at this. This is happening apparently in Italy. We'll explain their whaling oranges at each other. And it looks like it might hurt. We'll explain what it's all about just ahead. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Same-sex marriages are scheduled to resume this morning in San Francisco, but for now, it is only by appointment. A judge on Friday denied a request from conservative groups to issue a temporary restraining order against the city. The mayor says he's not going to change the city's stamp, even if it might be damaging to him politically. Nearly 3200 same-sex couples have received licenses since the city began issuing them 12 days ago.
COOPER: And time to check in with Jack Cafferty and our question of the day.
CAFFERTY: Isn't - I don't understand that. Isn't it against the law in California for same-sex people to marry?
O'BRIEN: Yes, it is.
CAFFERTY: OK, that's what I thought.
O'BRIEN: Well, that's - so that's his whole point.
COOPER: The mayor is saying that there is a larger law at stake, that he...
O'BRIEN: A moral law says Gavin Newsom.
COOPER: And he said that it's anti-discrimination.
O'BRIEN: But other people would say take it to the courts...
CAFFERTY: Right, let me ask this again. Is it against the law for same-sex people to marry in California?
O'BRIEN: Yes, it is.
COOPER: You know, I asked the mayor this question like twice and he wouldn't actually answer that question.
CAFFERTY: Soledad gave me the answer I'm looking for.
O'BRIEN: Glad to help you out Jack anytime. CAFFERTY: California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger thinks immigrants ought to be allowed to run for president. That's against the law under the constitution and so far are managing to enforce that one. Yesterday on "Meet on the Press," Schwarzenegger said he'll support an amendment that would allow those who have been citizens for 20 years to run for president. And we want to know if you think that's a good idea or not.
C.C. writes, "we cannot depend on native presidents to protect the interests of the American people. Our jobs are being exported. What can we expect from non-native presidents?"
Mary in Huntsville, Alabama, "I totally agree with the governor of California. It appears we have run out of good leadership material in this country. Maybe some outside blood would invigorate our political pool."
Leslie in Brooklyn, New York, "I'm an immigrant and I believe that the presidency should only be available to those born in the United States. There are certain privileges that must be kept sacred for natives."
Alma in Baltimore, Maryland, "Unless there's a shortage of native-born people qualified for and interested in running for president the Constitution should not be amended, not for something like this."
And John in Nashville, Tennessee, this is not a particularly riveting match here, John in Nashville, Tennessee, "why should the Schwarzenegger have to speak English to be president? It was not a requirement for Dubya."
How harsh. We'll do one more of these. Hopefully, they'll be better in a half an hour.
O'BRIEN: I thought those were quite good.
COOPER: Those were all right.
CAFFERTY: You like those?
O'BRIEN: Yes, I wouldn't say love, but I thought...
CAFFERTY: Yes, they were, you know, C minus.
O'BRIEN: ...above - no, no, higher.
CAFFERTY: No.
COOPER: We - our audience is tough.
CAFFERTY: They're capable is much more.
COOPER: A tough crowd.
O'BRIEN: Exactly, very tough as you well know. COOPER: All right.
O'BRIEN: Well, it is carnival time. And estimated 400,000 people visit Rio de Janeiro every year for the grand daddy of carnival celebrations. Well, last night, it was the world famous samba.
COOPER: There's Jack Cafferty. There he is.
O'BRIEN: You know, they always show the woman in the beaded bikini. Party in Brazil lasts five days...
CAFFERTY: What's wrong with that?
O'BRIEN: ...before Lent begins on Ash Wednesday.
In Italy, there we go, it's the orange parade on steroids. Look at this.
COOPER: Now there's Cafferty.
O'BRIEN: Old oranges is the carnival tradition in one corner of Northwestern Italy.
CAFFERTY: They should do this with coconuts.
O'BRIEN: These guys, look at them. They're whaling these things. And of course...
COOPER: That would hurt.
CAFFERTY: Yes.
O'BRIEN: ...the people in the crowd aren't wearing helmets and football shoulder pads, but...
COOPER: It's also ominous the guys - it's like Darth Vader. And there's a guy like nursing his bruise.
O'BRIEN: Yes, it's got to hurt.
COOPER: Yes.
CAFFERTY: Anita Bryant was there, did you see that?
O'BRIEN: Apparently a celebration of a Medeval in which townspeople overthrew an evil king, they say. Participants say it doesn't hurt. Yes.
COOPER: They overthrew the evil king with oranges? I don't understand.
O'BRIEN: It happened a long time ago...
COOPER: Back when oranges were really hard and dark.
O'BRIEN: ...that's what I tell my three-year old when - I'm like I don't know. It happened a long time ago.
CAFFERTY: Long ago and far away.
O'BRIEN: But it ended happily ever after.
COOPER: Oh, well that's good. All right.
CAFFERTY: Just like this will in about 35 minutes.
O'BRIEN: God willing.
CAFFERTY: We're hoping.
COOPER: Well, when Cafferty breaks out the oranges, I'm ducking.
All right still to come, after much fanfare, "Sex in the City" bids adieu, but was it satisfying finale? We're going to debate in 90 seconds tops. Stay with us on AMERICAN MORNING.
O'BRIEN: We love the song.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Beautiful shot there. It's one of the...
COOPER: That's my favorite shot from this set.
O'BRIEN: It really is a lovely shot there.
Welcome back, everybody. The opening bell is coming up in just a few moments. It is just about half past the hour on this AMERICAN MORNING. And we're going to get to that.
Bill Hemmer, as we've been mentioning all morning, is out.
COOPER: He is. He's snow boarding apparently, but I'm here.
O'BRIEN: Yes, Anderson. And we certainly appreciate it because you work a long day.
COOPER: Well, I'm happy to be here. It's - it doesn't feel like work with you.
O'BRIEN: Ha.
COOPER: Thank you, thanks very much.
O'BRIEN: But that's nice of you to say. Anyway, as we mentioned, the opening bell is ringing on Wall Street. There it goes. The Dow Jones Industrial Average starts the week at 10,619 after losing more than 45 points on Friday. Over at the Nasdaq market site, the composite index opened to 2037. That's down just over eight points on Friday.
COOPER: Let's take a look at what's going on this morning. Just into CNN, U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan has set a new timeframe for future elections in Iraq. CNN has learned that Annan has recommended delaying elections until years end. The decision comes after a team of U.N. experts visited Iraq to study the possibility of holding elections there, before the June 30th handover.
In other news, thousands of demonstrators are at the Hague at the Netherlands, as the World Court takes up the issue of Israel's barrier in the West Bank. The court is acting on requests from Palestinian leaders, who argue that the barrier is a way for Israel to annex Palestinian territories. Israel, which is not attending the hearings, has said it is solely a safety measure. The barrier is still under construction.
Divers are expected to search for five crew members missing after their boat sank in the Mississippi River. The Coast Guard spent this weekend looking for the sailors, whose boat had capsized after colliding with a large ship over the weekend. The accident stopped traffic south of New Orleans. Officials say the channel will probably stay closed today.
London's famous double decker buses will soon be a thing of the past. The red two story buses that have graced London's streets for over five decades will be gone by late next year. London transport officials say they will all be replaced with modern buses.
Hard to believe.
O'BRIEN: Yes, that is hard to believe. That's two bad. That's a real...
COOPER: It's such a tourist attraction. I don't know why they would do that.
O'BRIEN: Maybe they'll just keep a couple.
COOPER: Maybe.
O'BRIEN: Who knows?
(INTERVIEW)
COOPER: Well, the judge in the Martha Stewart case will hear arguments this morning about throwing out some of the charges against Stewart and her co-defendant, Peter Baconovic. Deborah Feyerick is live at the federal court in Manhattan.
Deb, good morning. I understand that things are starting early today. Why?
DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Things did start early today because the judge really wanted to hear evidence on the securities fraud charge. That's the most serious charge that Martha Stewart is facing right now. Her lawyers say there simply is not enough evidence. And the judge wanted to see those arguments in writing, so she could consider them over the weekend. Now she's hearing oral arguments. Prosecutors have said yes, there is enough evidence that they feel they can get a guilty plea, but if the judge feels no, you guys, you just didn't prove it, then she's going to take that charge away, not even give the jury the opportunity to consider it -- Anderson?
COOPER: What else is expected to happen in court today?
