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American Morning
Should U.S. Consider Extending Deadline for Transfer of Power?; 'Paging Dr. Gupta'
Aired April 06, 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: What's happening in the Jayson Williams trial? Right now, not much progress, court is dark, maybe for a week, possibly longer. Why the trial is now stopped in its tracks. We'll get to that in a moment here. Stay tuned.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: All right, other news this morning. There's word that Shiite Muslim cleric Muqtada Al Sadr has left a mosque in which he was reportedly hiding. U.S. officials have issued an arrest warrant for Al Sadr, blaming him for inciting violence against the coalition. He is now said to be in Najaf. An aide to Al Sadr says his supporters will continue the uprising until occupying troops withdraw from populated areas and prisoners are released.
Iranian officials say the country will stop building centrifuges this week. The announcement comes after the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Muhammad ElBaradei, met with Iranian officials today. The U.N. says it will send a new inspection team to Tehran next week to verify all uranium-enrichment activities have been stopped.
Voters in California today will decide the fate of a proposed Wal-Mart in a suburb of Los Angeles. The Reverend Jesse Jackson and community activist yesterday were urging voters to defeat the ballot initiative that would allow the company to go to around zoning, traffic and environmental rules. Wal-Mart argues its stores create jobs. We'll talk more about that right here on AMERICAN MORNING. And J-Lo's mom was reportedly a big winner in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Magazine reports say the mother of actress Jennifer Lopez got lucky with a wheel of fortune slot machine in Borgata Casino. Guadeloupe (ph) Lopez apparently won a $2.4 million jackpot playing the dollar slot.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HEMMER: President Bush said the transfer of power in Iraq is still on schedule, late June, early July. But even some Republicans in this country saying he should consider extending that deadline.
Time for Kamber and May on a Tuesday morning.
Democratic Strategist Victor Kamber in D.C. with us. Victor, good morning to you. Welcome back.
VICTOR KAMBER, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Good morning, Bill. How are you? HEMMER: I'm doing just fine. Thank you much.
Former RNC communications director Cliff May, still hanging out in the American West, live in Denver, Colorado.
Cliff, good morning as well.
CLIFF MAY, FMR. RNC COMM. DIR.: Good morning to you.
HEMMER: We are getting an overwhelming response online in our e- mail with Jack, listening to our viewers talk about the comments from Senator Kerry yesterday, essentially saying Iraq is George Bush's Vietnam.
Victor, are these comments necessary at this point? What's your take on it?
KAMBER: Well, I think that we know Senator Kennedy has been a very dedicated, committed and purposeful leader against this effort. He believes that the president lied. He believes the president does not have a plan to get us out of Iraq, that there were no weapons of mass destruction, that we haven't put any ties with al Qaeda, and he's saying that if anyone remembers, and I lived through those Vietnam War years, that it was very similar, where we would go -- the leadership of this country would go to the American public every day and say it's almost over, it is over, our boys are safe, we're coming home, and all we kept doing was losing lives. That's what seems to be here, we're lying and losing lives.
HEMMER: Cliff, what about it?
MAY: You know, some of us older guys have what's called Vietnam syndrome. It means that any conflict the U.S. is involved in we see through the lens of Vietnam, and that seems to be the case with Senator Kennedy and with my friend Vic. We could lose the war in Vietnam. We did. And we could retreat, and we did. And it was all right over time, but even Ho Chi Minh, bad as he was, was not like Saddam Hussein. He wasn't genocidal as Saddam Hussein has been. He wasn't a terrorist master, as Saddam Hussein has been.
We can't afford to see what's going on in Iraq as a war we can lose and retreat from. We know the cost of retreat. We recruited from Beirut in '83 after Hezbollah bombed us. We retreated from Somalia in '93 after we were attacked. If we retreat now, they will follow us as they have in the past, and that's what 9/11 was all about.
KAMBER: No one is advocating we follow Vietnam's policies of retreat and loss. What the senator said, is this is Bush's policy, we're emulating it, we're not advocating it; we're emulating it. There's a big difference here.
MAY: I don't understand the difference. I think we should agree, you, and me, and Senator Kennedy and President Bush, that we have to fight this war to win against the terrorists in Iraq. And when you talk about Vietnam, you mean you're going to lose. KAMBER: While we didn't agree to go in necessarily as parties, I think 90 percent of the political elected leadership says we're there and we have to come out and save as many lives as we can, both Iraqi and American lives.
