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American Morning
President Marks First Anniversary of Beginning of War in Iraq; 'Gimme a Minute'
Aired March 19, 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: Good morning. Welcome back everybody, It is exactly half past the hour on this American morning. We're going to take you live to the White House in just a few minutes to get an update on what the president has planned for this anniversary of the war that started in Iraq, the president's message to Americans, his message to the rest of the world as well.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Also this hour, take a look at this ad, Republican ad, poking fun at John Kerry as an international man of mystery. Somewhat light hearted on the face of it, but can this kind of add do damage? We will throw that question, one of the many, to our "Gimme a Minute" panel on this Friday. Stay tuned.
O'BRIEN: Let's get right to our top stories, though, first, Pakistan says its forces may have cornered al Qaeda's second in command near the border of Afghanistan Ayman al-Zawahiri is believed to be hiding in the area. According to government sources, Pakistan's troops have surrounded some 200 al Qaeda fighters there.
Pakistan's president tells CNN that Pakistani forces have encountered some fierce resistance, adding that that would be a sign someone was being protected. The first NATO reinforcement troops are arriving in Kosovo, in the former Yugoslavia. Forces there are fighting to gain control of the province, amid the first violence since the end of the war in 1999. Two days of clashes between ethnic Albanians and Serbs have left more than 30 people dead, 500 wounded.
Three same sex couples have exchanged wedding vows here in New York City. The same sex couples married yesterday outside city hall, despite legal bans. The newlyweds say they realize that their marriages are not legal. They wanted to make a statement. Doctors say that a 3-year-old boy is recovering in a Texas hospital this morning after a frightening incident at the Dallas Zoo. Officials say a 300-pound gorilla escaped, then injured three people, included the little boy, who was bitten on his head and on his side. The gorilla was shot and killed by police after he tried to charge two also officers, also threatened several zoo visitors.
And advisers for John Kerry say that he's taking a much needed break. The presumptive Democratic presidential nominee spotted on the slopes yesterday in Ketchum, Idaho. Hey, he's not so bad. He's riding his snowboard there. Advisers say the break was long overdue after a grueling primary schedule. That's pressure. You probably have got 50 cameras there watching.
HEMMER: He's doing it without a helmet. He picked a great place to vacation, Sun Valley, Ketchum. Wonderful, wonderful Part of this country. I'm jealous.
O'BRIEN: Really? Obviously, yes.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HEMMER: About two and a half hours from now, 111:00 a.m. Eastern Time, the president marks the first anniversary of the beginning of the war in Iraq.
To the White House now, Front Lawn, where Kathleen Koch is standing by, more on what we can expect later today in that speech.
What's the theme there, Kathleen? Good morning.
KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Bill, a very strong message will be sent by the president in his East Room speech this morning. It is, obviously, his opportunity one year later to make the case that the U.S. did the right thing in Iraq, and that the world is safer for it.
The audience will be primarily ambassadors from countries participating in the U.S.-lead coalitions in both Iraq and Afghanistan. An administration official I spoke with yesterday says the president will insist that coalition forces in those two countries ended two of the most violent and dangerous regimes on Earth, liberating over 50 million people. White House spokesman Scott McClellan says that Mr. Bush will also touch on last week's attack in Spain, saying that they are a grim reminder that the civilized world is at war and must stay united.
The president will call this a time of testing, when terrorists are trying to shake the will and the resolve of the U.S. and its allies. Mr. Bush will also link the Iraq conflict to successes in limiting the spread of nuclear's weapons, like Libya's abandonment of its nuclear weapons program, and Iran's decision to allow international inspectors back into that country. So a very far ranging speech starting with Iraq, but then broadening into a review of global progress in the war on terror.
And President Bush will wrap up today's anniversary observance later this afternoon by visiting with wounded soldiers and their families at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Bethesda. And, Bill, that will mark his third visit there over the last six months. He makes these visits in private, no cameras allowed.
Back to you.
HEMMER: Kathleen, thanks for that.
11:00 a.m. Eastern Time, the speech comes your way. We'll have it for you live here on CNN. Thanks for that.
Saddam Hussein believes, apparently, he's outsmarting his captors, and enjoying the interrogation, all this according to Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage. The former Iraqi president apparently has not given much information so far. Secretary Armitage telling Australian Television, that Saddam is, quote, a pretty wily guy who seems to be enjoying the give and take with his interlocutors. "He sure thinks he's smarter than everyone else, that's for sure," end quote.
Earlier this month, the Justice Department team went to Iraq to start organizing potential evidence that could be used against Saddam in a trial -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: It will be fascinate when some of that information comes out about what's going on in those interrogations. We'll see. All right, if you're at home, you know it's Friday, you know what that means. "Gimme a Minute." So let's begin with our usual suspects, as always, in Washington D.C., Jonah Goldberg is the editor for the National Review Online.