FEYERICK: Well, there are a lot of things going on. As a matter of fact, just one of the first things that Stewart's lawyers said in court today was that he didn't feel there was enough independent corroborative evidence for the conspiracy charge against Martha Stewart. He sort of shifted the blame somewhat more to Peter Baconovic and Daniel - and Doug Faneuil, the government's star witness saying well, Stewart never knew of their conspiracy. And so, there's not enough independent evidence. That really goes to burden of proof moreover than, you know, just is there anything to support it?
But as far as what today's going to happen, the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) will continue to put people on the stand that they can refute the points that were made last week by the prosecution. They're trying to get an ink analyst, an ink expert to testify that the markings that were on Peter Baconovic's worksheet, which the government says shows a conspiracy, that in fact those could have been made at any time and there's no conclusive proof. And so, they don't think their clients can really go down on that charge.
COOPER: Deborah, I talked to Jeffrey Toobin earlier today. He said this thing could be wrapped up by the end of the week. I guess it all hinges on whether or not Martha Stewart will testify and whether or not Peter Baconovic will get on the stand. Any sense on whether those two things may happen?
FEYERICK: Well, sources close to the defense right now saying that they're leaning against putting either Peter Baconovic or Martha Stewart on the stand. What that means is that in the minds of the defense attorneys, they really don't think that the government has mounted a sufficient case for the jury to come back with a guilty verdict.
So as long as they don't feel that the government's shown that burden of proof, then they will keep their clients off that stand because the one thing you don't want is to give those prosecutors any chance to bring up any information that could potentially be hurtful to Stewart or Baconovic.
COOPER: All right, Deborah Feyerick, thanks very much, Deborah.
O'BRIEN: In California, southern California soaked by downpours, hundreds of accidents now being blamed on this weekend's storm. And the highway patrol is urging people not to drive if they don't have to.
A final look at the weather this morning. And Chad Myers is at the CNN Center for us.
Hey, Chad, good morning again.
MYERS: Good morning, Soledad. And more rain on the way. This is really now the rain that made everything soggy. You can see the flood and the mud there. And now we're going to have three more storms lined up for southern California in the next week.
Here's the rain right now. Most of it tapering off there. But to the east, still picking up. Phoenix, carefree. Mesa, seeing some rain showers this morning. Rain across the south central states as well. And zooming in here to Mobile and New Orleans, oh, man, Mardi Gras. Very wet this morning. A live shot from our affiliate WDSU there in New Orleans. It does look like there's a break to the south. You get down to Holma, it's not raining anymore. And then clearing skies moving your way.
Not saying it's going to be clear all day, but at least when you get some clear spots, get out there and enjoy Mardi Gras if you're there.
79, Orlando today, 82 in Miami. Here's that heavy rain all across the Gulf Coast. 48 in D.C., 42 Boston today. Pleasant across most of the Midwest, where your temperatures go from 54 in St. Louis to 57 in Nashville. And now taking you back all the way out to the West, a sunny day all across the Pacific Northwest. Even some sunshine in Seattle and in Portland.
Right now, we have a couple of airport delays. Denver, 15 minutes. San Francisco, the same. All other airports acting pretty well this Monday morning. Soledad, back to you.
O'BRIEN: Great, Chad. Thanks a lot.
COOPER: And still to come today, you work in America and your taxes go to the American government, but are your tax forms being prepared overseas? Andy Serwer looks at a startling new trend.
O'BRIEN: Plus, our 90 second pop panel looks at the "Sex and the City" finale. Did it live up to expectations? Keep it right here. You're watching AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: This just in to CNN, we've got word coming to us from the Associated Press that 50 combat ready U.S. Marines are now headed to Haiti to secure the embassy and staff in Port-au-Prince. That's ahead of some threats in Haiti's capital. The violence there in its third week, as rebels have overtaken half of the island and also the second largest city in Haiti.
President Jean Bertrand-Aristide has said he will not step down before his term is over in 2006. But at this hour, we are getting a report from the Associated Press that 50 U.S. Marines are making their way into Haiti in order to protect the U.S. embassy there. We're going to, of course, continue to follow this story and update you on any progress as it happens - Anderson?
COOPER: All right, Soledad, we know outsourcing, of course, is a growing issue. But outsourcing the preparation of your tax returns. With that, plus a check of the market, Andy Serwer is minding your business.
SERWER: Why am I not surprised by this outsourcing? Everything nowadays. Let's check the markets, though, first, Anderson. I think we do have a little bit of a rally going on. Well, it's a little bit. I did say a little. It's up only about eight points there. You can see what's moving Lowes. Talked about them having good numbers this morning. That stock is down, though, a $1.00. How many times have we seen that when a company reports good news? They're selling on it.
Citigroup is up a little bit, though. They bought a big bank in South Korea this morning. That stock is up over 50 percent over the past 12 months.
Let's talk about this tax return story.
COOPER: Yes, is this really true? The - your tax returns are actually prepared in...
SERWER: It's really true for more and more Americans. Accountants very, very busy this time of year. And guess what? They're sending them overseas to India, to Bangalore, to get finished, to get prepared.
The AP has an interesting story showing that the number of returns prepared over there has gone up from 1,000 a couple years ago to 150,000 to 200,000 returns this year. Ernst & Young, interestingly here in the story, says that they do about 15,000 of 100,000 returns and make you sign a document saying that you understand and acknowledge that it could prepared in India.
COOPER: Wow, interesting.
SERWER: It sure is.
COOPER: All right, Andy thanks very much.
SERWER: You're welcome.
O'BRIEN: Now let's turn to the question of the day and Mr. Cafferty?
CAFFERTY: What, in the event of an audit, you have to arrange passage for this guy to the United States?
SERWER: Back and forth, Jack, yes.
CAFFERTY: If you were...
O'BRIEN: And put him up at your house while the trial goes on.
CAFFERTY: Yes, see, bring the wife and all the kids. If you weren't born in the U.S., should you be allowed to run for president? Arnold Schwarzenegger thinks that's a good idea because he's from Austria and he can't run for president under the current law.
Jane writes, "It's all about Arnold, isn't it, a place to smoke his cigars and a chance to be president. Has he done anything useful yet?"
And another topic, Ralph Nader entering the presidential race. This is from Timothy in East Lansing. I like this letter. "I will not be happy until Ralph Nader hurls himself off a cliff in a Corvair. The guy is terminally stupid. We shouldn't be worried about foreigners in the White House. There are enough morons here in the United States."
SERWER: Wow.
CAFFERTY: Cruel, but funny.
SERWER: Unsafe at any speed.
CAFFERTY: That's true in a Corvair.
SERWER: Right. Yes, that was the vogue.
O'BRIEN: Where did that come from?
SERWER: That was the book.
COOPER: Now he's thinking of - he's making a speech live, I think at 10:00 today.
O'BRIEN: Yes, that's right.
COOPER: I got to cover that.
CAFFERTY: I got to get home and set my VCR.
COOPER: We're going to cover it live.
CAFFERTY: Or we're going to - OK.
O'BRIEN: Absolutely.
CAFFERTY: Give me a tape, will you?
COOPER: Momentarily.
O'BRIEN: And in fact, it is coming up on CNN this morning, consumer and political activist Ralph Nader is back and he's stirring up the presidential race. CNN's going to take you live to his news conference. That's coming up on "CNN Live" today with Daryn Kagan.
AMERICAN MORNING will be back in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: I know you're going to be sorry to hear this, Anderson...
COOPER: Yes?
O'BRIEN: ...but it's over. COOPER: No.
O'BRIEN: Yes.
COOPER: Say it ain't so.
SERWER: No.
O'BRIEN: It's so. I'm sorry.
COOPER: It only felt like four hours.
O'BRIEN: And we ended 10:00 a.m. Eastern time.
SERWER: He wants another hour, it sounds like to me.
O'BRIEN: OK, you stay. Let's see if Daryn Kagan, who's going to be taking over for us for "CNN Live" today wants to hang out with you for the next hour.
COOPER: All right, I'll be here.
O'BRIEN: You can stay right here. Daryn, is that all right?
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: I'm just counting the hours. Only nine hours 'til Anderson Cooper's "360."
SERWER: Yes, right, you just keep them on all day.
COOPER: Right.
O'BRIEN: Sure, see it's done.
COOPER: I appreciate the plug, Daryn.
KAGAN: Yes, ANN, Anderson News Network. Hey you guys have a great day in New York City. We'll go ahead and get started here in Atlanta.