What they are talking about Vietnam is this is an administration that is lying to the American public. It's that simple about what's going on.
MAY: Victor, I know you keep going on about the lies. And what you're saying is just not true. But the point of the matter is, we have a war we have to win. If somebody said to FDR, what is your exit strategy from Germany, he would have said victory and the defeat of the Nazis.
KAMBER: What is winning, Cliff?
MAY: Winning helping the Iraqi people who want freedom and democracy to set up a decent society and decent government for the first time in generations.
KAMBER: And that will not happen by June 30th. That's another lie.
MAY: Now that's a good point, Vic, and I agree. On June 30th, we should symbolically hand over sovereignty, but we should not cut and run. We need to be there to help the Iraqis to create that decent society. You're right. It's a symbolic handing over of sovereignty, very important, but we should not be retreating.
HEMMER: Gentlemen, I appreciate this discussion. I want to move on to another topic here. Condoleezza Rice testifies on Thursday morning. You'll see it live here on AMERICAN MORNING when it happens. Where are we on this issue come Friday morning? Cliff, start off.
MAY: Well, I don't know, I'm a little concerned about the commission, partly where it's going, and partly the way it's being portrayed. The exercise of this commission, the goal of this commission, is not to find somebody to blame, somebody to bring on the carpet. We know that we failed fighting terrorism for 20 years, and 9/11 was a result of that failure. We now need to learn from those failures so that we can go forward and win this war. 9/11 was not a natural catastrophe like an earthquake, it was not a power blackout. This was one battle in a war that continues. Let's learn from it, let's not try to use this for partisan purposes, or to sell books or for entertainment.
HEMMER: Victor, final word.
KAMBER: I would agree with Cliff, except I'm not sure the commission is doing anything except what Cliff is advocating. The president appointed the chair. The Congress appointed the commission. These are Republican-dominated Congresses and a presidency. This commission isn't out to get anybody. They're out to get the truth. Richard Clarke has offered some evidence and information. Now Condoleezza Rice has the responsibility to respond to that. Hopefully we'll get to the bottom of what is true and isn't true and how to move forward.
HEMMER: Thanks to both of you. Victor Kamber, Cliff May, thank you gentlemen. See you next week -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Jayson Williams' lawyers could ask for a mistrial in their client's manslaughter case. The defense is considering its options after learning the weapon at the center of the case was inspected by a third expert.
Deborah Feyerick explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Lawyers for Jayson Williams are threatening the call the lead prosecutor to the stand, accusing him of having failed to identify an important witness until late in the trial, someone they believe might support their claim that the 12 gauge shot gun misfired.
BILLY MARTIN, ATTY. FOR WILLIAMS: We do not know if it's possible at all to go back and unscramble the egg that's been given to this jury with the untrue, false and misleading testimony.
FEYERICK: During the trial, prosecutors maintain the shotgun that killed limo driver Gus Christofi was inspected by two people, a detective working for them and a weapons expert working for Williams. But what prosecutors failed to reveal until the trial was almost over was that a third person helping them also inspected the Browning Citori. A gone expert from Browning removed the wooden handle and inspected the shotgun's internal mechanism. No one from Williams' legal team was present during the inspection, and photos and notes were not given to defense lawyers until after they'd rested their case. The lead prosecutor denies misconduct.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was unintentional. There was no effort on the part of the state to hide anything from the defense.
FEYERICK: One of the prosecution's own witnesses had testified taking the gun apart would alter crucial evidence. A comment that could now come back to haunt prosecutors if the judge allows the defense to call back witnesses.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Following through with his previous statements that this disassembly of the weapon would render all other expert examinations useless. That's powerful cross-examination.
FEYERICK (on camera): Williams' lawyers have called in a legal expert to decide what remedy they'll seek. Their choices include allowing the judge to reopen the case, declare a mistrial or dismiss the indictment altogether.
Deborah Feyerick, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: The defense also wants to look at the prosecutor's computer hard drives.
HEMMER: A few people said to be in critical condition after a car slammed into a home in Washington State. Check it out in Spokane. The driver lost control, sending the car airborne, smashed into the home, stayed there hanging literally. The family luckily was at a neighbor's home. Police believe drinking and driving may have led to Sunday's accident. It's probably the first place you want to start.
COLLINS: That is unbelievable.