Hello. Good morning.
JONAH GOLDBERG, NATIONAL REVIEW ONLINE: Good morning, Soledad.
O'BRIEN: CNN political analyst Donna Brazile joins us as well.
Hi, Donna. How are you?
DONNA BRAZILE, CNN POL. ANALYST: Good morning. Thank you.
O'BRIEN: And also Andy Borowitz, from "The New Yorker." He's here in New York City this morning.
Hey, Andy, good morning to you.
ANDY BOROWITZ, "THE NEW YORKER": Good morning.
O'BRIEN: Let's get going.
And, Jonah, we're going to start with you this planning. As we know, Ayman Al Zawahiri. Everybody has been pronouncing his name differently, the pronunciation I'm going with right now. Many people are saying he could be the high-value target who has been apparently surrounded in this remote area of Pakistan. If he is captured, Jonah, what do you think the impact is, not just on the war on terror, which is what we've asked Condi Rice, but really for the presidential election. Does this mean that President Bush basically has it in the bag?
GOLDBERG: I don't think he has it in the bag, but first of all, you should know his name translated from the Arabic, actually just means that guy.
O'BRIEN: Can I call him that then? That would help.
GOLDBERG: Yes, absolutely. That guy in Pakistan. No problem. I think it would be great news for Bush. Obviously, this would be phenomenal in response to what's happened in Spain, and it would also show that Bush is actually on the offensive, in terms of the war on terrorism, which has in some ways been sort of a weak one for him lately. O'BRIEN: Donna, if the No. 2 guy, that guy, is captured, but not Osama bin Laden, do you think then that actually it doesn't give much of a boost to the president's campaign?
BRAZILE: Hey, look, I don't care if it gives a boost to President Bush or Mr. Kerry. I hope we capture him, and then he helps us find bin Laden, and we can capture all the little fishes and big fishes so that our country and our world will be a safer place.
BOROWITZ: Andy, little fishes, big fishes, want to weigh in.
You know, I think we are closer to finding Osama, this week he turned up in a "Girls Gone Wild" video. Looking good. That white robe.
O'BRIEN: Getting closer each and every day. Andy, thanks.
Donna, let's talk about presidential politics, as former candidate Howard Dean had some remarks about the fallout of the elections, and the bombing in Madrid, and then the Kerry campaign distancing themselves, saying that's not exactly our position.
Al Sharpton said that he kind of, sort of, sort of kind is endorsing senator John Kerry, but not 100 percent, because he's still staying in the race essentially. Do you think these two candidates who stay in, in addition to Senator Kerry, are helping the process for the Democrats? Are they hurting the process for the Democrats?
BRAZILE: Well, you know, the Democratic Party, unlike the Republican Party, it needs two wings to fly. Dean, and Sharptown and others will help with the progressive wing. That will free John Kerry up to go out there and find the other wing in order to soar.
O'BRIEN: And what do you think, Jonah? Do you think that these are going to come at some risks, or do you think that, you know, as Donna says, hey, we needs lot of people up there. Everybody voice is valuable.
GOLDBERG: I think Donna is being wildly optimistic. I think Dean -- first of all, Dean is basically like a bumblebee. He stings once, and then dies and goes away. But basically, no candidate wants someone else to define their message for them. And Dean can do that the way he's talking right now, and I think it' could be a real problem.
O'BRIEN: Interesting, you know, I think bumblebees actually don't sting once and die. It's the yellow jackets that die. The bumblebees sting and sting again, but that's just my personal experience growing up in suburbia.
GOLDBERG: Damn your knowledge.
O'BRIEN: Now that I have shot a hole in that, Andy? What do you want to say?
BOROWITZ: You know, I think Howard Dean could play a valuable role at the convention. He could be the guy that shouts out the list of states.
O'BRIEN: Have you guys seen this new ad from -- the Republican Party releasing this ad, the National Committee did it? Look at this
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Allow myself to introduce myself.
I have had conversations with leaders. I have also had friends of mine who have met with leaders. And I'm not going to betray the confidences of those conversations.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Need the info.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: Jonah, when you watch this ad, do you really think this is the kind of ad that's going to appeal to voters?
GOLDBERG: No, I do think it's sort of tactically brilliant in terms of the free media they get by putting this out on the Web, costs very little. But, remember, the Republicans are trying to define John Kerry, because for most people, he hasn't defined himself, yet.
O'BRIEN: Donna, you know, I look at an add like that, and I say, you know, my parents who vote each and every election, they would so not get that ad at all. What do you think of the value of that add?
BRAZILE: You know, I think that is for a small segment of this universe that, you know, watch "Austin Powers." Yes, baby, you know, what does it prove? it's just funny.
O'BRIEN: What do you think, Andy? Is it funny?