O'BRIEN: You, too, Daryn.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired February 29, 2004 - 08:30 Â ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Anderson Cooper is sitting in for Bill Hemmer this morning.
Nice to have you.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: I'm very glad to be here.
O'BRIEN: Thank you. You say that like you really mean it, Anderson.
COOPER: I've been practicing. I've been saying it to a mirror for like an hour now.
O'BRIEN: For days now, right? Well, thank you, even if you don't mean it. This morning, a look at this question, can the U.S. afford to stay out of Haiti? We're going to talk to former Defense Secretary William Cohen about the deteriorating situation there, the second largest city now falling to rebels over the weekend. Just how far is the U.S. willing to let this situation go?
COOPER: Also, how much screening do you do when you go to a new doctor? Sanjay Gupta is with us in a few minutes to talk about deadly mistakes made by phony doctors masquerading as the real thing.
O'BRIEN: That's a scary story, isn't it?
COOPER: Yes.
O'BRIEN: We'll look into that. Let's get right to our top stories, though, first. A car bomb exploded at the police station in Iraq this morning, killing at least eight people, wounding 35 hours. The blast came just hours before Defense Secretary Rumsfeld arrived in Baghdad. Secretary Rumsfeld is meeting with senior coalition officials and U.S. military commanders.
President Bush is expected to give Democrats a jab in a highly political speech tonight. The president will make his remarks at a D.C. meeting with Republican governors. The campaign speech comes about a week before the first campaign ads are set to hit the airwaves.
Howard Dean's campaign debt probably exceeds half a million dollars. That's according to campaign manager Roy Neil. He says despite raising a record $50.3 million, the campaign budget is in the negative numbers. Neil says the campaign may try to raise money from supporters over the Internet. And deja-vu at the box office with "50 First Dates" coming first place with movie goers again. The romantic comedy featuring Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler earned about $21 million this weekend, taking its 10 day haul to over $72 million. Coming in second was Disney's new release, called "Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen," apparently a very big hit with the 14-year old set.
COOPER: You know, a kid I went to high school with wrote and directed, I think, that Adam Sandler movie.
O'BRIEN: Really?
COOPER: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Wow.
COOPER: Who knew?
O'BRIEN: Who knew? Good for him.
COOPER: All right, let's take a look at the weather, what's going on. Chad Myers at the CNN Center with the latest forecast.
Morning, Chad.
CHAD MYERS, METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Anderson. Good to see you here in the morning. I know you like waking up later than you have to in this cold.
COOPER: Yes, I like about noon and that's my average wake-up time.
MYERS: Yes, exactly, that was my old shift as well. Hey, scattered rain showers now in New Orleans. If you're waking up in New Orleans this morning, expect a wet day. It is going to be a wet Monday and a wet Mardi Gras tomorrow as well. A little bit of light rain moving into Atlanta as well, but if you look at the live shot we have from WSB here in Atlanta, not too much on the horizon. A couple of light rain showers to the rest of the city. But later on today, it does get rainy and it does slow down. We will have an awful lot of airport delays across the country this morning and into this afternoon because of all the rain.
Not so much because of the snow across the north. A couple of snow showers across the Detroit. But L.A., you're going to get more rain. Good morning. It's going to be a slow commute for you in a lot of spots. And that rain is moving into Vegas, into Phoenix as well this morning.
Dry day in Orlando today. Enjoy it. It is going to be very wet in the middle of the week. Some computer models printing out three to five inches of rain for you, central Florida before it's all done. 37 Cincinnati. 57 in Nashville today. So the weather gets more pleasant as you move out into the middle part of the country. 39 with sunshine in Denver. Great day for skiing out in the Rockys. They're going to get snow, not only today, but all the way through this week. In fact, you're not only going to probably have enough rain to make mudslides in California, but avalanches in Colorado and New Mexico. We're going to have to keep watching it. Three storms lined up like planes headed to La Guardia.
Soledad, back to you.
O'BRIEN: All right, Chad, thanks a lot.
In Haiti, rebel leaders seeking to overthrow President Jean Bertrand-Aristide say they will control the entire country within two weeks. That prediction comes as government and opposition forces struggle for control of Haiti's second largest city Cap Haitien.
More than half of Haiti is beyond the control of the Aristide government. Dozens of people have been killed since the uprising began nearly three weeks ago. The rebels say that they're going to respond today to a U.S. backed peace plan, which would keep Aristide as president, while sharing some of his power.
In the capital Port-au-Prince overnight, one person reportedly died in a bomb blast at a carnival celebration. It is unclear, though, if that bombing was connected to the insurgency in any way.
(LIVE INTERVIEW)
COOPER: Well, parents of about 30 University of Colorado football players say they are behind suspended Coach Gary Barnett.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RONNIE GORDON, MOTHER OF CU PLAYER: It has been our experience that Coach Barnett is a man of utmost integrity and has our wholehearted support. We're proud to have our sons as part of the football program at the University of Colorado. Give us back our coach.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Barnett was suspended, you'll remember, amid six allegations of rape against Colorado football player since 2000. The team is also accused of using sex parties to recruit players.
No formal charges have been filed, but as Josie Burke reports, investigations are underway.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOSIE BURKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For more than three weeks, allegations of sexual assault have battered the University of Colorado football program. Late last week, one of the accused, Anarika Dawn, stepped forward and through his attorney insisted not only was he not involved, but he was a victim of racial profiling.
NANCY HOLTON, ANARIKA DAWN'S ATTORNEY: I feel appalled that all the investigation had a description of the possible perpetrator was that he was big and black. It makes this investigation appear to me to be racially motivated.
BURKE: Dawn's charges only add to the already smoldering campus atmosphere. A university women's group is holding a rally Monday to voice concerns over the make-up of a panel investigating the scandal.
GEORGINA SOLOMAN, STUDENTS ADVOCATING FOR FAIR AND EQUAL TREATMENT: We'd like to see a sexual assault prevention expert on the panel. And student participation wouldn't be bad.
BURKE: It is against this backdrop that interim football coach Brian Cabral begins his first week at the Colorado helm. Cabral was named Friday to replace suspended Coach Gary Barnett.
BRIAN CABRAL, COLORADO INTERIM HEAD COACH: There's a lot of wounded spirits. And there needs to be a lot of healing. And it's just a matter of time, I believe, that yes, the truth will come out. And we'll survive this.
BURKE: The first meeting of the independent panel looking into the football program is scheduled for March 2nd. With an April 30th deadline to file a report, that leaves much to look at and not a lot of time.
Josie Burke, CNN, Boulder.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: University president Elizabeth Hoffman says Barnett can have his job back if investigators find that the charges don't represent a pervasive culture within the football and athletic program.
Soledad?
O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning on AMERICAN MORNING, making sure you're in good hands when you go to the doctor. Dr. Sanjay Gupta was going to give us some tips on what you should look for.
COOPER: Plus the new $20 bill is designed to stop counterfeiters. Is it working? Andy Serwer will have a new report about the bill's effectiveness. Stay with us on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: Well, police believe that a man who was charged with practicing medicine without a license may be responsible for the death of a woman who disappeared last year. The body of Maria Cruz was discovered last week buried in a concrete tomb in a Newark, New Jersey home. That home was once owned by this man, Dean Faello (ph). Authorities believe he has since fled to Costa Rica. Such cases may be rare, but they are frightening. How can patients be sure their doctor is legit?
Dr. Sanjay Gupta joins us from CNN Center with some important advice. Good morning, Sanjay.
SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Anderson. Frightening and rare, those are exactly the two words probably that best describe this.
There aren't many anecdotal stories of fraudulent doctors over the years. Interestingly in our reporting, we found that the American Medical Association or any other organizing committee does not keep track of fraudulent doctors. So mainly these stories are anecdotal.
It's important to remember that it is very rare as well, but it is possible for someone to pose as a doctor, to pose as an imposter. Cosmetic surgery, usually the field that attracts the most imposter doctors.
Let's go through some tips here, interestingly, to try and find out if your doctor is legitimate. This is what a lot of people wonder when they hear a story like this.
Check the license and good standing. You can get that either from the office itself, the doctor's office, asking the doctor about the license. Usually they're posted on the wall. Use the American Medical Association. They're going to have a listing on their website of all the active and practicing doctors.
The state medical boards probably are going to be your most valuable website. It's going to give you all kinds of information, including recent sanctions against the doctor. And get a comprehensive doctor report as well. This is something you can get for - from some of these for pay websites. One of the ones that we looked at was healthgrades.com. That's a pretty good website. For $6.95, you can all the recent information on your doctor.
