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American Morning
'Gimme a Minute'; 'Paging Dr. Gupta'
Aired March 12, 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.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: An innovative treatment for ADHD. It deals with audio training. And we will see how some kids who have been helped by it, in a moment here. Interesting stuff, too.
Top stories here at the half hour, the people in Spain, observing three days of mourning after a deadly attack on Madrid's train system there. Nearly 200 are dead in the explosions of yesterday. Spain's prime minister vowing to bring the guilty to justice, and says, all lines of investigation are now being pursued. Much more on this throughout the morning.
Some major movement on the same sex marriage issue. Massachusetts lawmakers approving a constitutional amendment that would ban same sex marriage, but allowing civil unions. A final vote is necessary before the amendment can proceed to the next step. Lawmakers there are set to reconvene a bit later this month.
And meanwhile, the last same-sex couple has been married in San Francisco. The California supreme court has ordered to halt gay marriages until the legal wrangling over that issue is ironed out.
A 14-year-old missing since last week has been found in California and alive. Courtney Redmond found unharmed yesterday. The FBI says a suspect has been arrested. The teen's parents were notified, and were on their way yesterday to pick up their daughter. A good ending there.
On a health note, The EPA is taking a closer look at microwave popcorn. The agency is studying the chemicals released into the air when the bag is popped or open. A rare lung disease has been linked to vapors from the butter flavoring. Health officials, however, say people who microwave popcorn and eat it at home are not in danger.
Also, a multimillionaire lottery winners appears to be having a bit of a bad week. Police say the 2002 Powerball, Jack Whitaker, had his vehicle burglarized yesterday and that $2,000 was stolen from his office. Whitaker was also slapped with a lawsuit. A casino worker claims that he assaulted her last year. The millionaire has not been charged that crime. You are a target.
Up to date now, 8:32 in New York.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: The good news is you won a couple hundred million dollar in Powerball, the bad news is, you had a rough week.
(WEATHER CENTER) O'BRIEN: Well, Friday would not be Friday, would it, without our visit from a "Gimme a Minute" gang. Sure, they talk fast, because, hey, we make them; they only have a minute.
Joining us this morning from Washington is Jonah Goldberg. He's the editor of the National Review Online.
Good morning, Jonah, nice to see you.
JONAH GOLDBERG, NATIONAL REVIEW ONLINE: Nice to see you.
O'BRIEN: Thank you very much.
Also CNN political analyst Donna Brazile.
Hey, Donna. Good morning.
DONNA BRAZILE, CNN POL. ANALYST: Good morning. Nice to see you.
O'BRIEN: Thank you.
BRAZILE: And joining us from Salt Lake City this morning, Andy Borowitz of "The New Yorker," who's usually in New York, but now he's in Salt Lake.
Good morning, Andy. Nice to see you.
ANDY BOROWITZ, "THE NEW YORKER": Good morning.
O'BRIEN: All right, let's get right to it.
Donna, we're going to start with you this morning. We've been talking about it for the last couple of days, the words of John Kerry, whether he knew he was miked or didn't know he was miked. He called his opponents some of the most crooked, you know, lying group of people I have seen. Some Republicans say that's not very presidential. What do you say to that?
BRAZILE: Well, finally we have a Democrat with a spine and a backbone. The truth will set you free. John Kerry should not apologize.
O'BRIEN: Jonah, do you think he should apologize, especially when you consider what they are saying about each other in the ads anyway, essentially, on both sides? It's pretty much that.
GOLDBERG: Yes, I kind of agree with Donna, but for completely different reasons. I don't think John Kerry should apologize, because remember we all used to say, let Reagan be Reagan. I think George Bush's best chance for John Kerry to be John Kerry, and the more obnoxious he reveals himself to be, the better it is for the Republicans.
O'BRIEN: Interesting strategy there.
Andy, you know, there is a theory that says, you could apologize anyway, even if you are not really sorry.
BOROWITZ: Well, you know, the Republicans have issued a statement saying that they are rubber and John Kerry is glue.
O'BRIEN: All right, our next topic this morning, the House passed this indecency legislation, proposed now, finding broadcasters and performers, up to half a million bucks if they have a violation.
Jonah, we're going to begin with you on this one -- do you think that was the right move?
GOLDBERG: I think so. I think circumstances have sort of pushed the climate this way. No one would look over the last decade and say that decency laws have been too strictly enforced. I think they've been sort of ignored, and after the Janet Jackson thing, it was just ripe.
O'BRIEN: $500,000, though, that's a lot of money. Do you think that's a little bit steep?
GOLDBERG: I think Time Warner and Viacom and these companies can afford it.
O'BRIEN: Well, the performers as well could also face those kind of charges.
Donna, do you think that's too steep?
BRAZILE: Well, I'm a big supporter of the First Amendment, and I believe consumers should be allowed to vote with their remote. Congress should start fixing our problems and get out of this business right now.
O'BRIEN: Interesting.