BOROWITZ: I hear they say and the Democrats have this new attack ad, where Janet Jackson's breast morphs into President Bush, and it says, it's time to expose this boob. It's all over the place.
O'BRIEN: OK, moving on. Undercovered story of the week. You kind of have thrown me. Who are we on? Donna, I think. Undercovered story of the week.
BRAZILE: Well, let me just make sure I am not exposed here.
Well, first of all, this week President Bush, "The Boston Globe" noted, exposed the feminist side of his foreign policy by praising the women of Afghanistan, Iraq, among others. Unfortunately, he believes that human rights includes everything, but a woman's right to choose.
O'BRIEN: Jonah, what do you think was missing this week?
GOLDBERG: Actually, I just have a nice one. This is the 25th anniversary of C-SPAN, which I think is the most radical improvement in terms of access to democracy in the history of this country. I think Brian Lamb deserves the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
BRAZILE: That's wonderful, happy birthday to C-SPAN. Good for them.
O'BRIEN: Andy, we're going to give you the final word this morning. Let me warn you, you came close in the last answer. I don't want to pull the plug on you, mister.
BOROWITZ: All right, five-minute delay.
Under pressure, John Kerry finally revealed the identity of a foreigner who supports him, his wife.
O'BRIEN: She's a naturalized American citizen, may I add.
BOROWITZ: I guess so.
O'BRIEN: As worth my parents out. You all, thanks, as always. Thanks for being with us this morning. Completely out of control, we missed all our time cues, but it was good.
BRAZILE: Hey, I have to say, we Africans stick together.
BOROWITZ: Mozambique.
BRAZILE: Absolutely -- Bill.
HEMMER: Thanks, very nice stuff. Break here. In a moment on AMERICAN MORNING, you could own treasures taken from Saddam's palaces. Where to buy, in a moment.
O'BRIEN: And taking a cruise and staying on a diet don't usually go together, but Carnival, believe it or not, has a plan. Andy Serwer's going to tell you about it, as AMERICAN MORNING continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: There are new warning from the FDA about canned tune that set to be released later today. A preview now. Dr. Sanjay Gupta checks in now from the CNN Center. It deals with women, pregnant women sometimes, and children.
What's new about this, Sanjay? Good morning.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill.
Talking about mercury in fish for quite some time, and it's effects, potentially, on the nervous system of young children or fetuses. The numbers have not been following that. We've been talking just the fact that some fish have higher levels of mercury than others. Now the FDA later on today, about 11:00 a.m. in fact, expected to give some specific numbers in terms of guidelines on how much a particular fish, some of these populations, should eat.
Now take a look at the expected recommendations. These, again, around 11:00 today. Albacore Tuna, that's canned white tuna, no more than six ounces, this is per week, light tuna, about 12 ounces per week. Now to give you some frame of reference, the Albacore Tuna is about 5 percent of our seafood consumption. That light tuna, on the other hand, about 13 percent of our overall seafood consumption as a nation. Light tuna typically is going to be a little bit cheaper, and for those particular populations of people, again, pregnant women, women who think they might be pregnant, nursing mothers or young children, that light tuna is going to be a little bit safer as well -- Bill.
HEMMER: Sanjay, just to be a bit more specific, which fish have the higher levels of mercury?
GUPTA: You know, the way to think about this, and you know, you can remember all the specific names, or you can remember typically what happens is that the predatory fish tend to eat smaller fish, and those predatory fish as a result drive up their levels of mercury. So if you're the more predatory fish -- you can take a look at the list there. You can have sharks, swordfish, king mackerel, tile fish. Those are going to be the fish that have the highest level mercury overall. Now about 12 ounces a week are still going to be the recommendations for the general population. That's about two servings, two to three serving of fish a week as well. The converse is that those fish that are lower on the food chain are going to have lower levels of mercury sardines. Herring, mackerel are going to make that list -- Bill.
HEMMER: Is it still safe to eat fish? What are doctors saying about that, the FDA?
GUPTA: Very much so. In fact, a lot of the arguments that you'll hear about this, people are saying we don't want to cause a situation, a fish flight, that is people running away from fish. Fish can be a very good source of all sorts of different things. There are fish that are probably going to be better than others for certain things. I have a list, sorts of shrimp, salmon, polok (ph), catfish in terms of the lower levels of mercury.
But remember all the health benefits of fish as well, protein, iron, and zinc, some of the best sources of that. They are low calorie meat there as well, and the heart healthiness, probably one of the most important things, the Omega-3 fatty acids. We talked about this you and I. You can get a great source of those from the fish as well. Don't run away from the fish, but certain populations probably need to be a little bit more careful.