There are a lot of doctors practicing without - with suspended licenses are more common than imposter doctors. That's more of a concern to people. There are ways to try and check for that as well.
The state medical boards, again, going to be your best source of information there. They're going to track doctors to revoke or suspended license, probation, practicing beyond the scope of training, drug or alcohol abuse, sexual misconduct, litigation pending against the doctor. Again, all these situations pretty rare.
For the most part, when you go to a hospital, when you go to a doctor, you're going to get a doctor who is in good standing. But it's all - if you feel like checking here, some ways to do it - Anderson?
COOPER: Sanjay, why are cosmetic procedures more susceptible to fraud?
GUPTA: Well, you know, there's a lot of interesting stories about that. One story actually has to do with Mr. Mexico, a former body builder, who went to a doctor in South Beach, Dr. Reynaldo Silvestri, now known as the butcher of South Beach. But essentially, this guy went to the doctor for pectoral implants, body builders sometimes get those. Woke up, and in his words was mutilated and actually fit with women's breast implants, size C. Sort of an interesting side note that. Silvestri was charged with a lot of things, including aggravated assault, but skipped town and for four years has been on the loose.
Cosmetic surgeons, such as Dr. Silvestri, a lot of concerns because a few things. One is that if you think about cosmetic procedures and why they attract imposter doctors, these doctors are less likely to interact with other doctors. So they're going to be less the subject of scrutiny.
Patients pay out of pocket. So you have less of a paper trail with the insurance companies. And they're doing this for money. And the cosmetic procedures are some of the more profitable procedures, Anderson.
COOPER: And I guess any advice on how to either tell if your doctor is legit or not or ways to test it?
GUPTA: Well, I mean, you know, I think there's some sort of realistic things, and just some gut things when it comes to trying to figure out if your doctor's legitimate. I think it's worth reinforcing that most doctors are going to be perfectly legitimate. And that's the good news.
But you know, go with your instincts. If you have some concerns about your doctor, you may want to start asking some questions. If the doctor refuses or cannot answer the questions, that might be a bit of a red flag.
Second opinions are not something most doctors are offended by. If you're concerned about the advice that you're getting, go ahead and get a second opinion.
Also, doing your homework and research. You know, it's amazing, Anderson, people will do the amount of homework and research they do to buy a house, but when it comes to their healthcare, when it comes to their doctors or their hospitals, they do less of it. It's important to do that.
If you think you've been a victim of fraud, do talk to the state medical board. He can prevent for people down the road - Anderson?
COOPER: All right, good advice. Sanjay Gupta, thanks very much.
GUPTA: Thank you.
O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, when a hotel room fits just like some nice expensive clothes. The big name in the fashion industry enters the hotel business. Andy Serwer's got that story just ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: And welcome back, everybody. CAFFERTY: Those new $20 bills changed the color of money. The idea was if you made them in different colors, they'd be harder to counterfeit.
Andy Serwer's here minding your business. He's going to tell us if it's working or not.
ANDY SERWER, FORTUNE MAGAZINE: Yes, I don't think it's working.
CAFFERTY: No?
SERWER: This, according to a story in "USA Today," the Secret Service, excuse me, saying that they know the new $20 bills are effective against counterfeiters because they're finding more.
CAFFERTY: Yes?
SERWER: It requires a little bit of a leap of a faith here in the logic department, I think. The Secret Service saying they've caught about $1 million worth of fake $20 since they rolled these things out in October. That's five times more than they did when they did revisit - revise them before.
So you know, it could be they're making more of them they're not making as well. I like some of the towns that are finding these fake ones. In Rogers, Arkansas, Garden City, Iowa - Idaho, excuse me, that bastion of counterfeitism, and Xenia, Ohio.
CAFFERTY: Yes, but when they draw the face of the presidents on with a crayon...
SERWER: Yes.
CAFFERTY: ...I mean, that's your tip off right away.
SERWER: Do you think they're in the basement with these old machines like that or with Xerox machines?
CAFFERTY: Mimeographing them.
SERWER: Right, that's right, yes.
CAFFERTY: The stuff's mailed off. Giorgio Armani getting in the hotel business?
SERWER: Yes, I mean, this could be pretty swanky, Jack. 14 hotels, the Armani people are rolling out over the next seven years in the usual places that Jack and I like to travel to - Milan, New York, London, Shanghai. It's going to be very, very, very high end. And of course, they'll be Armani boutiques in the hotels. What a surprise that is.
But what I didn't know, Jack, is that a lot of these other designers already have hotels. Check this out, Bulgari, seven hotels are going to be doing over the next years with Marriott in Milan. They got one already. Ferragamo's got one in Firenze. And then the Versace Palazza Versace in Australia, the Gold Coast.
CAFFERTY: What about like Levi hotels? I mean...
SERWER: Yes. Well, they had a Levi - I think they had an Explorer, a Levi's Explorer at one point or.
(AUDIO GAP)
Lowe's came out, the number two home improvement retailer, saying it's business is better than expected. Last week, pretty much flat across the board. The Dow was only down about nine points.
Nasdaq, a little troublesome though, Jack. It's been down five weeks in a row.
CAFFERTY: Five weeks, yes.
SERWER: Yes.
CAFFERTY: All right, thanks, Andy.
SERWER: Mm-hmm.
CAFFERTY: Time now for the cavity file. Donald Trump says his hair's all his. Trump, who's reality show, "The Apprentice," is red hot, allowed a "Newsweek" magazine reporter to look at his hair. And according to Trump...
COOPER: This is like the search for WMDs.
CAFFERTY: Yes, I think I'd rather have done the Staten Island Landfill myself, but according to Trump, I don't say my hair is my greatest strength in the world, but it's not terrible.
Yes, it is Donald. He swooped up his bangs twice during the interview to show the reporter he wasn't wearing a toupee and to prove he's never had a face lift.
O'BRIEN: Yes...
CAFFERTY: Hmm?
O'BRIEN: Imagine being the reporter on that.
CAFFERTY: Yes, exactly.
O'BRIEN: You don't get paid enough money to do that.
CAFFERTY: No, I would go back to "Newsweek", say I want a different assignment next time.
Pamela Anderson says she has no time for dating and may single for the next 12 years.
SERWER: Now here's an assignment. CAFFERTY: Anderson, who's had relationships with Tommy and Kid Rock, says being a full-time mom dominates her time. She has two sons, six and seven and claims she may not date again until they're 18 years old.
SERWER: OK.
CAFFERTY: Jerry Springer the Opera won four of Britain's top theater awards yesterday in England.
(SINGING)
The foul mouth opera about Springer's talk show won best...
SERWER: The Klansmen.
CAFFERTY: ...new musical, as well as prizes for best actor and actress. More than 230,000 people have seen the show and it's taken in more than $9 million. It is very successful, as is his television show here in the United States. I wonder when they're going to bring that puppy to New York. It's a matter of time, right?
SERWER: You know, I was just about to say that's right.
CAFFERTY: I mean, if it plays well in London, it'll do gangbusters here.
SERWER: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Right.
COOPER: Rosie O'Donnell might open it up here or something.
CAFFERTY: Well, that's - yes. Since the Boy George thing didn't work so well.
O'BRIEN: Yes, that didn't work. So maybe she should try something else. I would say that.
SERWER: I would.
O'BRIEN: Sure.
SERWER: Yes, yes, very much so.
CAFFERTY: That would have sold four tickets right here.
O'BRIEN: See - we'll see.
All right, let's talk about snow boarding. Bill Hemmer, as you know, is snow boarding, but I don't think it's here. Here is...
COOPER: Is that him?
O'BRIEN: That's - no, that is not him. He ain't that good, where an unexpected warming of relations between India and Pakistan is now boosting tourism. And it's attracting snow boarders. The boarders say it's not only breathtakingly beautiful, but also breathtakingly cheap. Guess how much a lift ticket costs?
CAFFERTY: I don't, how much?
O'BRIEN: Sixty cents a day.
SERWER: I'm there. Yes, but if you fly over there, it kind of...
O'BRIEN: Yes, the airline ticket offset all the savings of a lift ticket.
SERWER: But still, sixty cents.
COOPER: Not bad, not bad at all. I'd do it. All right, still - if I only know how to snow board.
SERWER: Yes, I was going to say...