Still to come on AMERICAN MORNING, could an everyday vitamin help those people suffering from Alzheimer's Disease? Dr. Sanjay Gupta joins us next with an important link there.
HEMMER: Also, saving Martha Stewart's name and sparing her empire of more losses. Andy talks about that in a moment, when we continue here on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: A link is seen between vitamin B-12 and Alzheimer's Disease. Are researchers one step closer now to unlocking the secrets of this confounding disease?
Our medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta joining us now with details from the CNN Center.
Good morning, Sanjay. This is pretty exciting stuff.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, good morning, Heidi.
A couple interesting pieces of news today, the first you already mentioned, talking about B-12 and Alzheimer's, breaks down like this: For some time now, researchers have known that there is a genetic propensity to develop Alzheimer's. That means there's certain people who are more likely to develop Alzheimer's based on their genes, the genetic marker actually tripling your risk. What they're adding now to that new foundation of knowledge is that if your B-12 levels are also low, your risk of developing Alzheimer's later in life is even higher. Take a look there, the specific genetic marker, plus low vitamin B-12 levels equals poor memory, higher risk of Alzheimer's later on in life.
This is new information. There are going to be other studies needed to sort of prove that this is true, and to determine whether or not giving B-12 will somehow lower your risk of Alzheimer's. We're not there yet, but that is coming down the road.
Also, Heidi, one of this most severe consequences of Alzheimer's is something known as wandering. Patients actually can wander sometimes miles from away their home. But there is one new program out there trying to help that.
Here's what we found out.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GUPTA (voice-over): Over the past two years, 17-year-old Christopher Harper has wandered away from home 10 times.
SHIRLEY HARPER, CHRISTOPHER'S MOTHER: He was leaving the house at 1:00, 2:00, 3:00 in the morning, and roaming the streets and going into people's houses.
GUPTA: Christopher has Down's Syndrome, a condition which fuels his habit of wandering away. His mother says he takes off abruptly.
HARPER: Chris, come on back.
You always wonder, someone could hurt him, someone could take him off or he could just fall in a ditch. You'd never know what could happen to him.
GUPTA: Now there are new programs to help track patients like Christopher. These officers are being trained for one called "Project Lifesaver."
CHIEF GENE SAUNDERS, PROJECT LIFESAVER: It is mainly used for Alzheimer's patients, dementia, children with autism and Down's Syndrome that may tend to wander off, become disoriented, get lost, can't get home.
GUPTA: Patients are outfitted with a wrist band holding a tiny locator. If they go missing, parents call authorities, who hone in on the receiver's location using FM radio waves.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're going to an area they were last seen and start working a pattern.
GUPTA: Police say before Project Lifesaver, searchers soaked up precious time and resources.
SAUNDERS: We're anywhere from four to five hours to days. You are talking anywhere from two, to three, to four to five people to hundreds of people. You're talking about, if you're not finding them within 24 hours, if when you find them, they may not be alive.
GUPTA: So far, Project Lifesaver is in 35 states and has rescued nearly 900 wanderers. The average search time, 30 minutes. Cutting down on time also down resources. Lifesaver searchers average $150, about 10 times less than the national average.
Of course not everyone is keen about programs like Project Lifesaver. Opponents say these tracking systems violates a patient's personal liberties and are an invasion of privacy. They also cite the potential for abuse of systems that keep track of people.
Christopher's family says they're grateful for what the system provides.
HARPER: We needed help, and they could find him a lot quicker than we could. Peace of mind that there is someone and something that could assist us.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GUPTA: And it also says the Alzheimer's Association adds that if an Alzheimer's patient is not found within the first 24 hours, they increase their risk of injury about 50 percent. So far, Project Lifesaver has found about 900 wanderers, Heidi.
COLLINS: Wow. That's amazing. What about the cost of all of this, though, Sanjay?
GUPTA: Yes, for a specific city or community, it's about $5200 for the public service agencies, and then you got to but those wristbands, which are about $25 a months, so not exorbitant costs, but still significant. People have to think about it before buying into this -- Heidi.
COLLINS: All right, very good. Dr. Sanjay Gupta this morning. Thanks so much, Sanjay.
GUPTA: Thank you.
HEMMER: Former President Bill Clinton's foundation will provide cheaper generic drugs to AIDS patients in all needy nations affiliated with the U.N. Last year, Clinton's foundation negotiated cheaper prices for 16 countries in Africa and the Caribbean. Now the less expensive medication will go to any country supported by UNICEF's and the U.N.'s administered fund. It's expected to bring lifesaving drugs to millions of the world's most impoverished.