HEMMER: Keep bringing that salmon. I'm glad it's on the list. Thank you, Sanjay. Talk to you latest -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: In Africa, fears of a new worldwide epidemic. Scientists say that they have confirmed a virus in the same class of HIV has jumped from apes to humans. Called the Simian Foamy (ph) Virus. It's been found in ape hunters from remote villages. The Lanset (ph) Medical Journal reports that none of the people infected have shown any symptoms of any disease. Scientists say they've got much more work to do to see if this virus is actually harmful to humans. HEMMER: Still to come, all aboard for the Atkins cruise. Andy has that, and Jack's back in a moment, too, right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: Alright, welcome back Andy, Jack.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Here's something the world has been waiting a long time for. We're finally going to get a low-carb cruise, and Snapple making -- not making the grade. They made a big deal with the New York City public school systems. Now that thing looks like it's about to unravel. Those two items and a market preview, Andy Serwer here "Minding Your Business."
Low-carb cruises?
ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Yes, I mean, and we always thought, funny us, the whole point of a cruise was to stuff your face and sit on the beach chair and a deck and do nothing. No. Carnival is rolling out the low-carb cruise into September, and they say all low-carb diet people are welcome -- Atkins, South Beach, come one and all, come cruise with us.
Let's look at some the specs here, because most important, Jack, is the last item on the agenda, and that is that low-carb counselors are available 24/7, so if you ever want to fall off the wagon, they are right there for you. You know, what will they think of next? You know, there are all kinds of specialty cruises, you know about the Rusty Wallace Cruise for NASCAR fans. They are doing that again this year, vroom around the deck. Apparently, very popular.
CAFFERTY: Will you do that again?
SERWER: Vroooom. Anyway, let's talk about the Snapple situation, because as you mentioned, they had this big $166 million deal with the city of New York to be the exclusive beverage of New York City, and most controversially in New York City schools. A lot of people saying, hey, this is sugar water. Now the New York City comptrollers saying that the deal stinks, calling it actually a corrupt process that got this done. He's threatening to take the thing to court. And so we will watch that. Mayor Bloomberg still supporting the deal there as well.
And you want to talk about the markets?
CAFFERTY: I do.
SERWER: Quadruple witching day.
CAFFERTY: How many witches today?
SERWER: Third Friday of the last month of the quarter. Here's an interesting story we'll be watching this morning, though. Yesterday, down a little bit. Not too much damage. Coca-Cola, remember the Dasani story in Britain? This morning crossing the tape. They are taking all Dasani off the market in the United Kingdom. Why? Because bromate was discovered in the water. Now you'll remember there was controversy here, because they were getting it from the tap in the U.K. and purifying it. They say it's not unsafe, but they're doing it just to be sure. Interesting story.
CAFFERTY: It is indeed.
All right, thanks, Andy.
Moving to the "Cafferty File." Goodies from Saddam's palaces available on eBay, the Internet action site, bidding up to $1,045 for this 6x9 foot piece of carpet. Customers can bid on silver embossed with the Iraqi army's crest plus a copy of the Quran.
The sellers are U.S. soldiers who said they had no problems bringing the stuff back. But a spokesman for Central Command says this is a big no-no. They should have been prohibited from bringing back what they call war trophies.
Sports teams lacking in the cheering department -- like Maryland, for example...
(CROSSTALK)
CAFFERTY: ... may want to check this idea out. There's a new breed of soccer fan. They're fan who rent themselves out. The price of their services includes travel costs, a few beers and some hot dogs.
(CROSSTALK)
CAFFERTY: They got the idea after their team went broke back in October, the one they used to root for nothing. Thirty of these fans recently supports an amateur soccer team who went on to win their match.
(CROSSTALK)
CAFFERTY: Students who are about to graduate college may need a reality check. Are you listening, Lee (ph)? That's my daughter. She goes to Tulane.
According to some survey results, The Harris Interactive Poll found 66 percent of juniors and seniors expect to find a full-time job within three months of graduating; 35 percent say they will be able to afford the live stale they want in three years; 45 percent expect to earn $30,000 right after graduation; 59 percent don't expect to have any credit card debt when they finished college.
All of this means they have learned nothing in the four years that they have been at college, because all of those assumptions are wrong.
(CROSSTALK)
HEMMER: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) you take Jack and I'll take Andy here.
O'BRIEN: I think this is a weird setup, isn't it.
(CROSSTALK)
HEMMER: I will take the Midwest, you take the Northeast, you take the West and...
CAFFERTY: The reason they rearranged this is we couldn't see enough of this cheap, tawdry, unimaginative furniture that we use every day in the old arrangement.
(CROSSTALK)
CAFFERTY: I mean, we must have spent what, $12 or is $13...