COOPER: Still to come, Oscar predictions walk the plank after Johnny Depp stages a surprise at a Screen Actors Guild Award. Not sure why it was surprise, but anyway, we'll have the scoop on all the big honorees when AMERICAN MORNING CONTINUES.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Ralph Nader now off the fence and into the presidential race. What the candidate is saying this time. And is anybody listening? Rebels in Haiti say it will not be long before they take over the entire country. Is there any way to stop spreading the violence? And southern California soaked by rain, but it's the previous natural disaster that makes this so dangerous. We'll explain ahead on this AMERICAN MORNING.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: From the CNN Broadcast Center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Soledad O'Brien and Bill Hemmer.
O'BRIEN: And good morning, everybody, as we start our 9:00 hour in the East coast here. Bill Hemmer has the morning off. Anderson Cooper is filling in for him. It's nice to have you.
COOPER: It is nice to be here.
O'BRIEN: Thank you very much.
Lots of political news to start with this morning. Dana Bash is going to join us in just a few moments. She's got much more on the president's decision to get into a full campaign mode, bringing everything that comes with that. Speeches, TV ads, we're going to tell you what to expect.
COOPER: Even babies.
O'BRIEN: Kissing the babies always, of course.
COOPER: All right.
O'BRIEN: Thank you very much.
Lots of political news to start with this morning. Dana Bash is going to join us in just a few moments. She's got much more on the president's decision to get into a full campaign mode, bringing everything that comes with that. Speeches, TV ads, we're going to tell you what to expect.
COOPER: Even babies.
O'BRIEN: Kissing the babies always, of course.
COOPER: All right, it's all beginning. Also from the Other Side, the chairman of the Democratic National Committee, Terry McAuliffe. We're going to find out how the Democrats are going to respond to the president and to Ralph Nader.
O'BRIEN: And Jack...
CAFFERTY: What is wrong with Ralph Nader?
O'BRIEN: Some people say he has a very healthy ego.
CAFFERTY: Yes, apparently.
O'BRIEN: He's 70-years old, getting into the race. That's a lot of work.
CAFFERTY: Swell. Gee, that's great.
We're reading e-mails about this. If you're not a native born American, you cannot run for president of the United States. Arnold Schwarzenegger out there in California thinks that maybe we should change the constitution to allow people born elsewhere to be president. Am@cnn.com. Please give us your thoughts on that.
COOPER: All right, let's look at our...
CAFFERTY; Or Ralph Nader or...
O'BRIEN: Whatever you want.
CAFFERTY: Whatever's chewing at you this morning.
COOPER: All right, let's check out our top stories right now this hour. AT least eight people are dead after a suicide car bombing in Iraq. The explosion took place outside a police station in Kirkuk just hours before Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld arrived in Baghdad. Rumsfeld is meeting with senior coalition officials, as well as U.S. military commanders in his fourth visit to Iraq since the fall of Saddam Hussein.
A U.N. report to be released today may set a timeframe for future elections in Iraq. Speaking from Tokyo, U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan said the report contains ways to establish a government in Iraq. The report was created after a team of U.N. experts visited Iraq to study the possibility of holding elections there before the June 30th handover.
Ground controllers will fly an empty space station for a few hours this week. According to a report obtained by "The Washington Post," both astronauts from the station will go outside the craft at the same time. The walk is expected to last around 5.5 hours and is set to take place this Thursday.
Same-sex couples can still marry in San Francisco, but there will not be as many of them. Starting today, the process will be by appointment only. That will limit the number to about 50 a day. More than 3,000 same-sex couples have married since February. 12 legal battles on the issue are ongoing.
Heavy rains caused travel delays and flooded roads in southern California. The severe weather, during the weekend, triggered mudslide warnings. It's also being blamed for hundreds of car wrecks. Scattered showers are expected throughout today. A lot of water on the ground as you can see.
O'BRIEN: Yes, and of course, the - all that is caused by the fires in southern California is really what led to the barren lands, meaning the mud floods. California has such a big problem with that.
COOPER: They do every year.
O'BRIEN: Huge mess there.
Weather now. And here I am, stealing Chad's thunder, right? Am I right, Chad?
MYERS: You are absolutely correct.
O'BRIEN: Thank you.
MYERS: And you remember what the fire season was like. It was big. We had hundreds of thousands of acres going up in flames. And now all that rain coming back down.
And Soledad, the problem is not the rain that came down yesterday. We have another three days of rain to go.
Rain for New Orleans, though, Mardi Gras on tap for the next couple of days. It is going to be wet. Make sure you take your ponchos there. Otherwise, back out to the West, here's the rain now. It's raining in Phoenix. Also, still raining in parts of the L.A. Basin.
But another storm will drop down here for Tuesday, go down another couple of inches on top of that now, very saturated ground. And we will have mudslides later in the week there. Folks there don't want to hear it.
43 in New York City, 48 in D.C. today, 54 in St. Louis. Pleasant across the plains. The rain stays well south of Kansas City, into Oklahoma City and also into Tulsa.
Good morning, West Coast. Seattle and Portland. A couple of showers in the Cascades, but rain not snow. Vegas today rain and a high of only 55. Oklahoma City the same. No airport delays just yet, but we have some ceilings coming down, some fog being reported in some spots. So some of those airports are going to slow down pretty soon.
Soledad, back to you.
O'BRIEN: All right, Chad, thanks a lot.
Turning to politics now, consumer and political activist Ralph Nader says he is running for president as an Independent. But will his third party candidacy be as effective the second time around?
Here's CNN's Candy Crowley.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CROWD: Run, run, Ralph! Run, Ralph, Run!
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Oops, he'll do it again.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I wish Ralph Nader wasn't running.
CROWLEY: Much to the angst of Democrats, Ralph is running for president as an Independent. "Monumentally irresponsible," fumed the defenders of Wildlife Action Fund. "Friends don't let friends help Bush," said the Progressives United Against Bush, etcetera.
GOV. BILL RICHARDSON (D), NEW MEXICO: He has no movement. He has no support. He wants to be a spoiler.
CROWLEY: Visions of Florida and other squeaker states pound through their heads. 2000 could have been so different, Democrats argue, if only Nader, then a Green Party candidate, had not siphoned off votes that otherwise might have been Gore's. Nader rejects that role then and now.
RALPH NADER (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: A spoiler is a contemptuous term, as if anybody who dares to challenge the two party system in corrupt politics and broken politics and corporate power is a spoiler? Come again?
CROWLEY: Surely it will be more difficult for Nader this time around. Without the Green Party as home base, he may have money troubles. With the past as prologue, he may have voter troubles.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hopefully Democrats will have learned their lesson and this will now make Ralph Nader completely obsolete.
CROWLEY: Still, he could make a difference. Note the kid glove treatment from the mainstream campaign trail.
SEN. JOHN EDWARDS (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think it's for Ralph Nader to decide for himself what he should do.
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm going to appeal to everybody in this race. We'll make it unnecessary in the end for an alternative.
CROWD: Run, Ralph, Run!
CROWLEY: In an election that will be tough and might be tight, no sense riling up anybody's voters if you don't have to.
Candy Crowley, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: Senior political analyst Bill Schneider's with us for a little bit more about what Nader's candidacy's means to the presidential race. He's in our Washington bureau this morning.
Bill, good morning. Nice to see you, as always.
BILL SCHNEIDER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Good morning.
O'BRIEN: Terry McAuliffe said Ralph Nader's entry is very unfortunate. What do you think the impact's going to be? And do you think it's going to be the same as the impact back in 2000?
SCHNEIDER: No, I don't. Of course, most of the votes that Ralph Nader gets are votes that the Democrat would otherwise expect to get. And if it's excruciatingly close, then once again, it could hurt the Democrats.
But there's a big difference between 2004 and 2000. The difference is this. We know what happened in 2000. Liberals inclined to support Ralph Nader know the consequences of supporting him. In 2000, the evidence is very clear, he elected Bush president.
So this time, they understand that if they vote Ralph Nader, they're voting for George Bush. And they may be very reluctant to do that a second time.
O'BRIEN: It seems that we keep analyzing what the impact will be on the Democrats. Well, what about the impact on President Bush in the White - in the Bush administration and the White House now?
SCHNEIDER: Well, you know, Ralph Nader has a very tough criticism of President Bush. He says Washington is now corporate occupied territory. That's got to be Republicans, because they occupy everything in Washington, Congress, the White House, everything.