And why would he name Time Warner first? Thanks, Jonah. We appreciate that.
GOLDBERG: Sorry about that.
O'BRIEN: That's all right, I forgive you.
Andy, I'm curious, Janet Jackson's breast -- was that worth $500,000?
BOROWITZ: Well, you know, under this bill, her right breast would be fined, but her left one go free.
O'BRIEN: You scare me. All right, let's talk about the issues that worry Americans most, seriously -- jobs, the economy, health care, our soldiers overseas in Iraq. So what does Congress do? They're talking about baseball and steroids. Do you think, Donna, this is wrongheaded, that they're really wasting the people's time?
BRAZILE: That's just the problem, they're spending less time on legislation that matters to people's lives, and more times on things that, well, you know, just a few athletes are -- I think steroid use is to athletes what lying is to some politicians.
O'BRIEN: Interesting analogy. It might take me a moment to kind of dig through that one.
All right, well, Jonah, what do you think, do you think it's a mistake, or as many people have said, that the truth is, it's a big problem and it goes to the core of our nation's values.
GOLDBERG: Well, I think it's a big problem, and I think it's a very complicated one, partly because baseball has special dispensation from antitrust laws, so Washington has always regulated it and watched it more.
But the real culprit here I think is the players' union and the players, who simply said, we're not going to do anything about it, forcing the hands of other people to step in.
O'BRIEN: Interesting.
Andy, what do you think?
BOROWITZ: I want Congress to stop worrying about steroids and start focusing on this microwave popcorn thing.
O'BRIEN: Did you hear that story? That's a little bit concerning, although they say people at home who use microwave popcorn are not at any risk apparently.
Let's talk about the undercovered story of the week. Why don't we start with you, Jonah?
GOLDBERG: Well, after, what, about 50 years of every sympathetic story imaginable about reporters protecting their sources, all of a sudden the entire media establishment has turned a blind eye on the pressure on Bob Novak to reveal his sources. I think the whole Valerie Plain (ph) think was an embarrassment to the White House, but that doesn't mean that he should abandon First Amendment principles.
O'BRIEN: Interesting. Donna, what do you think?
BRAZILE: The Associated Press reported this week that when Congress completes its budget, over $30 billion will be passed on to the taxpayers at the state and local level. It's time that Congress learned how to balance the budget and pay its bills, and not pass it on to taxpayers.
O'BRIEN: Interesting. And Andy Borowitz, you have the final word this morning. What's your undercovered story of the week.
BOROWITZ: Well, Soledad, a woman who tried to use a counterfeit million dollar bill at Wal-Mart was just named chairman and CEO of Haliburton.
O'BRIEN: I like it.
All right, you guys, as always, Andy, thanks, Donna and Jonah as well, thanks for being with us. We'll check in with you later in the next week.
HEMMER: Thank you, Soledad.
Do you think Andy is going to the slopes now?
O'BRIEN: You think so? I think he's taking his microphone off. He's halfway there.
HEMMER: Well, what about it, Drew? Yes or no?
O'BRIEN: There he is. He's still there. I'm shocked.
BOROWITZ: I am not skiing. I have a very bad relationship with gravity.
O'BRIEN: Are you on vacation?
BOROWITZ: No, no, no. I am hard at work, Borowitz world tour.
HEMMER: Selling books. Thank you, Andy. Have a good weekend.
In a moment here, is too late to get a good rate on a home loan? Andy, has the answer in a moment.
O'BRIEN: Also, never underestimate the power of music. Dr. Sanjay Gupta looks at how Chance (ph) and even Mozart can help children who have learning disabilities.
HEMMER: And a last chance to acquire a piece of history. "Sex and the City" the sale is on now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Carrie wore this that in the episode where her and Charlotte are sitting and rating the guys in New York City on who they would sleep with or not.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So there you go.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: Carrie's hat, Miranda's skinny jeans. Jeanne Moos was there to check it out.
Back in a moment here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: An audio training program known as the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) has caught the attention of many parents with kids who have learning disabilities. Today, Dr. Sanjay Gupta tells us how sound therapy has been a calming influence for one family.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Concentration doesn't come easy to many 12-year-old boys, but for twins, Teddy and Alex Gilmartin, it was just a bit harder. They were diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in kindergarten.
TEDDY GILMARTIN, DIAGNOSED WITH ADHD: It always took me until 9:00, when I started at 7:00 to do my homework. And that's not because I get lots of homework. That's because I used to have a lot more trouble concentrating on it.
ALEX GILMARTIN, DIAGNOSED WITH ADHD: Attention and focusing is a whole lot better.
GUPTA: Their parents tried everything, speech therapy, reading therapy, summer programs, special school and medications to help them along. Last summer they tried the Tomatis method.
STACEY GILMARTIN, MOTHER OF TWINS WITH ADHD: It was more successful than other methods, and was probably more radical.
DORINNE DAVIS-KALUGIN, AUDIOLOGIST, DAVIS CENTER: When you have the ability to understand what's coming in better you are going to be better, you are going to be able to adapt to what's going on around you.