In a moment here, Martha Stewart's good name soiled by her criminal conviction. Now will it be lost altogether? Andy has a look at that, right after this. Back in a moment, with Andy and Jack.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: All right, welcome back. And to Jack.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Not everybody may be happy about the economy. However, some chief executives are very pleased with what they're seeing, and Martha Stewart Living without the Martha Stewart part. It might happen.
Andy Serwer is here "Minding Your Business."
ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Anything can happen, in the world of business especially, Jack. Let's talk about this a little bit. You know where are we seeing how corporate insiders know more than we do. Well, this could be good news. CEOs more confident than they've been in 20 years. Let's check out these numbers. This is a scale here. You don't really need to get into it. All you need to know is that the number 73, that's the highest since the beginning of 1983, Jack. And in 1983, the economy was just beginning to pick up steam so maybe that's a good thing. I want to know if these people are putting their money where their mouth is. I'd like to know if they are buying stock in their companies. CAFFERTY: There are reports when there is insider buying and selling, but maybe it hasn't come out just yesterday.
SERWER: Right, exactly. They are looking actually, good news on the employment picture. That was the last screen.
Let's talk about Martha Stewart, though. The company sending out a survey to its readers and subscribers, asking what would happen if Martha Stewart went to jail. Question, if Martha Stewart should go to jail, do you think changing the name "Martha Stewart Living" magazine is a good name or a bad idea? I think they should just change the name to "Living." Now that's not lying. The magazine wouldn't be called "Lying," would just be called "Living."
CAFFERTY: You could call it like "David Berkowitz Living" or Charlie Manson Living."
CAFFERTY: If she was in jail writing columns, it wouldn't work out as well.
SERWER: All right, and I want to get on to one of your favorite people in the whole world. Another Martha, Jack.
CAFFERTY: Can't we just let the Masters happen?
SERWER: No, we can't. We can't let it happen. Martha Burke, you remember her from last year. She was the woman's right activist who protested, led demonstrations outside of Augusta National last year. Augusta National starts on Thursday, by the way. That's the good news. Springtime is finally here. She is now taking her movement to Wall Street and looking to start to protesting against the companies whose CEOs and chairman are members of Augusta National.
CAFFERTY: Look at that. That's awful.
SERWER: I agree with you on that. I don't think has to do with anything. And asking whether the companies, the CEOs of companies like American Express, Bank of America, JP Morgan Chase, whether they have issues with women's rights, and sexism and those sorts of things. I'm not exactly sure how she's going to do it. I know how you feel about this, Jack.
CAFFERTY: I'm sure there are serious legitimate issues. But come on, the Masters is about springtime, and the flowers and Augusta National. You know, it's a nice golf tournament and now it's going to be associated with this every time.
SERWER: The only thing about that one point is Hootie Johnson, who is the head of the club and has resisted these efforts, I talked to a CEO last year who's a member, and he said, he was not so happy with the way Hootie handled things. He could have been a little bit more diplomatic.
CAFFERTY: Didn't they offer to pay all of the costs out of the members' pockets and cancel all the sponsorships if necessary?
SERWER: Yes, CBS was involved in that, too, I believe, right?
CAFFERTY: I just want to watch the golf tournament.
SERWER: And you will. And you will.
CAFFERTY: What about the markets?
SERWER: The market, another great day yesterday. We continued this rally, and that's a great thing. The Dow up over 87 points. And you can see here, you know, the employment report on Friday was the big thing. Futures down a little bit this morning, but they were yesterday and we still got that nice rally.
CAFFERTY: I was just told by Ted Fine, who is our producer on this program, he is also not a bad golfer, said that the Masters is commercial-free again this year. So apparently...
SERWER: Oh it is? Well, all right.
CAFFERTY: On to the file. We all get up in the morning, and say, gee, I've got this problem, I've got that problem, and we all have problems. Everything is relative. A woman in Romania went to the doctor to have a tumor removed.
SERWER: Sound like the beginning of a joke.
CAFFERTY: This is no joke. The tumor weighed 176 pounds. It was benign. She's going to be all right. She was in the hospital for 10 weeks recovering from this surgery and the operations that followed. She now weighs only 88 pounds. So when you get up in the morning and think you are having a bad day, think of the lady in Romania with a 176-pound tumor. That's disgusting.