It's possible he could bring out a lot of new angry voters fed up with the Bush administration, who will think twice about voting for him and instead, vote Democrats. And in any case, they may vote for Democrats for the Senate and for the House, where Ralph Nader is not on the ballot and Democrats are.
O'BRIEN: Al Sharpton says it's just an ego trip. There are people who are progressives who previously supported - I'm having trouble speaking today - Bill, I got to tell you - who previously supported Ralph Nader, who now say not a chance. No way. What do you think? What's the conventional wisdom about why he's doing this? Is it as simple as it's an ego trip?
SCHNEIDER: Yes, well, that - the conventional wisdom is vanity. I think there's one more thing here. He proved in 2000 that he has clout. He knows he has clout. Look, he made Bush president. So now he's saying, look, I can make a difference. This time, you better pay attention to what I say because I'm a king maker.
O'BRIEN: At the same time, because he's running as an independent, he has a lot more and higher hurdles he has to overcome. Do you think financially and logistically he can do it?
SCHNEIDER: It's going to be tough for him to get on the ballots in 50 states. I don't think he'll do that. He's already said that while he's going to try, a lot of those states really are contested. I mean, I'm not sure what good it'll do him to get on the ballot in Texas, which is almost certain to go for George Bush in any case.
He'll try to get on as many ballots as possible, where he has a chance of making a difference, like say Florida.
O'BRIEN: And maybe New Hampshire again as well. A quick question for you on Senator Kerry and Senator Edwards' reactions. You heard just moments ago, both of them downplaying. Senator Kerry didn't even mention Nader by name. Just sort of said any alternative is not going to be an issue.
They seem to be poo-poohing the idea that it's a big deal. Do you think that they're overstating their understatement?
SCHNEIDER: Well, I think they're - they got to be a little bit worried about him. And I think, you know, there's not much they can do. You can't stop Ralph Nader.
I think Kerry may be worried because Nader's critique is very pointed at candidates who seem to be enthralled corporate interests. And one of the charges against Kerry is that he's gotten a lot of money from lobbyists over the years. So when Nader says Washington is corporate occupied territory, that criticism I think falls very hard on a guy like John Kerry, who has raised a lot of money from lobbying organizations.
O'BRIEN: We will see what happens in the days and weeks and months ahead. Bill Schneider joining us this morning. Nice to see you. Thanks.
SCHNEIDER: Good to see you.
O'BRIEN: Coming up at the half hour, I'm going to speaking with Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe. Also, CNN will have live coverage of Ralph Nader's news conference. That's scheduled to start in just a little less than an hour from now at 10:00 a.m. Eastern time - Anderson? COOPER: Well, President Bush is about to shift his re-election campaign to high gear with a major speech tonight. Dana Bash is live at the White House with a preview.
Dana, what can we expect to hear from the president?
DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Anderson, tonight, we expect to see candidate Bush in a way that we haven't seen him yet this election cycle. We're told that he is not going to name names, but he will definitely go after his opponents in a way that he hasn't done yet at all, particularly on the issues of the economy and national security, the two named themes that his campaign is preparing for him this election year.
Now this is part of what campaign aides call a tactical shift, that is really starting earlier than planned. The Bush campaign wanted to wait until the Democratic nominee was settled on, but because of what they call a barrage of negative attacks against the president, and his poll numbers certainly are sliding, they decided to step up the timing of this just a big - Anderson?
COOPER: We also understand there are going to be some new ads released, I think starting in March. What do you know about them?
BASH: Well, the campaign is actually going to start making calls today to national cable networks and also to local media markets, key ones for sure to start buying ad time. And they are going to start running next week.
Now they will feature, we are told, the president. They were shot earlier this month. They are going to talk about what the campaign says is his positive message. And the tag line we expect to be "steady leadership in times of change." These ads, Anderson, will run two days after the Super Tuesday primaries. That's March 4th. And they will run, we are told, no matter if the Democrats have a final nominee or not at that time.
COOPER: All right, Dana Bash at the White House. Thanks very much, Dana.
BASH: Thank you.
O'BRIEN: An explosion during a carnival celebration in the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince reportedly killed a person overnight. It was unclear if that bomb was connected to the political violence that's spreading in Haiti.
Yesterday, rebels who want to overthrow President Jean Bertrand- Aristide took over the nation's second largest city, Cap Haitien. The violence has claimed dozens of lives in the last weeks. And rebels say they will respond today to a U.S.-backed peace plan that would let them share power with Aristide until new elections are organized.
COOPER: Well, still to come this morning, why some parents are defending a football coach who was suspended for criticizing an alleged rape victim? We're going to hear from one of the coach's supporters.
O'BRIEN: And Martha Stewart's defense begins to argue its case, and tries to get some charges dismissed, but will Stewart take the stand in her own defense? A live report is just ahead.
COOPER: And it may be a preview for the Oscars. We'll tell you who won big at the Screen Actor's Guild Awards last night. All that ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: With the University of Colorado football program reeling from allegations of rape, parents of several dozen players are defending suspending head coach Gary Barnett.
One of those parents, Bob Creighton, was a news conference yesterday. And earlier on AMERICAN MORNING, I asked him why all the parents decided to come forward.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BOB CREIGHTON: To this point, we had been a very silent group, quiet in a way to protect our children, to watch out for them and let this story unfold, and let the committee begin their investigation to get to the truth in this matter.
O'BRIEN: I know that you have said that this entire situation is bizarre. In addition, you've said that you consider the coach a mentor to your son. Do you think that the coach is being treated unfairly by the university, by the media, by both?
CREIGHTON: I think that first the media has made and perpetuated the allegation, that is bizarre at best, that you would think that Gary Barnett would promote excessive alcohol and sex to lure athletes - student athletes to the University of Colorado just cannot and is not true.
The university is trying its best to protect the entire student body and its faculty. There are 28,000 students there, good students. And those people we need to hear about and hear about them more often.
O'BRIEN: At the same time, it seems like some of the coach's own words were what seemed to leave the university president Hoffman to take the action of suspending the coach with pay. For example, his comments about Katie Neyda, as you well know. What did you think of those comments when you heard them?
CREIGHTON: Well, first of all, I thought it was important that you take the entire comment in its total context. Gary Barnett's a football coach. I was frankly surprised that he was able to stand up for 18 days and take the constant barrage of the media and press, both locally and nationally without making a mistake.
And I think Gary would say that he wish could he could have those words back, but he also would say I wish they'd take the entire comment in its complete context. O'BRIEN: In addition, we've heard from at least one mother of another player, who said that her son can't even walk around wearing a sweatshirt or anything really with a C.U. insignia because of the harassment that he gets.
What's your son been telling you about what's going on at the school and his experience?
CREIGHTON: Well, I had a chance to visit with that mother yesterday. And it's true. The student athlete walking across campus is picked out and is singled out. I know a large number of the student athletes on campus, the football players, have been receiving e-mail threats consistently, phone message, text mail threats and words to criticize them as responsible young men and citizens.
They are first students and second athletes and contributing members of that community. And we as parents, all parents, would want this. We as parents specifically want the community to know our student athletes are important to us and important to that community.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: No charges have been filed in connection with those allegations. University president Elizabeth Hoffman says Barnett may have his job back if investigators find that the charges don't represent a pervasive culture within the football and athletic programs.
COOPER: On a complete different note, Johnny Depp and Charlize Theron took the top acting prizes during the Screen Actor's Guilds Awards. Depp was a surprise winner, a lot of people said last night in what is often seen as a dress rehearsal for the Oscars.
"The Lord of the Rings" won the SAG equivalent of Best Picture, but the sentimental favorite was clearly the cast of "Sex and the City." The HBO series picked up the award for top ensemble in a series. Last night, Kristin Davis, Cynthia Nixon and Kim Cattrall reflected on the end of the show's six year run.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KRISTIN DAVIS, ACTRESS: It's been great so far, you know. It's been an amazing, amazing time. And HBO has been just wonderful to us.
CYNTHIA NIXON, ACTRESS: It's been a suggestion of Kristin's for many years.
DAVIS: I personally have had a fantasy for many years about this. And I'm just really happy that someone listened. But you don't know, we don't know. We don't know really.
KIM CATTRALL, ACTRESS: Don't ask her about it because she gets teary eyed.
DAVIS: It's true.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Later, this hour, our 90 second pop crew will tell us if the "Sex and the City" finale was good for them.
O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, aren't you glad you don't live in Italy? If you don't like flying fruit, you might be...
COOPER: What?