GUPTA: Tomatis attempts to teach listening by learning how to filter out all the irrelevant information that overwhelms people with ADHD. This is done by training the brain to ignore certain auditory stimuli. Here's how it works. Through the use of special filters, sounds of Mozart music and Gregorian chants, along with their own voice, enter the child's ear through the ear canal. Sound hits the eardrum, enters the cochlea, and into the brain. Over time the theory is the child adjusts their listening to filter out irrelevant information, allowing them to pay attention more effectively.
Fifteen-year-old David Sportelli has been using Tomatis for two years.
DAVID SPORTELLI, USING TOMATIS METHOD: It helps you, like, kind of bring everything together, and, like, do things for yourself and help calm down a little bit.
GUPTA: But it isn't cheap -- $2,800 for a 15-day session. Many patients require a second session and boosters, costing over $1,600.
The Gilmartin's aren't sure if it was Tomatis alone, or the culmination of years of different therapies.
COURTNEY GILMARTIN, SISTER OF TWINS WITH ADHD: They definitely didn't change from being ADH boys to, like, turning perfectly normal, but you could see different changes.
GUPTA: Changes for the better, the Gilmartin's say.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: One other note here. This Tomatis method has also benefited, we are told, children with autism -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Well, that fizz in your soft drink could be your teeth dissolving. The BBC reporting that soda acid is the main cause of tooth erosion among teenagers. It quotes a study in the British dental journal which says that 14-year-old who drank soda increased the risk of tooth erosion by 220 percent. For those who drink at least four glasses daily, the risk shoots up to 513 percent. Wow.
Still to come this morning, no one can say that the Japanese aren't getting ready for the next natural disaster, but Jack's going to claim's what going on here, coming up.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: All right, welcome back.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: There's a lot of real estate news around this morning, mortgage rates, the company's tallest building, all that and a market preview.
Andy Serwer's here "Minding Your Business."
Another refi boom maybe on the way, huh?
ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Yes, that's right. Let's talk about the markets yesterday, can we? Sad. Sad. Yes, triple digits down again two days in a row. Let's take a look at the damage. What's going on? Well, the bombing in Spain, that's what hurt, and the confusion in the afternoon, was it the Basque or al Qaeda. Wall Street really not liking that at all. And of course the economic news has been weak, too.
Which brings us to our second point, the interest rates situation. Now this is the silver lining for a weak economy. Everyone on Wall Street expecting the economy to pick up, Jack, and therefore, interest rates to pick up. Instead, it seems as if the opposite has been going on. Obviously, the economy not going full steam, and so Wall Street has been sending those interest rates lower. That's good news for consumers who might want to refinance their house. You can check out these mortgage rates. Look at the 30 year of 5.41. That's down to the low, Jack, of 5.4 from last July.
The news here, even if you re-fi at maybe 6, or 6.25, it might be time to check it out again. Also, if you missed it last year, you know, now we're in a situation where we are back down to those lows.
CAFFERTY: What's the rule of thumb? Two points, or a point and a half, from your existing mortgage?
SERWER: Yes, well, or even a point.
CAFFERTY: Depending on the kind of mortgage I guess you go to get.
SERWER: Right, right.
CAFFERTY: Sears Tower, tallest building in America.
SERWER: That's right, 110 stories. Not the tallest building in the world. That's in Malaysia, in Kuala Lumpur.
CAFFERTY: There's two of them.
SERWER: Yes, the towers, the Petronius (ph) Towers, that's right.
There it is. There's the Sears tower. Not owned by Sears. Sears hasn't been there since '93, owned by Metlife. But they sold this baby very quickly, surprising a lot of real estate people. The buyers are unnamed, apparently some real estate moguls in the city, probably around $800 million that building went for.
CAFFERTY: Wow, you would think maybe it would be even more than that.
SERWER: Yes, well, people are a little bit wary of tall buildings.
CAFFERTY: What do they figure the World Trade Center was worth? Wasn't that in the billions?
SERWER: Yes, but then you got two.
CAFFERTY: Well, that's true. Of course you do. That hadn't really escaped me.
Thanks.
On now to "The Cafferty File." In the event that a rhinoceros gets out at the Tokyo zoo and goes nuts, workers there are ready, because they practice what to do. Protecting people in the event of an earthquake or some other disaster might cause animals to get loose. And this is what they do to try and get ready. Previous drills including workers dressed polar bears and leopards. Some people tend pretend to be injured, others pretend to be the rhinoceros. The drill ends with the animal being shot with a fake stun gun.
The Turkish army -- by Friday, we get down to the bottom of the drawer.
SERWER: The nitty and the gritty?
CAFFERTY: Yes.
The Turkish army is looking for a few not so good men. They have asked authorities for information on people who could undermine the state. And the list is a very long one, and it includes ethnic minorities, the socially elite, supporters of the United States and the European Unions, magicians and people who practice meditation. The Turkish military still has significant influence over elected officials, despite recent reforms.