Now, down in Washington, they are taping a series of shows, "Jeopardy" shows, using people in the news, high-profile people like NBC's Tim Russert, Tucker Carlson, I think Anderson Cooper is going to be on. So they start taping these shows, and Russert, who does "Meet the Press" on NBC, is having trouble with the buzzer can't operate the buzzer. And if you don't buzz the buzzer, you can't answer the question, and you get the snot beat out of you by the other contestants. Tucker Carlson is watching all of this and develops a strategy. He says, when it's my turn, I'm going to hit that thing like a lab rat going for crack. What a lovely concept.
SERWER: Metaphors 'r' us.
CAFFERTY: And New York has been rated fourth in the worst driver poll nationwide -- 16,000 voted. it's not scientific, Massachusetts first, Florida second, California third, New York fourth. The reason we're fourth is that for most of the day, traffic doesn't move in this city hardly at all.
SERWER: But Boston, notorious for bad drivers. I hate to say. No, I don't hate to say it, it's true. A lot of people think that Boston has the worst drivers.
CAFFERTY: So we're fourth.
HEMMER: Good file today. And good e-mails, too, by the way. Excellent response. And well stated throughout the entire program.
CAFFERTY: Thank you very much. Really appreciate your support.
HEMMER: And we've got one hour to go. I'm there for you all the time.
CAFFERTY: I know you are. That's what worries me.
HEMMER: Back in a moment here.
SERWER: There's a back story here, I suspect.
HEMMER: Never worry.
CAFFERTY: You are filling in for Soledad, too, this week?
HEMMER: I'm doing double time my friend.
Back in a moment here, marines surrounding Fallujah, a hotbed of insurgents there. We're already getting reports of more Marines dead today.
Also from Baghdad, we'll get you an update on what's happening there. Senator Joe Biden, a long-time critic about the handover and the plan if there is one now for late June. He's our guest, top of the hour here on AMERICAN MORNING.
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Aired April 6, 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: What's happening in the Jayson Williams trial? Right now, not much progress, court is dark, maybe for a week, possibly longer. Why the trial is now stopped in its tracks. We'll get to that in a moment here. Stay tuned.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: All right, other news this morning. There's word that Shiite Muslim cleric Muqtada Al Sadr has left a mosque in which he was reportedly hiding. U.S. officials have issued an arrest warrant for Al Sadr, blaming him for inciting violence against the coalition. He is now said to be in Najaf. An aide to Al Sadr says his supporters will continue the uprising until occupying troops withdraw from populated areas and prisoners are released.
Iranian officials say the country will stop building centrifuges this week. The announcement comes after the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Muhammad ElBaradei, met with Iranian officials today. The U.N. says it will send a new inspection team to Tehran next week to verify all uranium-enrichment activities have been stopped.
Voters in California today will decide the fate of a proposed Wal-Mart in a suburb of Los Angeles. The Reverend Jesse Jackson and community activist yesterday were urging voters to defeat the ballot initiative that would allow the company to go to around zoning, traffic and environmental rules. Wal-Mart argues its stores create jobs. We'll talk more about that right here on AMERICAN MORNING. And J-Lo's mom was reportedly a big winner in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Magazine reports say the mother of actress Jennifer Lopez got lucky with a wheel of fortune slot machine in Borgata Casino. Guadeloupe (ph) Lopez apparently won a $2.4 million jackpot playing the dollar slot.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HEMMER: President Bush said the transfer of power in Iraq is still on schedule, late June, early July. But even some Republicans in this country saying he should consider extending that deadline.
Time for Kamber and May on a Tuesday morning.
Democratic Strategist Victor Kamber in D.C. with us. Victor, good morning to you. Welcome back.
VICTOR KAMBER, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Good morning, Bill. How are you? HEMMER: I'm doing just fine. Thank you much.
Former RNC communications director Cliff May, still hanging out in the American West, live in Denver, Colorado.
Cliff, good morning as well.
CLIFF MAY, FMR. RNC COMM. DIR.: Good morning to you.
HEMMER: We are getting an overwhelming response online in our e- mail with Jack, listening to our viewers talk about the comments from Senator Kerry yesterday, essentially saying Iraq is George Bush's Vietnam.
Victor, are these comments necessary at this point? What's your take on it?
