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CNN Live Today

One-Year Anniversary of War in Iraq This Week; American Women are Getting Breast Implants in Record Numbers

Aired March 15, 2004 - 10:30   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.


DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: As we mentioned at the top of the hour, the world marks the one-year anniversary of the war in Iraq later this week. It would seem from the start of the U.S.-led offensive Bush administration has been on the defensive against the critics. Kathleen Koch is at the White House.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As a week of intense focus on the Iraq conflict begins, President Bush's national security team remains firm and unapologetic on the decision to go to war...

DONALD RUMSFELD, DEFENSE SECRETARY: Yes, I think it was the right thing to do.

KOCH: On the elusive weapons of mass destruction.

COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: ... may not exist any longer, but let's not suggest that somehow we knew this.

KOCH: The Bush administration's top officials made the rounds of the Sunday morning talk shows insisting the world is now a safer place and that the war on terrorism is being won.

But a new al Qaeda claim that it launched last week's Madrid attacks to punish Spain for joining the U.S. in Iraq and in Afghanistan, prompted questions about whether the coalition would endure.

CONDOLEEZZA RICE, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: No one can be intimidated. We are at war with these people. And yes, they will try and attack those who they believe might defeat them. That is a part of their game. But they will not win, and we will not falter.

KOCH: One lawmaker compared some Spaniards' belief that if they pull their troops out of Iraq, they'll be safe with British efforts to appease Hitler before World War II.

SEN. JOE LIEBERMAN (D), CONNECTICUT: I hate to say it, but that's the same kind logic that led Neville Chamberlain in Munich to try to pacify Hitler in the late '30s. Obviously that didn't work, and it won't work anymore with al Qaeda or their ilk around the world. We have to stop them. KOCH (on-camera): And in an ominous sign with Spanish voters yesterday ousting the existing government in favor of the opposition, which promised to pull Spanish troops out of Iraq. The potential now for the U.S. to lose not only a coalition partner but a valuable ally.

Kathleen Koch, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: A quick glimpse of the headlines makes it clear the struggle is fought every day and the challenges are continually evolving in Iraq. Stefan Faris is a correspondent for "TIME" magazine which is paying special attention to this week's milestone. He joins us now.

Stefan, hello. Thank you for being with us.

STEFAN FARIS, "TIME": Thank you.

KAGAN: The magazine is looking back to see what is taking place in Iraq. It appears to be a combination of progress yet also increased anxiety in Iraq.

FARIS: Yes, that's right. Seems to be two major themes that have changed a lot since about a year ago. One is that this regime is no longer looking over people's shoulders all the time. They fell a lot, let's say politically safe than they did a year ago.

But at the same time, security especially has plummeted. And so now they're worried about bombs and crime instead of secret police.

KAGAN: I know the magazine made a special effort to try to go back and interview some of the same people that the reporters have interviewed over time. Can you share with us some of the interviews that you were able to do and how those attitudes and lives have change?

FARIS: Sure. I was focused closer to Baghdad where so many people hadn't been before. So I didn't interview any of the same people that we had last time. But I did speak to people who did talk about how things have changed.

And I think there was a sense of optimism about three or four months ago when we did the last survey that seems to have in some sense evaporated. Not necessarily to pessicism (sic), but let's say to just kind of a wait and see and see what's going to happen next.

KAGAN: And just in reading through the piece that runs in "TIME," it looks like there's this love/hate relationship with the Americans. Certainly glad to see Saddam Hussein go, but a deep and growing resentment of the American president still in Iraq.

FARIS: Yes, it's fairly complex. I mean people tend to say we don't want this occupation any more. The sooner they go the better. Then you say, well, listen, do you really mean that? Should they pull out tomorrow? And they say, well, no, they should keep securities a little bit longer. So, well, should they pull out June 30? They say, no, no, no. So they want the Americans out, but at the same time they want to make sure Iraq doesn't descend into chaos.