O'BRIEN: ...because look at this. This is happening apparently in Italy. We'll explain their whaling oranges at each other. And it looks like it might hurt. We'll explain what it's all about just ahead. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Same-sex marriages are scheduled to resume this morning in San Francisco, but for now, it is only by appointment. A judge on Friday denied a request from conservative groups to issue a temporary restraining order against the city. The mayor says he's not going to change the city's stamp, even if it might be damaging to him politically. Nearly 3200 same-sex couples have received licenses since the city began issuing them 12 days ago.
COOPER: And time to check in with Jack Cafferty and our question of the day.
CAFFERTY: Isn't - I don't understand that. Isn't it against the law in California for same-sex people to marry?
O'BRIEN: Yes, it is.
CAFFERTY: OK, that's what I thought.
O'BRIEN: Well, that's - so that's his whole point.
COOPER: The mayor is saying that there is a larger law at stake, that he...
O'BRIEN: A moral law says Gavin Newsom.
COOPER: And he said that it's anti-discrimination.
O'BRIEN: But other people would say take it to the courts...
CAFFERTY: Right, let me ask this again. Is it against the law for same-sex people to marry in California?
O'BRIEN: Yes, it is.
COOPER: You know, I asked the mayor this question like twice and he wouldn't actually answer that question.
CAFFERTY: Soledad gave me the answer I'm looking for.
O'BRIEN: Glad to help you out Jack anytime. CAFFERTY: California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger thinks immigrants ought to be allowed to run for president. That's against the law under the constitution and so far are managing to enforce that one. Yesterday on "Meet on the Press," Schwarzenegger said he'll support an amendment that would allow those who have been citizens for 20 years to run for president. And we want to know if you think that's a good idea or not.
C.C. writes, "we cannot depend on native presidents to protect the interests of the American people. Our jobs are being exported. What can we expect from non-native presidents?"
Mary in Huntsville, Alabama, "I totally agree with the governor of California. It appears we have run out of good leadership material in this country. Maybe some outside blood would invigorate our political pool."
Leslie in Brooklyn, New York, "I'm an immigrant and I believe that the presidency should only be available to those born in the United States. There are certain privileges that must be kept sacred for natives."
Alma in Baltimore, Maryland, "Unless there's a shortage of native-born people qualified for and interested in running for president the Constitution should not be amended, not for something like this."
And John in Nashville, Tennessee, this is not a particularly riveting match here, John in Nashville, Tennessee, "why should the Schwarzenegger have to speak English to be president? It was not a requirement for Dubya."
How harsh. We'll do one more of these. Hopefully, they'll be better in a half an hour.
O'BRIEN: I thought those were quite good.
COOPER: Those were all right.
CAFFERTY: You like those?
O'BRIEN: Yes, I wouldn't say love, but I thought...
CAFFERTY: Yes, they were, you know, C minus.
O'BRIEN: ...above - no, no, higher.
CAFFERTY: No.
COOPER: We - our audience is tough.
CAFFERTY: They're capable is much more.
COOPER: A tough crowd.
O'BRIEN: Exactly, very tough as you well know. COOPER: All right.
O'BRIEN: Well, it is carnival time. And estimated 400,000 people visit Rio de Janeiro every year for the grand daddy of carnival celebrations. Well, last night, it was the world famous samba.
COOPER: There's Jack Cafferty. There he is.
O'BRIEN: You know, they always show the woman in the beaded bikini. Party in Brazil lasts five days...
CAFFERTY: What's wrong with that?
O'BRIEN: ...before Lent begins on Ash Wednesday.
In Italy, there we go, it's the orange parade on steroids. Look at this.
COOPER: Now there's Cafferty.
O'BRIEN: Old oranges is the carnival tradition in one corner of Northwestern Italy.
CAFFERTY: They should do this with coconuts.
O'BRIEN: These guys, look at them. They're whaling these things. And of course...
COOPER: That would hurt.
CAFFERTY: Yes.
O'BRIEN: ...the people in the crowd aren't wearing helmets and football shoulder pads, but...
COOPER: It's also ominous the guys - it's like Darth Vader. And there's a guy like nursing his bruise.
O'BRIEN: Yes, it's got to hurt.
COOPER: Yes.
CAFFERTY: Anita Bryant was there, did you see that?
O'BRIEN: Apparently a celebration of a Medeval in which townspeople overthrew an evil king, they say. Participants say it doesn't hurt. Yes.
COOPER: They overthrew the evil king with oranges? I don't understand.
O'BRIEN: It happened a long time ago...
COOPER: Back when oranges were really hard and dark.
O'BRIEN: ...that's what I tell my three-year old when - I'm like I don't know. It happened a long time ago.
CAFFERTY: Long ago and far away.
O'BRIEN: But it ended happily ever after.
COOPER: Oh, well that's good. All right.
CAFFERTY: Just like this will in about 35 minutes.
O'BRIEN: God willing.
CAFFERTY: We're hoping.
COOPER: Well, when Cafferty breaks out the oranges, I'm ducking.
All right still to come, after much fanfare, "Sex in the City" bids adieu, but was it satisfying finale? We're going to debate in 90 seconds tops. Stay with us on AMERICAN MORNING.
O'BRIEN: We love the song.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Beautiful shot there. It's one of the...
COOPER: That's my favorite shot from this set.
O'BRIEN: It really is a lovely shot there.
Welcome back, everybody. The opening bell is coming up in just a few moments. It is just about half past the hour on this AMERICAN MORNING. And we're going to get to that.
Bill Hemmer, as we've been mentioning all morning, is out.
COOPER: He is. He's snow boarding apparently, but I'm here.
O'BRIEN: Yes, Anderson. And we certainly appreciate it because you work a long day.
COOPER: Well, I'm happy to be here. It's - it doesn't feel like work with you.
O'BRIEN: Ha.
COOPER: Thank you, thanks very much.
O'BRIEN: But that's nice of you to say. Anyway, as we mentioned, the opening bell is ringing on Wall Street. There it goes. The Dow Jones Industrial Average starts the week at 10,619 after losing more than 45 points on Friday. Over at the Nasdaq market site, the composite index opened to 2037. That's down just over eight points on Friday.
COOPER: Let's take a look at what's going on this morning. Just into CNN, U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan has set a new timeframe for future elections in Iraq. CNN has learned that Annan has recommended delaying elections until years end. The decision comes after a team of U.N. experts visited Iraq to study the possibility of holding elections there, before the June 30th handover.
In other news, thousands of demonstrators are at the Hague at the Netherlands, as the World Court takes up the issue of Israel's barrier in the West Bank. The court is acting on requests from Palestinian leaders, who argue that the barrier is a way for Israel to annex Palestinian territories. Israel, which is not attending the hearings, has said it is solely a safety measure. The barrier is still under construction.
Divers are expected to search for five crew members missing after their boat sank in the Mississippi River. The Coast Guard spent this weekend looking for the sailors, whose boat had capsized after colliding with a large ship over the weekend. The accident stopped traffic south of New Orleans. Officials say the channel will probably stay closed today.
London's famous double decker buses will soon be a thing of the past. The red two story buses that have graced London's streets for over five decades will be gone by late next year. London transport officials say they will all be replaced with modern buses.
Hard to believe.
O'BRIEN: Yes, that is hard to believe. That's two bad. That's a real...
COOPER: It's such a tourist attraction. I don't know why they would do that.
O'BRIEN: Maybe they'll just keep a couple.
COOPER: Maybe.
O'BRIEN: Who knows?
(INTERVIEW)
COOPER: Well, the judge in the Martha Stewart case will hear arguments this morning about throwing out some of the charges against Stewart and her co-defendant, Peter Baconovic. Deborah Feyerick is live at the federal court in Manhattan.
Deb, good morning. I understand that things are starting early today. Why?
DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Things did start early today because the judge really wanted to hear evidence on the securities fraud charge. That's the most serious charge that Martha Stewart is facing right now. Her lawyers say there simply is not enough evidence. And the judge wanted to see those arguments in writing, so she could consider them over the weekend. Now she's hearing oral arguments. Prosecutors have said yes, there is enough evidence that they feel they can get a guilty plea, but if the judge feels no, you guys, you just didn't prove it, then she's going to take that charge away, not even give the jury the opportunity to consider it -- Anderson?
COOPER: What else is expected to happen in court today?