In baseball, not a good enough excuse to not eat meat on Friday, according to the archdiocese of Boston. Could be a problem for Roman Catholic Red Sox fans who are planning to get one of those Fenway franks on opening day, which happens to fall on Good Friday, in Boston. "The Boston Herald" reports the faithful Catholics asked for dispensation and be allowed to eat meat so they could get a dog at the ballpark. They were turned down. However, Fenway will serve beer. So it's OK to go there and get sloshed, but stay away from the weenies.
SERWER: You can get a fish sandwich, though, or something.
CAFFERTY: Yes, they are going to offer fish sandwiches. So you can get sloshed and have some fish.
Oh, "In The Money," i almost forgot. How could I forget such a thing. It contributes so much to my life, and we hope to your. Why are you laughing? I take this very seriously.
O'BRIEN: I know you do.
CAFFERTY: That's right. So much talk about outsourcing and goods from overseas, you'd think nothing in America was still homegrown. Well, think again bright eyes. If you have been watching former "Cheers" star, John Ratzenberg, he has got a new TV show, "Made in America." We're going to talk to him. He's going to be a guest on "In the Money." We're getting many illuminaries these days. And what he's done with this show, "Made in America," he's traveled the country and he's visited with people who work in factories and plants all around the United States. We're going to talk with him about his views on outsourcing and what he's found about the attitude of America's workers, Saturday at 1:00, Sunday at 3:00 Eastern. We promise you a rewarding 60 minutes of television.
HEMMER: You got a little bit of help on that show, right?
CAFFERTY: Andy is there. Alan Wastler (ph) is there. Susan Lisovicz is there. You two are welcome to be guests.
HEMMER: The invitation has been out there for a while. We just haven't taken you up on it yet.
SERWER: Now we have Cliff the mailman. You guys got to show up.
O'BRIEN: Absolutely.
SERWER: Cliff's coming.
CAFFERTY: You know, last week, we had Jason Alexander on the show, used to be "Seinfeld." And Wolf Blitzer called our producer and said, can we get that guest? They wanted him for "Wolf's" show. I mean, suddenly, "In the Money" has a lot of currency here at Cable News Network. So a happening situation.
O'BRIEN: Do you guys want to talk about "Sex and the City?" Because I know how devastated Jack was when it was taken off the air. He cried.
CAFFERTY: If I told you I have never seen it, would you believe me.
O'BRIEN: You are lying.
CAFFERTY: I'm not lying. I've nver seen it.
O'BRIEN: He cried for days. He just doesn't want to reveal his sensitive side.
Anyway, the show may be gone, but the spirit of the show lives on in the cast's clothing. The shows costume designer brought much of the wardrobe from a secondhand store. Yesterday, that store had one big old sale.
Jeanne Moos has this report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): If you said good bye to "Sex and the City," Now say...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hello lover.
MOOS: To shoes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Aren't they fabulous.
MOOS: Tops. You name it. Cast away from the cast of "Sex and the City." The line outside a second-hand consignment shop wound around the block.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're armed with our heel and our credit cards we are ready to go.
MOOS: The first one rushing the door was a law student, she ended up with a striped dress, pink sandals and bra.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't know who were it, but it's pink, and it pretty and was cheap.
MOOS: Every once in a while someone let out a scream -- when they recognized a piece of clothing.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She wore this when they had sex for the first time.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The boots. I remember when these were on.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Anyone want Miranda's skinny jeans?
MOOS: Even the owner of Ina (ph) kept a little something.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I got this little necklace.
MOOS: Prices range from 10 bucks to $5,000.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Carrie wore this hat in the episode where her and Charlotte are sitting and rating the guys in New York City on who they would sleep with or not. So there you go.
SARAH JESSICA PARKER, ACTOR: Men who are too good looking they are never good in bed because they never had to be.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I dated plenty of the men here, and they were definitely not so good.
MOOS: That probably went over the head of the youngest shopper, Ricardo (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He watched the last episode, and he loved it.
MOOS: Now, Ricardo can cuddle up and watch reruns using Carrie's bath robe as a blankie.
Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: See what you're missing Cafferty?
SERWER: Would you go there and shop?
O'BRIEN: No. I can't fit into any of that stuff.
CAFFERTY: Buying somebody used shoes?
O'BRIEN: Bra?
SERWER: Undies.
O'BRIEN: I don't know about that.
HEMMER: Our own Mr. Big over there, Cafferty.
Let's get a break here in a moment. See, I knew you saw this show, Jack.
SERWER: Did he know that meant? He did know what that meant, didn't he?
HEMMER: Yes, he smirked.
Let's get a break here. In a moment -- we're going to let that ride -- did a congressional aide try to provide seek relates to the former Iraqi regime? The latest on her case, and what the government may or may not have, when we continue right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, while the nation of Spain mourns, authorities work to figure out who's to blame for killing nearly 200 commuters. We'll take you live to Madrid when we're back in just a moment on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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Aired March 12, 2004 - 08:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: An innovative treatment for ADHD. It deals with audio training. And we will see how some kids who have been helped by it, in a moment here. Interesting stuff, too.