And in some sense what's most interesting is that some people think the Americans should pull out outside of the cities because they feel that they're attracting too many attacks into the cities while they are here.

KAGAN: And then also it would be wrong to just make one giant stereotype or generalization of the whole country. If you are in the south, let's say Basra, you might have a booming economy and then perhaps if you're in another place like Kirkuk, it's still very dangerous, very tense.

FARIS: Absolutely. The whole -- Iraq more or less, I guess, defies any type of (UNINTELLIGIBLE) generalization. But two things that they are happy that Saddam is gone seem to be true all over the place and then the security issue seems to be true also all over the place.

KAGAN: And how much longer will you stay there on assignment?

FARIS: It's not quite clear yet. Maybe another month and a half or two months.

KAGAN: All right, well, we'll have you back as you have more reporting.

FARIS: Great. Thank you very much.

KAGAN: Stefan Faris from "TIME" magazine. You can read more of his work and more about the year -- the last year in Iraq in this week's "TIME" magazine.

We're going to go very superficial after all that. You feel like you need a lift? American women are getting breast implants in record numbers. How about that for a headline? And many other types of cosmetic surgery as well. Business is booming.

We're going to talk with an expert about the dramatic increase. He also will be answering your questions about plastic surgery.

And an emergency landing in Florida takes a trucks driver by surprise. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(MARKET UPDATE)

KAGAN: Trying to have your tummy tucked? No, not Susan. Maybe you out there. Your torso tightened? But you can't elbow your way into your plastic surgeon's schedule? It's a little tight?

That could be because millions are undergoing the knife to tighten up from head to toe. Consider some of these eyebrow raising facts: 8.7 million plastic surgeries in 2003 in this country. That is up 32 percent from the previous year. Men accounted for 18 percent of them.

Dr. Julius Few, a plastic surgeon in Chicago this morning. We've brought him back because when we have plastic surgery questions, we call on Dr. Few. Good morning.

DR. JULIUS FEW, PLASTIC SURGEON: Good morning.

KAGAN: Business is good apparently.

FEW: It is. I am going to try to forgive you for referring to plastic surgery as superficial.

KAGAN: Well it's just compared to the war on Iraq. that was a little transition there. Give me that.

FEW: I would agree.

KAGAN: Look at -- according to the information that we have, some of the top items that being done, the top procedures, nose, liposuction, breast augmentation, eyelid, facelift. How does that compare with what you are seeing in your practice?

FEW: Well, I think that liposuction still continues to be a big part of plastic surgery. And probably looking at women who do make up the majority of elective or cosmetic patients, liposuction still the most commonly performed procedure, surgical procedure. And certainly breast augmentation would follow pretty closely after that.

KAGAN: And a lot more of these procedures are being done in doctor's offices.

FEW: That's an interesting trend. I think that our societies have done really a great job in terms of mandating the highest standards of care for patients. And in particular really focusing on patient safety.

And so the members of our societies have to really document some of the most stringent levels of care to really allow for that kind of service in a doctor's office.

KAGAN: You were mentioning that it's still the majority of people coming into the practices are women. But are you seeing a growing number of men?

FEW: I do, and especially being in Chicago, I see an awful lot of executives, professional men, coming in really wanting to do something to freshen their look and be competitive, certainly in the marketplace, so I think that that number will continue to grow.

KAGAN: What's the biggest change you are seeing in your practice?

FEW: Well, I think that the biggest change I'm seeing is the number of patients who are coming in who have had fairly dramatic exposure to plastic surgery either through the television, or the Web. Certainly, with reality-based shows that are now widely available, a number of patients are coming in, actually, if you will, pushing me as a plastic surgeon to try to address a number of things at once.

KAGAN: We have video right now of "Extreme Makeover." I'm wondering if that helps or hurts. I think it probably helps business, because it makes people more familiar, more comfortable, but the kind of work, Dr. Few, that we see people have in seeming just an hour, but really is many, many weeks, and hundreds of thousands of dollars, is that realistic that people can come in and expect to have that done?