KAMBER: Well, I think that we know Senator Kennedy has been a very dedicated, committed and purposeful leader against this effort. He believes that the president lied. He believes the president does not have a plan to get us out of Iraq, that there were no weapons of mass destruction, that we haven't put any ties with al Qaeda, and he's saying that if anyone remembers, and I lived through those Vietnam War years, that it was very similar, where we would go -- the leadership of this country would go to the American public every day and say it's almost over, it is over, our boys are safe, we're coming home, and all we kept doing was losing lives. That's what seems to be here, we're lying and losing lives.
HEMMER: Cliff, what about it?
MAY: You know, some of us older guys have what's called Vietnam syndrome. It means that any conflict the U.S. is involved in we see through the lens of Vietnam, and that seems to be the case with Senator Kennedy and with my friend Vic. We could lose the war in Vietnam. We did. And we could retreat, and we did. And it was all right over time, but even Ho Chi Minh, bad as he was, was not like Saddam Hussein. He wasn't genocidal as Saddam Hussein has been. He wasn't a terrorist master, as Saddam Hussein has been.
We can't afford to see what's going on in Iraq as a war we can lose and retreat from. We know the cost of retreat. We recruited from Beirut in '83 after Hezbollah bombed us. We retreated from Somalia in '93 after we were attacked. If we retreat now, they will follow us as they have in the past, and that's what 9/11 was all about.
KAMBER: No one is advocating we follow Vietnam's policies of retreat and loss. What the senator said, is this is Bush's policy, we're emulating it, we're not advocating it; we're emulating it. There's a big difference here.
MAY: I don't understand the difference. I think we should agree, you, and me, and Senator Kennedy and President Bush, that we have to fight this war to win against the terrorists in Iraq. And when you talk about Vietnam, you mean you're going to lose. KAMBER: While we didn't agree to go in necessarily as parties, I think 90 percent of the political elected leadership says we're there and we have to come out and save as many lives as we can, both Iraqi and American lives.
What they are talking about Vietnam is this is an administration that is lying to the American public. It's that simple about what's going on.
MAY: Victor, I know you keep going on about the lies. And what you're saying is just not true. But the point of the matter is, we have a war we have to win. If somebody said to FDR, what is your exit strategy from Germany, he would have said victory and the defeat of the Nazis.
KAMBER: What is winning, Cliff?
MAY: Winning helping the Iraqi people who want freedom and democracy to set up a decent society and decent government for the first time in generations.
KAMBER: And that will not happen by June 30th. That's another lie.
MAY: Now that's a good point, Vic, and I agree. On June 30th, we should symbolically hand over sovereignty, but we should not cut and run. We need to be there to help the Iraqis to create that decent society. You're right. It's a symbolic handing over of sovereignty, very important, but we should not be retreating.
HEMMER: Gentlemen, I appreciate this discussion. I want to move on to another topic here. Condoleezza Rice testifies on Thursday morning. You'll see it live here on AMERICAN MORNING when it happens. Where are we on this issue come Friday morning? Cliff, start off.
MAY: Well, I don't know, I'm a little concerned about the commission, partly where it's going, and partly the way it's being portrayed. The exercise of this commission, the goal of this commission, is not to find somebody to blame, somebody to bring on the carpet. We know that we failed fighting terrorism for 20 years, and 9/11 was a result of that failure. We now need to learn from those failures so that we can go forward and win this war. 9/11 was not a natural catastrophe like an earthquake, it was not a power blackout. This was one battle in a war that continues. Let's learn from it, let's not try to use this for partisan purposes, or to sell books or for entertainment.
HEMMER: Victor, final word.
KAMBER: I would agree with Cliff, except I'm not sure the commission is doing anything except what Cliff is advocating. The president appointed the chair. The Congress appointed the commission. These are Republican-dominated Congresses and a presidency. This commission isn't out to get anybody. They're out to get the truth. Richard Clarke has offered some evidence and information. Now Condoleezza Rice has the responsibility to respond to that. Hopefully we'll get to the bottom of what is true and isn't true and how to move forward.
HEMMER: Thanks to both of you. Victor Kamber, Cliff May, thank you gentlemen. See you next week -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Jayson Williams' lawyers could ask for a mistrial in their client's manslaughter case. The defense is considering its options after learning the weapon at the center of the case was inspected by a third expert.
Deborah Feyerick explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Lawyers for Jayson Williams are threatening the call the lead prosecutor to the stand, accusing him of having failed to identify an important witness until late in the trial, someone they believe might support their claim that the 12 gauge shot gun misfired.