FEYERICK: Well, there are a lot of things going on. As a matter of fact, just one of the first things that Stewart's lawyers said in court today was that he didn't feel there was enough independent corroborative evidence for the conspiracy charge against Martha Stewart. He sort of shifted the blame somewhat more to Peter Baconovic and Daniel - and Doug Faneuil, the government's star witness saying well, Stewart never knew of their conspiracy. And so, there's not enough independent evidence. That really goes to burden of proof moreover than, you know, just is there anything to support it?
But as far as what today's going to happen, the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) will continue to put people on the stand that they can refute the points that were made last week by the prosecution. They're trying to get an ink analyst, an ink expert to testify that the markings that were on Peter Baconovic's worksheet, which the government says shows a conspiracy, that in fact those could have been made at any time and there's no conclusive proof. And so, they don't think their clients can really go down on that charge.
COOPER: Deborah, I talked to Jeffrey Toobin earlier today. He said this thing could be wrapped up by the end of the week. I guess it all hinges on whether or not Martha Stewart will testify and whether or not Peter Baconovic will get on the stand. Any sense on whether those two things may happen?
FEYERICK: Well, sources close to the defense right now saying that they're leaning against putting either Peter Baconovic or Martha Stewart on the stand. What that means is that in the minds of the defense attorneys, they really don't think that the government has mounted a sufficient case for the jury to come back with a guilty verdict.
So as long as they don't feel that the government's shown that burden of proof, then they will keep their clients off that stand because the one thing you don't want is to give those prosecutors any chance to bring up any information that could potentially be hurtful to Stewart or Baconovic.
COOPER: All right, Deborah Feyerick, thanks very much, Deborah.
O'BRIEN: In California, southern California soaked by downpours, hundreds of accidents now being blamed on this weekend's storm. And the highway patrol is urging people not to drive if they don't have to.
A final look at the weather this morning. And Chad Myers is at the CNN Center for us.
Hey, Chad, good morning again.
MYERS: Good morning, Soledad. And more rain on the way. This is really now the rain that made everything soggy. You can see the flood and the mud there. And now we're going to have three more storms lined up for southern California in the next week.
Here's the rain right now. Most of it tapering off there. But to the east, still picking up. Phoenix, carefree. Mesa, seeing some rain showers this morning. Rain across the south central states as well. And zooming in here to Mobile and New Orleans, oh, man, Mardi Gras. Very wet this morning. A live shot from our affiliate WDSU there in New Orleans. It does look like there's a break to the south. You get down to Holma, it's not raining anymore. And then clearing skies moving your way.
Not saying it's going to be clear all day, but at least when you get some clear spots, get out there and enjoy Mardi Gras if you're there.
79, Orlando today, 82 in Miami. Here's that heavy rain all across the Gulf Coast. 48 in D.C., 42 Boston today. Pleasant across most of the Midwest, where your temperatures go from 54 in St. Louis to 57 in Nashville. And now taking you back all the way out to the West, a sunny day all across the Pacific Northwest. Even some sunshine in Seattle and in Portland.
Right now, we have a couple of airport delays. Denver, 15 minutes. San Francisco, the same. All other airports acting pretty well this Monday morning. Soledad, back to you.
O'BRIEN: Great, Chad. Thanks a lot.
COOPER: And still to come today, you work in America and your taxes go to the American government, but are your tax forms being prepared overseas? Andy Serwer looks at a startling new trend.
O'BRIEN: Plus, our 90 second pop panel looks at the "Sex and the City" finale. Did it live up to expectations? Keep it right here. You're watching AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: This just in to CNN, we've got word coming to us from the Associated Press that 50 combat ready U.S. Marines are now headed to Haiti to secure the embassy and staff in Port-au-Prince. That's ahead of some threats in Haiti's capital. The violence there in its third week, as rebels have overtaken half of the island and also the second largest city in Haiti.
President Jean Bertrand-Aristide has said he will not step down before his term is over in 2006. But at this hour, we are getting a report from the Associated Press that 50 U.S. Marines are making their way into Haiti in order to protect the U.S. embassy there. We're going to, of course, continue to follow this story and update you on any progress as it happens - Anderson?
COOPER: All right, Soledad, we know outsourcing, of course, is a growing issue. But outsourcing the preparation of your tax returns. With that, plus a check of the market, Andy Serwer is minding your business.
SERWER: Why am I not surprised by this outsourcing? Everything nowadays. Let's check the markets, though, first, Anderson. I think we do have a little bit of a rally going on. Well, it's a little bit. I did say a little. It's up only about eight points there. You can see what's moving Lowes. Talked about them having good numbers this morning. That stock is down, though, a $1.00. How many times have we seen that when a company reports good news? They're selling on it.
Citigroup is up a little bit, though. They bought a big bank in South Korea this morning. That stock is up over 50 percent over the past 12 months.
Let's talk about this tax return story.
COOPER: Yes, is this really true? The - your tax returns are actually prepared in...
SERWER: It's really true for more and more Americans. Accountants very, very busy this time of year. And guess what? They're sending them overseas to India, to Bangalore, to get finished, to get prepared.
The AP has an interesting story showing that the number of returns prepared over there has gone up from 1,000 a couple years ago to 150,000 to 200,000 returns this year. Ernst & Young, interestingly here in the story, says that they do about 15,000 of 100,000 returns and make you sign a document saying that you understand and acknowledge that it could prepared in India.
COOPER: Wow, interesting.
SERWER: It sure is.
COOPER: All right, Andy thanks very much.
SERWER: You're welcome.
O'BRIEN: Now let's turn to the question of the day and Mr. Cafferty?
CAFFERTY: What, in the event of an audit, you have to arrange passage for this guy to the United States?
SERWER: Back and forth, Jack, yes.
CAFFERTY: If you were...
O'BRIEN: And put him up at your house while the trial goes on.
CAFFERTY: Yes, see, bring the wife and all the kids. If you weren't born in the U.S., should you be allowed to run for president? Arnold Schwarzenegger thinks that's a good idea because he's from Austria and he can't run for president under the current law.
Jane writes, "It's all about Arnold, isn't it, a place to smoke his cigars and a chance to be president. Has he done anything useful yet?"
And another topic, Ralph Nader entering the presidential race. This is from Timothy in East Lansing. I like this letter. "I will not be happy until Ralph Nader hurls himself off a cliff in a Corvair. The guy is terminally stupid. We shouldn't be worried about foreigners in the White House. There are enough morons here in the United States."
SERWER: Wow.
CAFFERTY: Cruel, but funny.
SERWER: Unsafe at any speed.
CAFFERTY: That's true in a Corvair.
SERWER: Right. Yes, that was the vogue.
O'BRIEN: Where did that come from?
SERWER: That was the book.
COOPER: Now he's thinking of - he's making a speech live, I think at 10:00 today.
O'BRIEN: Yes, that's right.
COOPER: I got to cover that.
CAFFERTY: I got to get home and set my VCR.
COOPER: We're going to cover it live.
CAFFERTY: Or we're going to - OK.
O'BRIEN: Absolutely.
CAFFERTY: Give me a tape, will you?
COOPER: Momentarily.
O'BRIEN: And in fact, it is coming up on CNN this morning, consumer and political activist Ralph Nader is back and he's stirring up the presidential race. CNN's going to take you live to his news conference. That's coming up on "CNN Live" today with Daryn Kagan.
AMERICAN MORNING will be back in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: I know you're going to be sorry to hear this, Anderson...
COOPER: Yes?
O'BRIEN: ...but it's over. COOPER: No.
O'BRIEN: Yes.
COOPER: Say it ain't so.
SERWER: No.
O'BRIEN: It's so. I'm sorry.
COOPER: It only felt like four hours.
O'BRIEN: And we ended 10:00 a.m. Eastern time.
SERWER: He wants another hour, it sounds like to me.
O'BRIEN: OK, you stay. Let's see if Daryn Kagan, who's going to be taking over for us for "CNN Live" today wants to hang out with you for the next hour.
COOPER: All right, I'll be here.
O'BRIEN: You can stay right here. Daryn, is that all right?
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: I'm just counting the hours. Only nine hours 'til Anderson Cooper's "360."
SERWER: Yes, right, you just keep them on all day.
COOPER: Right.
O'BRIEN: Sure, see it's done.
COOPER: I appreciate the plug, Daryn.
KAGAN: Yes, ANN, Anderson News Network. Hey you guys have a great day in New York City. We'll go ahead and get started here in Atlanta.
O'BRIEN: You, too, Daryn.
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