FEW: I think that, Daryn, you are hitting on probably the single most important issue, I think that shows such as "Extreme Makeover," which overall, I think is a very nicely produced program, it does put the plastic surgeon in kind of an awkward position, because we're left trying to, if you will, calm down the patient in terms of what they're pursuing for the reasons that you have definitely brought up.

The reality is you can't sit somebody down in an operating room and operate on them all day and then expect for their safety to also be closely looked after. So I think that, really, the bottom line is that while the shows are good, in terms of exposing patients to the procedures available, it can sometimes be a little bad in the sense that it creates some unrealistic expectations.

KAGAN: Well, we have some pretty realistic expectations here at CNN, and that's we just expect you to sit around for another hour to answer some questions, are you right?

FEW: I look forward to it.

KAGAN: So you don't go anywhere. Great. Dr. Few's going to haven around.

If you have questions or concerns about plastic surgery, are you considering a procedure? Just e-mail us LIVETODAY@CNN.com, and in the next hour, Dr. Few will be back to answer some of those questions.

While you get those questions together, we are going to show you what we are watching live in Washington D.C., and that is Senator John Kerry, speaking to the Annual firefighters Convention. We will check in with Senator Kerry after a break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: We want to listen in a little bit to Washington, D.C., Senator John Kerry make a campaign appearance in front of the Firefighters Annual Convention. Let's listen in.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: ... Ohio, Iowa, have to raise money in order to buy that body armor for their loved ones. Families ought to be sending pictures and care packages to Iraq, and the Department of Defense should be sending the body armor. That's the way it ought to work in this country.

(APPLAUSE)

So today, I call on the president to support a bill, a law now in Congress, which we could pass just like that, to reimburse each and every family who had to buy the body armor this administration failed to provide. That would be fair and just.

In addition, many of us today here, many of you out there, you have been on the frontlines of conflicts far away, but all of us know that today firefighters, and other first defenders and first responders in America are the people on the front lines of this new war, and you also deserve the tools that you need.

After September 11th, President Bush went to New York, stood at ground zero, stood with our firefighters. I wish that the president would go back now and ask whether he has stood with you since that day. You should never have to worry about getting the health benefits, collective bargaining rights you have earned, and President Bush should never forget that the 343 heroes we lost on 9/11 were not only parents and children, brothers and husbands, fiancees and best friends, they were also proud members of locals 94 and 854. They never forgot it, and neither will we.

(APPLAUSE)

Two and a half years after 9/11, fire departments across our country only have enough radios for half the firefighters and almost two-thirds of our firehouses are short staffed, with more firefighters and police officers actually being laid off. Cargo in our airports and in our seaports still isn't screened to the level that's been recommended by a number of distinguished expert panels, so they reach the level of legitimate deterrents. Our terrorist watchlists haven't been simplified, and the right information still isn't available to the right people on the frontlines of preventing the next attack. First defenders still can't radio each other in emergency situations, similar to what we saw happen between police and firefighters in New York City. Air marshals are actually being laid off.

And yet this administration has put a tax giveaway for the very wealthiest of our nation over making sure that we do all that we can to win the war on terror here at home. They have no problem giving Halliburton a fat, no-bid contract, while only soldiers, and firefighters and police officers are asked to give their sacrifice. I think this administration has it just plain backwards. President Bush says we can't afford...

KAGAN: Listening to Senator John Kerry making a campaign appearance before the Annual Firefighters Convention in Washington D.C., talking about homeland defense. The other side, the White House, Condoleezza Rice, out there yesterday on the Sunday shows saying that if Americans are going to roll back the Patriot Act, they have to be ready for a more dangerous world. President Bush, by the way, making his own campaign stop today in Pennsylvania. See more of that later today right here on CNN.