BILLY MARTIN, ATTY. FOR WILLIAMS: We do not know if it's possible at all to go back and unscramble the egg that's been given to this jury with the untrue, false and misleading testimony.
FEYERICK: During the trial, prosecutors maintain the shotgun that killed limo driver Gus Christofi was inspected by two people, a detective working for them and a weapons expert working for Williams. But what prosecutors failed to reveal until the trial was almost over was that a third person helping them also inspected the Browning Citori. A gone expert from Browning removed the wooden handle and inspected the shotgun's internal mechanism. No one from Williams' legal team was present during the inspection, and photos and notes were not given to defense lawyers until after they'd rested their case. The lead prosecutor denies misconduct.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was unintentional. There was no effort on the part of the state to hide anything from the defense.
FEYERICK: One of the prosecution's own witnesses had testified taking the gun apart would alter crucial evidence. A comment that could now come back to haunt prosecutors if the judge allows the defense to call back witnesses.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Following through with his previous statements that this disassembly of the weapon would render all other expert examinations useless. That's powerful cross-examination.
FEYERICK (on camera): Williams' lawyers have called in a legal expert to decide what remedy they'll seek. Their choices include allowing the judge to reopen the case, declare a mistrial or dismiss the indictment altogether.
Deborah Feyerick, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: The defense also wants to look at the prosecutor's computer hard drives.
HEMMER: A few people said to be in critical condition after a car slammed into a home in Washington State. Check it out in Spokane. The driver lost control, sending the car airborne, smashed into the home, stayed there hanging literally. The family luckily was at a neighbor's home. Police believe drinking and driving may have led to Sunday's accident. It's probably the first place you want to start.
COLLINS: That is unbelievable.
Still to come on AMERICAN MORNING, could an everyday vitamin help those people suffering from Alzheimer's Disease? Dr. Sanjay Gupta joins us next with an important link there.
HEMMER: Also, saving Martha Stewart's name and sparing her empire of more losses. Andy talks about that in a moment, when we continue here on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: A link is seen between vitamin B-12 and Alzheimer's Disease. Are researchers one step closer now to unlocking the secrets of this confounding disease?
Our medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta joining us now with details from the CNN Center.
Good morning, Sanjay. This is pretty exciting stuff.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, good morning, Heidi.
A couple interesting pieces of news today, the first you already mentioned, talking about B-12 and Alzheimer's, breaks down like this: For some time now, researchers have known that there is a genetic propensity to develop Alzheimer's. That means there's certain people who are more likely to develop Alzheimer's based on their genes, the genetic marker actually tripling your risk. What they're adding now to that new foundation of knowledge is that if your B-12 levels are also low, your risk of developing Alzheimer's later in life is even higher. Take a look there, the specific genetic marker, plus low vitamin B-12 levels equals poor memory, higher risk of Alzheimer's later on in life.
This is new information. There are going to be other studies needed to sort of prove that this is true, and to determine whether or not giving B-12 will somehow lower your risk of Alzheimer's. We're not there yet, but that is coming down the road.
Also, Heidi, one of this most severe consequences of Alzheimer's is something known as wandering. Patients actually can wander sometimes miles from away their home. But there is one new program out there trying to help that.
Here's what we found out.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GUPTA (voice-over): Over the past two years, 17-year-old Christopher Harper has wandered away from home 10 times.
SHIRLEY HARPER, CHRISTOPHER'S MOTHER: He was leaving the house at 1:00, 2:00, 3:00 in the morning, and roaming the streets and going into people's houses.
GUPTA: Christopher has Down's Syndrome, a condition which fuels his habit of wandering away. His mother says he takes off abruptly.
HARPER: Chris, come on back.
You always wonder, someone could hurt him, someone could take him off or he could just fall in a ditch. You'd never know what could happen to him.
GUPTA: Now there are new programs to help track patients like Christopher. These officers are being trained for one called "Project Lifesaver."
CHIEF GENE SAUNDERS, PROJECT LIFESAVER: It is mainly used for Alzheimer's patients, dementia, children with autism and Down's Syndrome that may tend to wander off, become disoriented, get lost, can't get home.
GUPTA: Patients are outfitted with a wrist band holding a tiny locator. If they go missing, parents call authorities, who hone in on the receiver's location using FM radio waves.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're going to an area they were last seen and start working a pattern.