Top stories here at the half hour, the people in Spain, observing three days of mourning after a deadly attack on Madrid's train system there. Nearly 200 are dead in the explosions of yesterday. Spain's prime minister vowing to bring the guilty to justice, and says, all lines of investigation are now being pursued. Much more on this throughout the morning.
Some major movement on the same sex marriage issue. Massachusetts lawmakers approving a constitutional amendment that would ban same sex marriage, but allowing civil unions. A final vote is necessary before the amendment can proceed to the next step. Lawmakers there are set to reconvene a bit later this month.
And meanwhile, the last same-sex couple has been married in San Francisco. The California supreme court has ordered to halt gay marriages until the legal wrangling over that issue is ironed out.
A 14-year-old missing since last week has been found in California and alive. Courtney Redmond found unharmed yesterday. The FBI says a suspect has been arrested. The teen's parents were notified, and were on their way yesterday to pick up their daughter. A good ending there.
On a health note, The EPA is taking a closer look at microwave popcorn. The agency is studying the chemicals released into the air when the bag is popped or open. A rare lung disease has been linked to vapors from the butter flavoring. Health officials, however, say people who microwave popcorn and eat it at home are not in danger.
Also, a multimillionaire lottery winners appears to be having a bit of a bad week. Police say the 2002 Powerball, Jack Whitaker, had his vehicle burglarized yesterday and that $2,000 was stolen from his office. Whitaker was also slapped with a lawsuit. A casino worker claims that he assaulted her last year. The millionaire has not been charged that crime. You are a target.
Up to date now, 8:32 in New York.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: The good news is you won a couple hundred million dollar in Powerball, the bad news is, you had a rough week.
(WEATHER CENTER) O'BRIEN: Well, Friday would not be Friday, would it, without our visit from a "Gimme a Minute" gang. Sure, they talk fast, because, hey, we make them; they only have a minute.
Joining us this morning from Washington is Jonah Goldberg. He's the editor of the National Review Online.
Good morning, Jonah, nice to see you.
JONAH GOLDBERG, NATIONAL REVIEW ONLINE: Nice to see you.
O'BRIEN: Thank you very much.
Also CNN political analyst Donna Brazile.
Hey, Donna. Good morning.
DONNA BRAZILE, CNN POL. ANALYST: Good morning. Nice to see you.
O'BRIEN: Thank you.
BRAZILE: And joining us from Salt Lake City this morning, Andy Borowitz of "The New Yorker," who's usually in New York, but now he's in Salt Lake.
Good morning, Andy. Nice to see you.
ANDY BOROWITZ, "THE NEW YORKER": Good morning.
O'BRIEN: All right, let's get right to it.
Donna, we're going to start with you this morning. We've been talking about it for the last couple of days, the words of John Kerry, whether he knew he was miked or didn't know he was miked. He called his opponents some of the most crooked, you know, lying group of people I have seen. Some Republicans say that's not very presidential. What do you say to that?
BRAZILE: Well, finally we have a Democrat with a spine and a backbone. The truth will set you free. John Kerry should not apologize.
O'BRIEN: Jonah, do you think he should apologize, especially when you consider what they are saying about each other in the ads anyway, essentially, on both sides? It's pretty much that.
GOLDBERG: Yes, I kind of agree with Donna, but for completely different reasons. I don't think John Kerry should apologize, because remember we all used to say, let Reagan be Reagan. I think George Bush's best chance for John Kerry to be John Kerry, and the more obnoxious he reveals himself to be, the better it is for the Republicans.
O'BRIEN: Interesting strategy there.
Andy, you know, there is a theory that says, you could apologize anyway, even if you are not really sorry.
BOROWITZ: Well, you know, the Republicans have issued a statement saying that they are rubber and John Kerry is glue.
O'BRIEN: All right, our next topic this morning, the House passed this indecency legislation, proposed now, finding broadcasters and performers, up to half a million bucks if they have a violation.
Jonah, we're going to begin with you on this one -- do you think that was the right move?
GOLDBERG: I think so. I think circumstances have sort of pushed the climate this way. No one would look over the last decade and say that decency laws have been too strictly enforced. I think they've been sort of ignored, and after the Janet Jackson thing, it was just ripe.
O'BRIEN: $500,000, though, that's a lot of money. Do you think that's a little bit steep?
GOLDBERG: I think Time Warner and Viacom and these companies can afford it.
O'BRIEN: Well, the performers as well could also face those kind of charges.
Donna, do you think that's too steep?
BRAZILE: Well, I'm a big supporter of the First Amendment, and I believe consumers should be allowed to vote with their remote. Congress should start fixing our problems and get out of this business right now.
O'BRIEN: Interesting.
And why would he name Time Warner first? Thanks, Jonah. We appreciate that.