Right now, a quick break. We'll be back after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I could not move my arms. I remember being pinned to the ground.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I know it was really scary. I was really scared.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Scratching, biting.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was just bedlam.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Scenes of a fierce fight caught on film in the fall of 2001. You might remember Barry Bonds hit his 73rd home run, hitting a single season record. No sooner had the celebration ended than the controversy began. The problem, who really caught that coveted ball?

"Up For Grabs" is a new documentary examining the question of whodunnit, who got it. Mike Wranovics, the film's director and producer, is in Austin, Texas to tell us more.

Mike, good morning.

MIKE WRANOVICS, DIRECTOR & PRODUCER, "UP FOR GRABS": Good morning, Daryn.

KAGAN: So it should have been this great sports story. Instead it ended up being a case study in human behavior.

WRANOVICS: Yes, it was pretty fascinating. At the time, the dot.com bust had kind of taken over San Francisco, and so you had a lot of people kind of thinking about this as their last chance to become an overnight millionaire. And so the stands were packed with people kind of looking at the ball as the last drop coming down from the dot.com boom, and then it came down to these two fans who felt that they both deserved the ball, and ball and went to great lengths to try and keep it and sell it.

KAGAN: Something that should have been so happy. Now even since then, in recent weeks, there's been yet another shadow on this whole record, the whole issue of steroids in baseball. Have you been following that with great interests as well, because it kind of puts, some people are saying an asterix by records by people like Barry Bonds and Mark McGwire?

WRANOVICS: Yes, I have been following that, but not really related to this film as much as just a baseball fan. I've been a Giants fan since I was a little kid. So I have definitely been hopeful all this time that Barry has been clean, and I guess time will tell.

KAGAN: Time will tell.

Now, you have a great story unto yourself, in that you were working, I think, in the high-tech business in that industry, for about 10 years, woke up one day and said, yuck, young, hate this job, hate this life, and you just decided to go after a dream.

WRANOVICS: Yes, it wasn't necessarily that I hated it, but I didn't love it. And yes, one day -- I wouldn't say it was just one day, but I did start writing a screenplay. And then one day, it was the day after Barry had set the record, I saw this little blurb in the paper about the two fans in the dispute, and I just --I thought there was a documentary in the making there, and just started contacting all the people that were involved in the story, that were quoted in the article, contacted both sides' attorneys, told them I am making this film, so I kind of put the screenplay on the shelf and started working on the film.

KAGAN: And as I understand it, your next project is going to focus on the Stanford men's basketball program, which is unique in that sense it's been so successful, and yet has a high academic standards as well. The seedings came out yesterday for the brackets. How far do you think Stanford is going to go in March Madness?

WRANOVICS: All season, I have been feeling that they had a real good chance at winning the National Championship. It's always kind of a crapshoot in college basketball. Once March Madness begins, anything can happen, but this is such a deep, strong team with character and incredible team chemistry that, I think, the sky is the limit.

KAGAN: Well, they got the top seed in the bracket coming out of Phoenix, Arizona So as a totally biased Stanford Cardinal fan myself, I'm wishing them well.

WRANOVICS: All right, I'm glad you are with us.

KAGAN: Yes, there you go. Alumni, so that's why I have to reveal my bias there.

But Mike Wranovics, thank you so much. Good luck with the film, your first effort there. It's called "Up For Grabs." Appreciate you stopping by.

WRANOVICS: Thank you, Daryn.

KAGAN: Well, you don't want to drop the ball, so to speak, on keeping up with entertainment news. Get the latest on CNN.com/entertainment. You can find out who is the funniest man in America, and see why Mel Gibson's "Passion" is still kind. That's CNN.com/entertainment.

On the heels of last week's terror attacks, Spain elects a new prime minister, and he's vowing to withdrawal Spanish troops from Iraq. We will be talking about the political implications, both in the U.S. and abroad.