(CROSSTALK)
O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, Pakistani forces believe they have al Qaeda's No. 2 leader pinned down today. But he has slipped away from them before. A look at that's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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Iraq; 'Gimme a Miunte'>
Aired March 19, 2004 - 08:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. Welcome back everybody, It is exactly half past the hour on this American morning. We're going to take you live to the White House in just a few minutes to get an update on what the president has planned for this anniversary of the war that started in Iraq, the president's message to Americans, his message to the rest of the world as well.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Also this hour, take a look at this ad, Republican ad, poking fun at John Kerry as an international man of mystery. Somewhat light hearted on the face of it, but can this kind of add do damage? We will throw that question, one of the many, to our "Gimme a Minute" panel on this Friday. Stay tuned.
O'BRIEN: Let's get right to our top stories, though, first, Pakistan says its forces may have cornered al Qaeda's second in command near the border of Afghanistan Ayman al-Zawahiri is believed to be hiding in the area. According to government sources, Pakistan's troops have surrounded some 200 al Qaeda fighters there.
Pakistan's president tells CNN that Pakistani forces have encountered some fierce resistance, adding that that would be a sign someone was being protected. The first NATO reinforcement troops are arriving in Kosovo, in the former Yugoslavia. Forces there are fighting to gain control of the province, amid the first violence since the end of the war in 1999. Two days of clashes between ethnic Albanians and Serbs have left more than 30 people dead, 500 wounded.
Three same sex couples have exchanged wedding vows here in New York City. The same sex couples married yesterday outside city hall, despite legal bans. The newlyweds say they realize that their marriages are not legal. They wanted to make a statement. Doctors say that a 3-year-old boy is recovering in a Texas hospital this morning after a frightening incident at the Dallas Zoo. Officials say a 300-pound gorilla escaped, then injured three people, included the little boy, who was bitten on his head and on his side. The gorilla was shot and killed by police after he tried to charge two also officers, also threatened several zoo visitors.
And advisers for John Kerry say that he's taking a much needed break. The presumptive Democratic presidential nominee spotted on the slopes yesterday in Ketchum, Idaho. Hey, he's not so bad. He's riding his snowboard there. Advisers say the break was long overdue after a grueling primary schedule. That's pressure. You probably have got 50 cameras there watching.
HEMMER: He's doing it without a helmet. He picked a great place to vacation, Sun Valley, Ketchum. Wonderful, wonderful Part of this country. I'm jealous.
O'BRIEN: Really? Obviously, yes.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HEMMER: About two and a half hours from now, 111:00 a.m. Eastern Time, the president marks the first anniversary of the beginning of the war in Iraq.
To the White House now, Front Lawn, where Kathleen Koch is standing by, more on what we can expect later today in that speech.
What's the theme there, Kathleen? Good morning.
KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Bill, a very strong message will be sent by the president in his East Room speech this morning. It is, obviously, his opportunity one year later to make the case that the U.S. did the right thing in Iraq, and that the world is safer for it.
The audience will be primarily ambassadors from countries participating in the U.S.-lead coalitions in both Iraq and Afghanistan. An administration official I spoke with yesterday says the president will insist that coalition forces in those two countries ended two of the most violent and dangerous regimes on Earth, liberating over 50 million people. White House spokesman Scott McClellan says that Mr. Bush will also touch on last week's attack in Spain, saying that they are a grim reminder that the civilized world is at war and must stay united.
The president will call this a time of testing, when terrorists are trying to shake the will and the resolve of the U.S. and its allies. Mr. Bush will also link the Iraq conflict to successes in limiting the spread of nuclear's weapons, like Libya's abandonment of its nuclear weapons program, and Iran's decision to allow international inspectors back into that country. So a very far ranging speech starting with Iraq, but then broadening into a review of global progress in the war on terror.
And President Bush will wrap up today's anniversary observance later this afternoon by visiting with wounded soldiers and their families at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Bethesda. And, Bill, that will mark his third visit there over the last six months. He makes these visits in private, no cameras allowed.
Back to you.
HEMMER: Kathleen, thanks for that.
11:00 a.m. Eastern Time, the speech comes your way. We'll have it for you live here on CNN. Thanks for that.
Saddam Hussein believes, apparently, he's outsmarting his captors, and enjoying the interrogation, all this according to Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage. The former Iraqi president apparently has not given much information so far. Secretary Armitage telling Australian Television, that Saddam is, quote, a pretty wily guy who seems to be enjoying the give and take with his interlocutors. "He sure thinks he's smarter than everyone else, that's for sure," end quote.
Earlier this month, the Justice Department team went to Iraq to start organizing potential evidence that could be used against Saddam in a trial -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: It will be fascinate when some of that information comes out about what's going on in those interrogations. We'll see. All right, if you're at home, you know it's Friday, you know what that means. "Gimme a Minute." So let's begin with our usual suspects, as always, in Washington D.C., Jonah Goldberg is the editor for the National Review Online.