GOLDBERG: Sorry about that.
O'BRIEN: That's all right, I forgive you.
Andy, I'm curious, Janet Jackson's breast -- was that worth $500,000?
BOROWITZ: Well, you know, under this bill, her right breast would be fined, but her left one go free.
O'BRIEN: You scare me. All right, let's talk about the issues that worry Americans most, seriously -- jobs, the economy, health care, our soldiers overseas in Iraq. So what does Congress do? They're talking about baseball and steroids. Do you think, Donna, this is wrongheaded, that they're really wasting the people's time?
BRAZILE: That's just the problem, they're spending less time on legislation that matters to people's lives, and more times on things that, well, you know, just a few athletes are -- I think steroid use is to athletes what lying is to some politicians.
O'BRIEN: Interesting analogy. It might take me a moment to kind of dig through that one.
All right, well, Jonah, what do you think, do you think it's a mistake, or as many people have said, that the truth is, it's a big problem and it goes to the core of our nation's values.
GOLDBERG: Well, I think it's a big problem, and I think it's a very complicated one, partly because baseball has special dispensation from antitrust laws, so Washington has always regulated it and watched it more.
But the real culprit here I think is the players' union and the players, who simply said, we're not going to do anything about it, forcing the hands of other people to step in.
O'BRIEN: Interesting.
Andy, what do you think?
BOROWITZ: I want Congress to stop worrying about steroids and start focusing on this microwave popcorn thing.
O'BRIEN: Did you hear that story? That's a little bit concerning, although they say people at home who use microwave popcorn are not at any risk apparently.
Let's talk about the undercovered story of the week. Why don't we start with you, Jonah?
GOLDBERG: Well, after, what, about 50 years of every sympathetic story imaginable about reporters protecting their sources, all of a sudden the entire media establishment has turned a blind eye on the pressure on Bob Novak to reveal his sources. I think the whole Valerie Plain (ph) think was an embarrassment to the White House, but that doesn't mean that he should abandon First Amendment principles.
O'BRIEN: Interesting. Donna, what do you think?
BRAZILE: The Associated Press reported this week that when Congress completes its budget, over $30 billion will be passed on to the taxpayers at the state and local level. It's time that Congress learned how to balance the budget and pay its bills, and not pass it on to taxpayers.
O'BRIEN: Interesting. And Andy Borowitz, you have the final word this morning. What's your undercovered story of the week.
BOROWITZ: Well, Soledad, a woman who tried to use a counterfeit million dollar bill at Wal-Mart was just named chairman and CEO of Haliburton.
O'BRIEN: I like it.
All right, you guys, as always, Andy, thanks, Donna and Jonah as well, thanks for being with us. We'll check in with you later in the next week.
HEMMER: Thank you, Soledad.
Do you think Andy is going to the slopes now?
O'BRIEN: You think so? I think he's taking his microphone off. He's halfway there.
HEMMER: Well, what about it, Drew? Yes or no?
O'BRIEN: There he is. He's still there. I'm shocked.
BOROWITZ: I am not skiing. I have a very bad relationship with gravity.
O'BRIEN: Are you on vacation?
BOROWITZ: No, no, no. I am hard at work, Borowitz world tour.
HEMMER: Selling books. Thank you, Andy. Have a good weekend.
In a moment here, is too late to get a good rate on a home loan? Andy, has the answer in a moment.
O'BRIEN: Also, never underestimate the power of music. Dr. Sanjay Gupta looks at how Chance (ph) and even Mozart can help children who have learning disabilities.
HEMMER: And a last chance to acquire a piece of history. "Sex and the City" the sale is on now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Carrie wore this that in the episode where her and Charlotte are sitting and rating the guys in New York City on who they would sleep with or not.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So there you go.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: Carrie's hat, Miranda's skinny jeans. Jeanne Moos was there to check it out.
Back in a moment here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: An audio training program known as the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) has caught the attention of many parents with kids who have learning disabilities. Today, Dr. Sanjay Gupta tells us how sound therapy has been a calming influence for one family.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Concentration doesn't come easy to many 12-year-old boys, but for twins, Teddy and Alex Gilmartin, it was just a bit harder. They were diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in kindergarten.
TEDDY GILMARTIN, DIAGNOSED WITH ADHD: It always took me until 9:00, when I started at 7:00 to do my homework. And that's not because I get lots of homework. That's because I used to have a lot more trouble concentrating on it.
ALEX GILMARTIN, DIAGNOSED WITH ADHD: Attention and focusing is a whole lot better.
GUPTA: Their parents tried everything, speech therapy, reading therapy, summer programs, special school and medications to help them along. Last summer they tried the Tomatis method.
STACEY GILMARTIN, MOTHER OF TWINS WITH ADHD: It was more successful than other methods, and was probably more radical.
DORINNE DAVIS-KALUGIN, AUDIOLOGIST, DAVIS CENTER: When you have the ability to understand what's coming in better you are going to be better, you are going to be able to adapt to what's going on around you.