Also, 19 years later, a convicted child molester may walk free, after some of his victims say they were pressured to lie on the witness stand. A live report from Bakersfield, California just ahead, as the second hour of CNN LIVE TODAY gets started after this break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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Women are Getting Breast Implants in Record Numbers>


Aired March 15, 2004 - 10:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: As we mentioned at the top of the hour, the world marks the one-year anniversary of the war in Iraq later this week. It would seem from the start of the U.S.-led offensive Bush administration has been on the defensive against the critics. Kathleen Koch is at the White House.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As a week of intense focus on the Iraq conflict begins, President Bush's national security team remains firm and unapologetic on the decision to go to war...

DONALD RUMSFELD, DEFENSE SECRETARY: Yes, I think it was the right thing to do.

KOCH: On the elusive weapons of mass destruction.

COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: ... may not exist any longer, but let's not suggest that somehow we knew this.

KOCH: The Bush administration's top officials made the rounds of the Sunday morning talk shows insisting the world is now a safer place and that the war on terrorism is being won.

But a new al Qaeda claim that it launched last week's Madrid attacks to punish Spain for joining the U.S. in Iraq and in Afghanistan, prompted questions about whether the coalition would endure.

CONDOLEEZZA RICE, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: No one can be intimidated. We are at war with these people. And yes, they will try and attack those who they believe might defeat them. That is a part of their game. But they will not win, and we will not falter.

KOCH: One lawmaker compared some Spaniards' belief that if they pull their troops out of Iraq, they'll be safe with British efforts to appease Hitler before World War II.

SEN. JOE LIEBERMAN (D), CONNECTICUT: I hate to say it, but that's the same kind logic that led Neville Chamberlain in Munich to try to pacify Hitler in the late '30s. Obviously that didn't work, and it won't work anymore with al Qaeda or their ilk around the world. We have to stop them. KOCH (on-camera): And in an ominous sign with Spanish voters yesterday ousting the existing government in favor of the opposition, which promised to pull Spanish troops out of Iraq. The potential now for the U.S. to lose not only a coalition partner but a valuable ally.

Kathleen Koch, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: A quick glimpse of the headlines makes it clear the struggle is fought every day and the challenges are continually evolving in Iraq. Stefan Faris is a correspondent for "TIME" magazine which is paying special attention to this week's milestone. He joins us now.

Stefan, hello. Thank you for being with us.

STEFAN FARIS, "TIME": Thank you.

KAGAN: The magazine is looking back to see what is taking place in Iraq. It appears to be a combination of progress yet also increased anxiety in Iraq.

FARIS: Yes, that's right. Seems to be two major themes that have changed a lot since about a year ago. One is that this regime is no longer looking over people's shoulders all the time. They fell a lot, let's say politically safe than they did a year ago.

But at the same time, security especially has plummeted. And so now they're worried about bombs and crime instead of secret police.

KAGAN: I know the magazine made a special effort to try to go back and interview some of the same people that the reporters have interviewed over time. Can you share with us some of the interviews that you were able to do and how those attitudes and lives have change?

FARIS: Sure. I was focused closer to Baghdad where so many people hadn't been before. So I didn't interview any of the same people that we had last time. But I did speak to people who did talk about how things have changed.

And I think there was a sense of optimism about three or four months ago when we did the last survey that seems to have in some sense evaporated. Not necessarily to pessicism (sic), but let's say to just kind of a wait and see and see what's going to happen next.

KAGAN: And just in reading through the piece that runs in "TIME," it looks like there's this love/hate relationship with the Americans. Certainly glad to see Saddam Hussein go, but a deep and growing resentment of the American president still in Iraq.

FARIS: Yes, it's fairly complex. I mean people tend to say we don't want this occupation any more. The sooner they go the better. Then you say, well, listen, do you really mean that? Should they pull out tomorrow? And they say, well, no, they should keep securities a little bit longer. So, well, should they pull out June 30? They say, no, no, no. So they want the Americans out, but at the same time they want to make sure Iraq doesn't descend into chaos.

And in some sense what's most interesting is that some people think the Americans should pull out outside of the cities because they feel that they're attracting too many attacks into the cities while they are here.