Hello. Good morning.
JONAH GOLDBERG, NATIONAL REVIEW ONLINE: Good morning, Soledad.
O'BRIEN: CNN political analyst Donna Brazile joins us as well.
Hi, Donna. How are you?
DONNA BRAZILE, CNN POL. ANALYST: Good morning. Thank you.
O'BRIEN: And also Andy Borowitz, from "The New Yorker." He's here in New York City this morning.
Hey, Andy, good morning to you.
ANDY BOROWITZ, "THE NEW YORKER": Good morning.
O'BRIEN: Let's get going.
And, Jonah, we're going to start with you this planning. As we know, Ayman Al Zawahiri. Everybody has been pronouncing his name differently, the pronunciation I'm going with right now. Many people are saying he could be the high-value target who has been apparently surrounded in this remote area of Pakistan. If he is captured, Jonah, what do you think the impact is, not just on the war on terror, which is what we've asked Condi Rice, but really for the presidential election. Does this mean that President Bush basically has it in the bag?
GOLDBERG: I don't think he has it in the bag, but first of all, you should know his name translated from the Arabic, actually just means that guy.
O'BRIEN: Can I call him that then? That would help.
GOLDBERG: Yes, absolutely. That guy in Pakistan. No problem. I think it would be great news for Bush. Obviously, this would be phenomenal in response to what's happened in Spain, and it would also show that Bush is actually on the offensive, in terms of the war on terrorism, which has in some ways been sort of a weak one for him lately. O'BRIEN: Donna, if the No. 2 guy, that guy, is captured, but not Osama bin Laden, do you think then that actually it doesn't give much of a boost to the president's campaign?
BRAZILE: Hey, look, I don't care if it gives a boost to President Bush or Mr. Kerry. I hope we capture him, and then he helps us find bin Laden, and we can capture all the little fishes and big fishes so that our country and our world will be a safer place.
BOROWITZ: Andy, little fishes, big fishes, want to weigh in.
You know, I think we are closer to finding Osama, this week he turned up in a "Girls Gone Wild" video. Looking good. That white robe.
O'BRIEN: Getting closer each and every day. Andy, thanks.
Donna, let's talk about presidential politics, as former candidate Howard Dean had some remarks about the fallout of the elections, and the bombing in Madrid, and then the Kerry campaign distancing themselves, saying that's not exactly our position.
Al Sharpton said that he kind of, sort of, sort of kind is endorsing senator John Kerry, but not 100 percent, because he's still staying in the race essentially. Do you think these two candidates who stay in, in addition to Senator Kerry, are helping the process for the Democrats? Are they hurting the process for the Democrats?
BRAZILE: Well, you know, the Democratic Party, unlike the Republican Party, it needs two wings to fly. Dean, and Sharptown and others will help with the progressive wing. That will free John Kerry up to go out there and find the other wing in order to soar.
O'BRIEN: And what do you think, Jonah? Do you think that these are going to come at some risks, or do you think that, you know, as Donna says, hey, we needs lot of people up there. Everybody voice is valuable.
GOLDBERG: I think Donna is being wildly optimistic. I think Dean -- first of all, Dean is basically like a bumblebee. He stings once, and then dies and goes away. But basically, no candidate wants someone else to define their message for them. And Dean can do that the way he's talking right now, and I think it' could be a real problem.
O'BRIEN: Interesting, you know, I think bumblebees actually don't sting once and die. It's the yellow jackets that die. The bumblebees sting and sting again, but that's just my personal experience growing up in suburbia.
GOLDBERG: Damn your knowledge.
O'BRIEN: Now that I have shot a hole in that, Andy? What do you want to say?
BOROWITZ: You know, I think Howard Dean could play a valuable role at the convention. He could be the guy that shouts out the list of states.
O'BRIEN: Have you guys seen this new ad from -- the Republican Party releasing this ad, the National Committee did it? Look at this
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Allow myself to introduce myself.
I have had conversations with leaders. I have also had friends of mine who have met with leaders. And I'm not going to betray the confidences of those conversations.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Need the info.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: Jonah, when you watch this ad, do you really think this is the kind of ad that's going to appeal to voters?
GOLDBERG: No, I do think it's sort of tactically brilliant in terms of the free media they get by putting this out on the Web, costs very little. But, remember, the Republicans are trying to define John Kerry, because for most people, he hasn't defined himself, yet.
O'BRIEN: Donna, you know, I look at an add like that, and I say, you know, my parents who vote each and every election, they would so not get that ad at all. What do you think of the value of that add?
BRAZILE: You know, I think that is for a small segment of this universe that, you know, watch "Austin Powers." Yes, baby, you know, what does it prove? it's just funny.
O'BRIEN: What do you think, Andy? Is it funny?