GUPTA: Tomatis attempts to teach listening by learning how to filter out all the irrelevant information that overwhelms people with ADHD. This is done by training the brain to ignore certain auditory stimuli. Here's how it works. Through the use of special filters, sounds of Mozart music and Gregorian chants, along with their own voice, enter the child's ear through the ear canal. Sound hits the eardrum, enters the cochlea, and into the brain. Over time the theory is the child adjusts their listening to filter out irrelevant information, allowing them to pay attention more effectively.
Fifteen-year-old David Sportelli has been using Tomatis for two years.
DAVID SPORTELLI, USING TOMATIS METHOD: It helps you, like, kind of bring everything together, and, like, do things for yourself and help calm down a little bit.
GUPTA: But it isn't cheap -- $2,800 for a 15-day session. Many patients require a second session and boosters, costing over $1,600.
The Gilmartin's aren't sure if it was Tomatis alone, or the culmination of years of different therapies.
COURTNEY GILMARTIN, SISTER OF TWINS WITH ADHD: They definitely didn't change from being ADH boys to, like, turning perfectly normal, but you could see different changes.
GUPTA: Changes for the better, the Gilmartin's say.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: One other note here. This Tomatis method has also benefited, we are told, children with autism -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Well, that fizz in your soft drink could be your teeth dissolving. The BBC reporting that soda acid is the main cause of tooth erosion among teenagers. It quotes a study in the British dental journal which says that 14-year-old who drank soda increased the risk of tooth erosion by 220 percent. For those who drink at least four glasses daily, the risk shoots up to 513 percent. Wow.
Still to come this morning, no one can say that the Japanese aren't getting ready for the next natural disaster, but Jack's going to claim's what going on here, coming up.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: All right, welcome back.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: There's a lot of real estate news around this morning, mortgage rates, the company's tallest building, all that and a market preview.
Andy Serwer's here "Minding Your Business."
Another refi boom maybe on the way, huh?
ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Yes, that's right. Let's talk about the markets yesterday, can we? Sad. Sad. Yes, triple digits down again two days in a row. Let's take a look at the damage. What's going on? Well, the bombing in Spain, that's what hurt, and the confusion in the afternoon, was it the Basque or al Qaeda. Wall Street really not liking that at all. And of course the economic news has been weak, too.
Which brings us to our second point, the interest rates situation. Now this is the silver lining for a weak economy. Everyone on Wall Street expecting the economy to pick up, Jack, and therefore, interest rates to pick up. Instead, it seems as if the opposite has been going on. Obviously, the economy not going full steam, and so Wall Street has been sending those interest rates lower. That's good news for consumers who might want to refinance their house. You can check out these mortgage rates. Look at the 30 year of 5.41. That's down to the low, Jack, of 5.4 from last July.
The news here, even if you re-fi at maybe 6, or 6.25, it might be time to check it out again. Also, if you missed it last year, you know, now we're in a situation where we are back down to those lows.
CAFFERTY: What's the rule of thumb? Two points, or a point and a half, from your existing mortgage?
SERWER: Yes, well, or even a point.
CAFFERTY: Depending on the kind of mortgage I guess you go to get.
SERWER: Right, right.
CAFFERTY: Sears Tower, tallest building in America.
SERWER: That's right, 110 stories. Not the tallest building in the world. That's in Malaysia, in Kuala Lumpur.
CAFFERTY: There's two of them.
SERWER: Yes, the towers, the Petronius (ph) Towers, that's right.
There it is. There's the Sears tower. Not owned by Sears. Sears hasn't been there since '93, owned by Metlife. But they sold this baby very quickly, surprising a lot of real estate people. The buyers are unnamed, apparently some real estate moguls in the city, probably around $800 million that building went for.
CAFFERTY: Wow, you would think maybe it would be even more than that.
SERWER: Yes, well, people are a little bit wary of tall buildings.
CAFFERTY: What do they figure the World Trade Center was worth? Wasn't that in the billions?
SERWER: Yes, but then you got two.
CAFFERTY: Well, that's true. Of course you do. That hadn't really escaped me.
Thanks.
On now to "The Cafferty File." In the event that a rhinoceros gets out at the Tokyo zoo and goes nuts, workers there are ready, because they practice what to do. Protecting people in the event of an earthquake or some other disaster might cause animals to get loose. And this is what they do to try and get ready. Previous drills including workers dressed polar bears and leopards. Some people tend pretend to be injured, others pretend to be the rhinoceros. The drill ends with the animal being shot with a fake stun gun.
The Turkish army -- by Friday, we get down to the bottom of the drawer.
SERWER: The nitty and the gritty?
CAFFERTY: Yes.
The Turkish army is looking for a few not so good men. They have asked authorities for information on people who could undermine the state. And the list is a very long one, and it includes ethnic minorities, the socially elite, supporters of the United States and the European Unions, magicians and people who practice meditation. The Turkish military still has significant influence over elected officials, despite recent reforms.