KAGAN: And then also it would be wrong to just make one giant stereotype or generalization of the whole country. If you are in the south, let's say Basra, you might have a booming economy and then perhaps if you're in another place like Kirkuk, it's still very dangerous, very tense.

FARIS: Absolutely. The whole -- Iraq more or less, I guess, defies any type of (UNINTELLIGIBLE) generalization. But two things that they are happy that Saddam is gone seem to be true all over the place and then the security issue seems to be true also all over the place.

KAGAN: And how much longer will you stay there on assignment?

FARIS: It's not quite clear yet. Maybe another month and a half or two months.

KAGAN: All right, well, we'll have you back as you have more reporting.

FARIS: Great. Thank you very much.

KAGAN: Stefan Faris from "TIME" magazine. You can read more of his work and more about the year -- the last year in Iraq in this week's "TIME" magazine.

We're going to go very superficial after all that. You feel like you need a lift? American women are getting breast implants in record numbers. How about that for a headline? And many other types of cosmetic surgery as well. Business is booming.

We're going to talk with an expert about the dramatic increase. He also will be answering your questions about plastic surgery.

And an emergency landing in Florida takes a trucks driver by surprise. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(MARKET UPDATE)

KAGAN: Trying to have your tummy tucked? No, not Susan. Maybe you out there. Your torso tightened? But you can't elbow your way into your plastic surgeon's schedule? It's a little tight?

That could be because millions are undergoing the knife to tighten up from head to toe. Consider some of these eyebrow raising facts: 8.7 million plastic surgeries in 2003 in this country. That is up 32 percent from the previous year. Men accounted for 18 percent of them.

Dr. Julius Few, a plastic surgeon in Chicago this morning. We've brought him back because when we have plastic surgery questions, we call on Dr. Few. Good morning.

DR. JULIUS FEW, PLASTIC SURGEON: Good morning.

KAGAN: Business is good apparently.

FEW: It is. I am going to try to forgive you for referring to plastic surgery as superficial.

KAGAN: Well it's just compared to the war on Iraq. that was a little transition there. Give me that.

FEW: I would agree.

KAGAN: Look at -- according to the information that we have, some of the top items that being done, the top procedures, nose, liposuction, breast augmentation, eyelid, facelift. How does that compare with what you are seeing in your practice?

FEW: Well, I think that liposuction still continues to be a big part of plastic surgery. And probably looking at women who do make up the majority of elective or cosmetic patients, liposuction still the most commonly performed procedure, surgical procedure. And certainly breast augmentation would follow pretty closely after that.

KAGAN: And a lot more of these procedures are being done in doctor's offices.

FEW: That's an interesting trend. I think that our societies have done really a great job in terms of mandating the highest standards of care for patients. And in particular really focusing on patient safety.

And so the members of our societies have to really document some of the most stringent levels of care to really allow for that kind of service in a doctor's office.

KAGAN: You were mentioning that it's still the majority of people coming into the practices are women. But are you seeing a growing number of men?

FEW: I do, and especially being in Chicago, I see an awful lot of executives, professional men, coming in really wanting to do something to freshen their look and be competitive, certainly in the marketplace, so I think that that number will continue to grow.

KAGAN: What's the biggest change you are seeing in your practice?

FEW: Well, I think that the biggest change I'm seeing is the number of patients who are coming in who have had fairly dramatic exposure to plastic surgery either through the television, or the Web. Certainly, with reality-based shows that are now widely available, a number of patients are coming in, actually, if you will, pushing me as a plastic surgeon to try to address a number of things at once.

KAGAN: We have video right now of "Extreme Makeover." I'm wondering if that helps or hurts. I think it probably helps business, because it makes people more familiar, more comfortable, but the kind of work, Dr. Few, that we see people have in seeming just an hour, but really is many, many weeks, and hundreds of thousands of dollars, is that realistic that people can come in and expect to have that done?