BOROWITZ: I hear they say and the Democrats have this new attack ad, where Janet Jackson's breast morphs into President Bush, and it says, it's time to expose this boob. It's all over the place.
O'BRIEN: OK, moving on. Undercovered story of the week. You kind of have thrown me. Who are we on? Donna, I think. Undercovered story of the week.
BRAZILE: Well, let me just make sure I am not exposed here.
Well, first of all, this week President Bush, "The Boston Globe" noted, exposed the feminist side of his foreign policy by praising the women of Afghanistan, Iraq, among others. Unfortunately, he believes that human rights includes everything, but a woman's right to choose.
O'BRIEN: Jonah, what do you think was missing this week?
GOLDBERG: Actually, I just have a nice one. This is the 25th anniversary of C-SPAN, which I think is the most radical improvement in terms of access to democracy in the history of this country. I think Brian Lamb deserves the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
BRAZILE: That's wonderful, happy birthday to C-SPAN. Good for them.
O'BRIEN: Andy, we're going to give you the final word this morning. Let me warn you, you came close in the last answer. I don't want to pull the plug on you, mister.
BOROWITZ: All right, five-minute delay.
Under pressure, John Kerry finally revealed the identity of a foreigner who supports him, his wife.
O'BRIEN: She's a naturalized American citizen, may I add.
BOROWITZ: I guess so.
O'BRIEN: As worth my parents out. You all, thanks, as always. Thanks for being with us this morning. Completely out of control, we missed all our time cues, but it was good.
BRAZILE: Hey, I have to say, we Africans stick together.
BOROWITZ: Mozambique.
BRAZILE: Absolutely -- Bill.
HEMMER: Thanks, very nice stuff. Break here. In a moment on AMERICAN MORNING, you could own treasures taken from Saddam's palaces. Where to buy, in a moment.
O'BRIEN: And taking a cruise and staying on a diet don't usually go together, but Carnival, believe it or not, has a plan. Andy Serwer's going to tell you about it, as AMERICAN MORNING continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: There are new warning from the FDA about canned tune that set to be released later today. A preview now. Dr. Sanjay Gupta checks in now from the CNN Center. It deals with women, pregnant women sometimes, and children.
What's new about this, Sanjay? Good morning.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill.
Talking about mercury in fish for quite some time, and it's effects, potentially, on the nervous system of young children or fetuses. The numbers have not been following that. We've been talking just the fact that some fish have higher levels of mercury than others. Now the FDA later on today, about 11:00 a.m. in fact, expected to give some specific numbers in terms of guidelines on how much a particular fish, some of these populations, should eat.
Now take a look at the expected recommendations. These, again, around 11:00 today. Albacore Tuna, that's canned white tuna, no more than six ounces, this is per week, light tuna, about 12 ounces per week. Now to give you some frame of reference, the Albacore Tuna is about 5 percent of our seafood consumption. That light tuna, on the other hand, about 13 percent of our overall seafood consumption as a nation. Light tuna typically is going to be a little bit cheaper, and for those particular populations of people, again, pregnant women, women who think they might be pregnant, nursing mothers or young children, that light tuna is going to be a little bit safer as well -- Bill.
HEMMER: Sanjay, just to be a bit more specific, which fish have the higher levels of mercury?
GUPTA: You know, the way to think about this, and you know, you can remember all the specific names, or you can remember typically what happens is that the predatory fish tend to eat smaller fish, and those predatory fish as a result drive up their levels of mercury. So if you're the more predatory fish -- you can take a look at the list there. You can have sharks, swordfish, king mackerel, tile fish. Those are going to be the fish that have the highest level mercury overall. Now about 12 ounces a week are still going to be the recommendations for the general population. That's about two servings, two to three serving of fish a week as well. The converse is that those fish that are lower on the food chain are going to have lower levels of mercury sardines. Herring, mackerel are going to make that list -- Bill.
HEMMER: Is it still safe to eat fish? What are doctors saying about that, the FDA?
GUPTA: Very much so. In fact, a lot of the arguments that you'll hear about this, people are saying we don't want to cause a situation, a fish flight, that is people running away from fish. Fish can be a very good source of all sorts of different things. There are fish that are probably going to be better than others for certain things. I have a list, sorts of shrimp, salmon, polok (ph), catfish in terms of the lower levels of mercury.
But remember all the health benefits of fish as well, protein, iron, and zinc, some of the best sources of that. They are low calorie meat there as well, and the heart healthiness, probably one of the most important things, the Omega-3 fatty acids. We talked about this you and I. You can get a great source of those from the fish as well. Don't run away from the fish, but certain populations probably need to be a little bit more careful.