In baseball, not a good enough excuse to not eat meat on Friday, according to the archdiocese of Boston. Could be a problem for Roman Catholic Red Sox fans who are planning to get one of those Fenway franks on opening day, which happens to fall on Good Friday, in Boston. "The Boston Herald" reports the faithful Catholics asked for dispensation and be allowed to eat meat so they could get a dog at the ballpark. They were turned down. However, Fenway will serve beer. So it's OK to go there and get sloshed, but stay away from the weenies.
SERWER: You can get a fish sandwich, though, or something.
CAFFERTY: Yes, they are going to offer fish sandwiches. So you can get sloshed and have some fish.
Oh, "In The Money," i almost forgot. How could I forget such a thing. It contributes so much to my life, and we hope to your. Why are you laughing? I take this very seriously.
O'BRIEN: I know you do.
CAFFERTY: That's right. So much talk about outsourcing and goods from overseas, you'd think nothing in America was still homegrown. Well, think again bright eyes. If you have been watching former "Cheers" star, John Ratzenberg, he has got a new TV show, "Made in America." We're going to talk to him. He's going to be a guest on "In the Money." We're getting many illuminaries these days. And what he's done with this show, "Made in America," he's traveled the country and he's visited with people who work in factories and plants all around the United States. We're going to talk with him about his views on outsourcing and what he's found about the attitude of America's workers, Saturday at 1:00, Sunday at 3:00 Eastern. We promise you a rewarding 60 minutes of television.
HEMMER: You got a little bit of help on that show, right?
CAFFERTY: Andy is there. Alan Wastler (ph) is there. Susan Lisovicz is there. You two are welcome to be guests.
HEMMER: The invitation has been out there for a while. We just haven't taken you up on it yet.
SERWER: Now we have Cliff the mailman. You guys got to show up.
O'BRIEN: Absolutely.
SERWER: Cliff's coming.
CAFFERTY: You know, last week, we had Jason Alexander on the show, used to be "Seinfeld." And Wolf Blitzer called our producer and said, can we get that guest? They wanted him for "Wolf's" show. I mean, suddenly, "In the Money" has a lot of currency here at Cable News Network. So a happening situation.
O'BRIEN: Do you guys want to talk about "Sex and the City?" Because I know how devastated Jack was when it was taken off the air. He cried.
CAFFERTY: If I told you I have never seen it, would you believe me.
O'BRIEN: You are lying.
CAFFERTY: I'm not lying. I've nver seen it.
O'BRIEN: He cried for days. He just doesn't want to reveal his sensitive side.
Anyway, the show may be gone, but the spirit of the show lives on in the cast's clothing. The shows costume designer brought much of the wardrobe from a secondhand store. Yesterday, that store had one big old sale.
Jeanne Moos has this report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): If you said good bye to "Sex and the City," Now say...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hello lover.
MOOS: To shoes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Aren't they fabulous.
MOOS: Tops. You name it. Cast away from the cast of "Sex and the City." The line outside a second-hand consignment shop wound around the block.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're armed with our heel and our credit cards we are ready to go.
MOOS: The first one rushing the door was a law student, she ended up with a striped dress, pink sandals and bra.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't know who were it, but it's pink, and it pretty and was cheap.
MOOS: Every once in a while someone let out a scream -- when they recognized a piece of clothing.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She wore this when they had sex for the first time.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The boots. I remember when these were on.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Anyone want Miranda's skinny jeans?
MOOS: Even the owner of Ina (ph) kept a little something.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I got this little necklace.
MOOS: Prices range from 10 bucks to $5,000.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Carrie wore this hat in the episode where her and Charlotte are sitting and rating the guys in New York City on who they would sleep with or not. So there you go.
SARAH JESSICA PARKER, ACTOR: Men who are too good looking they are never good in bed because they never had to be.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I dated plenty of the men here, and they were definitely not so good.
MOOS: That probably went over the head of the youngest shopper, Ricardo (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He watched the last episode, and he loved it.
MOOS: Now, Ricardo can cuddle up and watch reruns using Carrie's bath robe as a blankie.
Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: See what you're missing Cafferty?
SERWER: Would you go there and shop?
O'BRIEN: No. I can't fit into any of that stuff.
CAFFERTY: Buying somebody used shoes?
O'BRIEN: Bra?
SERWER: Undies.
O'BRIEN: I don't know about that.
HEMMER: Our own Mr. Big over there, Cafferty.
Let's get a break here in a moment. See, I knew you saw this show, Jack.
SERWER: Did he know that meant? He did know what that meant, didn't he?
HEMMER: Yes, he smirked.
Let's get a break here. In a moment -- we're going to let that ride -- did a congressional aide try to provide seek relates to the former Iraqi regime? The latest on her case, and what the government may or may not have, when we continue right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, while the nation of Spain mourns, authorities work to figure out who's to blame for killing nearly 200 commuters. We'll take you live to Madrid when we're back in just a moment on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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