FEW: I think that, Daryn, you are hitting on probably the single most important issue, I think that shows such as "Extreme Makeover," which overall, I think is a very nicely produced program, it does put the plastic surgeon in kind of an awkward position, because we're left trying to, if you will, calm down the patient in terms of what they're pursuing for the reasons that you have definitely brought up.

The reality is you can't sit somebody down in an operating room and operate on them all day and then expect for their safety to also be closely looked after. So I think that, really, the bottom line is that while the shows are good, in terms of exposing patients to the procedures available, it can sometimes be a little bad in the sense that it creates some unrealistic expectations.

KAGAN: Well, we have some pretty realistic expectations here at CNN, and that's we just expect you to sit around for another hour to answer some questions, are you right?

FEW: I look forward to it.

KAGAN: So you don't go anywhere. Great. Dr. Few's going to haven around.

If you have questions or concerns about plastic surgery, are you considering a procedure? Just e-mail us LIVETODAY@CNN.com, and in the next hour, Dr. Few will be back to answer some of those questions.

While you get those questions together, we are going to show you what we are watching live in Washington D.C., and that is Senator John Kerry, speaking to the Annual firefighters Convention. We will check in with Senator Kerry after a break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: We want to listen in a little bit to Washington, D.C., Senator John Kerry make a campaign appearance in front of the Firefighters Annual Convention. Let's listen in.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: ... Ohio, Iowa, have to raise money in order to buy that body armor for their loved ones. Families ought to be sending pictures and care packages to Iraq, and the Department of Defense should be sending the body armor. That's the way it ought to work in this country.

(APPLAUSE)

So today, I call on the president to support a bill, a law now in Congress, which we could pass just like that, to reimburse each and every family who had to buy the body armor this administration failed to provide. That would be fair and just.

In addition, many of us today here, many of you out there, you have been on the frontlines of conflicts far away, but all of us know that today firefighters, and other first defenders and first responders in America are the people on the front lines of this new war, and you also deserve the tools that you need.

After September 11th, President Bush went to New York, stood at ground zero, stood with our firefighters. I wish that the president would go back now and ask whether he has stood with you since that day. You should never have to worry about getting the health benefits, collective bargaining rights you have earned, and President Bush should never forget that the 343 heroes we lost on 9/11 were not only parents and children, brothers and husbands, fiancees and best friends, they were also proud members of locals 94 and 854. They never forgot it, and neither will we.

(APPLAUSE)

Two and a half years after 9/11, fire departments across our country only have enough radios for half the firefighters and almost two-thirds of our firehouses are short staffed, with more firefighters and police officers actually being laid off. Cargo in our airports and in our seaports still isn't screened to the level that's been recommended by a number of distinguished expert panels, so they reach the level of legitimate deterrents. Our terrorist watchlists haven't been simplified, and the right information still isn't available to the right people on the frontlines of preventing the next attack. First defenders still can't radio each other in emergency situations, similar to what we saw happen between police and firefighters in New York City. Air marshals are actually being laid off.

And yet this administration has put a tax giveaway for the very wealthiest of our nation over making sure that we do all that we can to win the war on terror here at home. They have no problem giving Halliburton a fat, no-bid contract, while only soldiers, and firefighters and police officers are asked to give their sacrifice. I think this administration has it just plain backwards. President Bush says we can't afford...

KAGAN: Listening to Senator John Kerry making a campaign appearance before the Annual Firefighters Convention in Washington D.C., talking about homeland defense. The other side, the White House, Condoleezza Rice, out there yesterday on the Sunday shows saying that if Americans are going to roll back the Patriot Act, they have to be ready for a more dangerous world. President Bush, by the way, making his own campaign stop today in Pennsylvania. See more of that later today right here on CNN.

Right now, a quick break. We'll be back after this.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I could not move my arms. I remember being pinned to the ground.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I know it was really scary. I was really scared.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Scratching, biting.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was just bedlam.