HEMMER: Keep bringing that salmon. I'm glad it's on the list. Thank you, Sanjay. Talk to you latest -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: In Africa, fears of a new worldwide epidemic. Scientists say that they have confirmed a virus in the same class of HIV has jumped from apes to humans. Called the Simian Foamy (ph) Virus. It's been found in ape hunters from remote villages. The Lanset (ph) Medical Journal reports that none of the people infected have shown any symptoms of any disease. Scientists say they've got much more work to do to see if this virus is actually harmful to humans. HEMMER: Still to come, all aboard for the Atkins cruise. Andy has that, and Jack's back in a moment, too, right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: Alright, welcome back Andy, Jack.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Here's something the world has been waiting a long time for. We're finally going to get a low-carb cruise, and Snapple making -- not making the grade. They made a big deal with the New York City public school systems. Now that thing looks like it's about to unravel. Those two items and a market preview, Andy Serwer here "Minding Your Business."
Low-carb cruises?
ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Yes, I mean, and we always thought, funny us, the whole point of a cruise was to stuff your face and sit on the beach chair and a deck and do nothing. No. Carnival is rolling out the low-carb cruise into September, and they say all low-carb diet people are welcome -- Atkins, South Beach, come one and all, come cruise with us.
Let's look at some the specs here, because most important, Jack, is the last item on the agenda, and that is that low-carb counselors are available 24/7, so if you ever want to fall off the wagon, they are right there for you. You know, what will they think of next? You know, there are all kinds of specialty cruises, you know about the Rusty Wallace Cruise for NASCAR fans. They are doing that again this year, vroom around the deck. Apparently, very popular.
CAFFERTY: Will you do that again?
SERWER: Vroooom. Anyway, let's talk about the Snapple situation, because as you mentioned, they had this big $166 million deal with the city of New York to be the exclusive beverage of New York City, and most controversially in New York City schools. A lot of people saying, hey, this is sugar water. Now the New York City comptrollers saying that the deal stinks, calling it actually a corrupt process that got this done. He's threatening to take the thing to court. And so we will watch that. Mayor Bloomberg still supporting the deal there as well.
And you want to talk about the markets?
CAFFERTY: I do.
SERWER: Quadruple witching day.
CAFFERTY: How many witches today?
SERWER: Third Friday of the last month of the quarter. Here's an interesting story we'll be watching this morning, though. Yesterday, down a little bit. Not too much damage. Coca-Cola, remember the Dasani story in Britain? This morning crossing the tape. They are taking all Dasani off the market in the United Kingdom. Why? Because bromate was discovered in the water. Now you'll remember there was controversy here, because they were getting it from the tap in the U.K. and purifying it. They say it's not unsafe, but they're doing it just to be sure. Interesting story.
CAFFERTY: It is indeed.
All right, thanks, Andy.
Moving to the "Cafferty File." Goodies from Saddam's palaces available on eBay, the Internet action site, bidding up to $1,045 for this 6x9 foot piece of carpet. Customers can bid on silver embossed with the Iraqi army's crest plus a copy of the Quran.
The sellers are U.S. soldiers who said they had no problems bringing the stuff back. But a spokesman for Central Command says this is a big no-no. They should have been prohibited from bringing back what they call war trophies.
Sports teams lacking in the cheering department -- like Maryland, for example...
(CROSSTALK)
CAFFERTY: ... may want to check this idea out. There's a new breed of soccer fan. They're fan who rent themselves out. The price of their services includes travel costs, a few beers and some hot dogs.
(CROSSTALK)
CAFFERTY: They got the idea after their team went broke back in October, the one they used to root for nothing. Thirty of these fans recently supports an amateur soccer team who went on to win their match.
(CROSSTALK)
CAFFERTY: Students who are about to graduate college may need a reality check. Are you listening, Lee (ph)? That's my daughter. She goes to Tulane.
According to some survey results, The Harris Interactive Poll found 66 percent of juniors and seniors expect to find a full-time job within three months of graduating; 35 percent say they will be able to afford the live stale they want in three years; 45 percent expect to earn $30,000 right after graduation; 59 percent don't expect to have any credit card debt when they finished college.
All of this means they have learned nothing in the four years that they have been at college, because all of those assumptions are wrong.
(CROSSTALK)
HEMMER: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) you take Jack and I'll take Andy here.
O'BRIEN: I think this is a weird setup, isn't it.
(CROSSTALK)
HEMMER: I will take the Midwest, you take the Northeast, you take the West and...
CAFFERTY: The reason they rearranged this is we couldn't see enough of this cheap, tawdry, unimaginative furniture that we use every day in the old arrangement.
(CROSSTALK)
CAFFERTY: I mean, we must have spent what, $12 or is $13...
(CROSSTALK)
O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, Pakistani forces believe they have al Qaeda's No. 2 leader pinned down today. But he has slipped away from them before. A look at that's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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Iraq; 'Gimme a Miunte'>