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KAGAN: Scenes of a fierce fight caught on film in the fall of 2001. You might remember Barry Bonds hit his 73rd home run, hitting a single season record. No sooner had the celebration ended than the controversy began. The problem, who really caught that coveted ball?

"Up For Grabs" is a new documentary examining the question of whodunnit, who got it. Mike Wranovics, the film's director and producer, is in Austin, Texas to tell us more.

Mike, good morning.

MIKE WRANOVICS, DIRECTOR & PRODUCER, "UP FOR GRABS": Good morning, Daryn.

KAGAN: So it should have been this great sports story. Instead it ended up being a case study in human behavior.

WRANOVICS: Yes, it was pretty fascinating. At the time, the dot.com bust had kind of taken over San Francisco, and so you had a lot of people kind of thinking about this as their last chance to become an overnight millionaire. And so the stands were packed with people kind of looking at the ball as the last drop coming down from the dot.com boom, and then it came down to these two fans who felt that they both deserved the ball, and ball and went to great lengths to try and keep it and sell it.

KAGAN: Something that should have been so happy. Now even since then, in recent weeks, there's been yet another shadow on this whole record, the whole issue of steroids in baseball. Have you been following that with great interests as well, because it kind of puts, some people are saying an asterix by records by people like Barry Bonds and Mark McGwire?

WRANOVICS: Yes, I have been following that, but not really related to this film as much as just a baseball fan. I've been a Giants fan since I was a little kid. So I have definitely been hopeful all this time that Barry has been clean, and I guess time will tell.

KAGAN: Time will tell.

Now, you have a great story unto yourself, in that you were working, I think, in the high-tech business in that industry, for about 10 years, woke up one day and said, yuck, young, hate this job, hate this life, and you just decided to go after a dream.

WRANOVICS: Yes, it wasn't necessarily that I hated it, but I didn't love it. And yes, one day -- I wouldn't say it was just one day, but I did start writing a screenplay. And then one day, it was the day after Barry had set the record, I saw this little blurb in the paper about the two fans in the dispute, and I just --I thought there was a documentary in the making there, and just started contacting all the people that were involved in the story, that were quoted in the article, contacted both sides' attorneys, told them I am making this film, so I kind of put the screenplay on the shelf and started working on the film.

KAGAN: And as I understand it, your next project is going to focus on the Stanford men's basketball program, which is unique in that sense it's been so successful, and yet has a high academic standards as well. The seedings came out yesterday for the brackets. How far do you think Stanford is going to go in March Madness?

WRANOVICS: All season, I have been feeling that they had a real good chance at winning the National Championship. It's always kind of a crapshoot in college basketball. Once March Madness begins, anything can happen, but this is such a deep, strong team with character and incredible team chemistry that, I think, the sky is the limit.

KAGAN: Well, they got the top seed in the bracket coming out of Phoenix, Arizona So as a totally biased Stanford Cardinal fan myself, I'm wishing them well.

WRANOVICS: All right, I'm glad you are with us.

KAGAN: Yes, there you go. Alumni, so that's why I have to reveal my bias there.

But Mike Wranovics, thank you so much. Good luck with the film, your first effort there. It's called "Up For Grabs." Appreciate you stopping by.

WRANOVICS: Thank you, Daryn.

KAGAN: Well, you don't want to drop the ball, so to speak, on keeping up with entertainment news. Get the latest on CNN.com/entertainment. You can find out who is the funniest man in America, and see why Mel Gibson's "Passion" is still kind. That's CNN.com/entertainment.

On the heels of last week's terror attacks, Spain elects a new prime minister, and he's vowing to withdrawal Spanish troops from Iraq. We will be talking about the political implications, both in the U.S. and abroad.

Also, 19 years later, a convicted child molester may walk free, after some of his victims say they were pressured to lie on the witness stand. A live report from Bakersfield, California just ahead, as the second hour of CNN LIVE TODAY gets started after this break.

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