GUPTA: Police say before Project Lifesaver, searchers soaked up precious time and resources.
SAUNDERS: We're anywhere from four to five hours to days. You are talking anywhere from two, to three, to four to five people to hundreds of people. You're talking about, if you're not finding them within 24 hours, if when you find them, they may not be alive.
GUPTA: So far, Project Lifesaver is in 35 states and has rescued nearly 900 wanderers. The average search time, 30 minutes. Cutting down on time also down resources. Lifesaver searchers average $150, about 10 times less than the national average.
Of course not everyone is keen about programs like Project Lifesaver. Opponents say these tracking systems violates a patient's personal liberties and are an invasion of privacy. They also cite the potential for abuse of systems that keep track of people.
Christopher's family says they're grateful for what the system provides.
HARPER: We needed help, and they could find him a lot quicker than we could. Peace of mind that there is someone and something that could assist us.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GUPTA: And it also says the Alzheimer's Association adds that if an Alzheimer's patient is not found within the first 24 hours, they increase their risk of injury about 50 percent. So far, Project Lifesaver has found about 900 wanderers, Heidi.
COLLINS: Wow. That's amazing. What about the cost of all of this, though, Sanjay?
GUPTA: Yes, for a specific city or community, it's about $5200 for the public service agencies, and then you got to but those wristbands, which are about $25 a months, so not exorbitant costs, but still significant. People have to think about it before buying into this -- Heidi.
COLLINS: All right, very good. Dr. Sanjay Gupta this morning. Thanks so much, Sanjay.
GUPTA: Thank you.
HEMMER: Former President Bill Clinton's foundation will provide cheaper generic drugs to AIDS patients in all needy nations affiliated with the U.N. Last year, Clinton's foundation negotiated cheaper prices for 16 countries in Africa and the Caribbean. Now the less expensive medication will go to any country supported by UNICEF's and the U.N.'s administered fund. It's expected to bring lifesaving drugs to millions of the world's most impoverished.
In a moment here, Martha Stewart's good name soiled by her criminal conviction. Now will it be lost altogether? Andy has a look at that, right after this. Back in a moment, with Andy and Jack.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: All right, welcome back. And to Jack.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Not everybody may be happy about the economy. However, some chief executives are very pleased with what they're seeing, and Martha Stewart Living without the Martha Stewart part. It might happen.
Andy Serwer is here "Minding Your Business."
ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Anything can happen, in the world of business especially, Jack. Let's talk about this a little bit. You know where are we seeing how corporate insiders know more than we do. Well, this could be good news. CEOs more confident than they've been in 20 years. Let's check out these numbers. This is a scale here. You don't really need to get into it. All you need to know is that the number 73, that's the highest since the beginning of 1983, Jack. And in 1983, the economy was just beginning to pick up steam so maybe that's a good thing. I want to know if these people are putting their money where their mouth is. I'd like to know if they are buying stock in their companies. CAFFERTY: There are reports when there is insider buying and selling, but maybe it hasn't come out just yesterday.
SERWER: Right, exactly. They are looking actually, good news on the employment picture. That was the last screen.
Let's talk about Martha Stewart, though. The company sending out a survey to its readers and subscribers, asking what would happen if Martha Stewart went to jail. Question, if Martha Stewart should go to jail, do you think changing the name "Martha Stewart Living" magazine is a good name or a bad idea? I think they should just change the name to "Living." Now that's not lying. The magazine wouldn't be called "Lying," would just be called "Living."
CAFFERTY: You could call it like "David Berkowitz Living" or Charlie Manson Living."
CAFFERTY: If she was in jail writing columns, it wouldn't work out as well.
SERWER: All right, and I want to get on to one of your favorite people in the whole world. Another Martha, Jack.
CAFFERTY: Can't we just let the Masters happen?
SERWER: No, we can't. We can't let it happen. Martha Burke, you remember her from last year. She was the woman's right activist who protested, led demonstrations outside of Augusta National last year. Augusta National starts on Thursday, by the way. That's the good news. Springtime is finally here. She is now taking her movement to Wall Street and looking to start to protesting against the companies whose CEOs and chairman are members of Augusta National.
CAFFERTY: Look at that. That's awful.
SERWER: I agree with you on that. I don't think has to do with anything. And asking whether the companies, the CEOs of companies like American Express, Bank of America, JP Morgan Chase, whether they have issues with women's rights, and sexism and those sorts of things. I'm not exactly sure how she's going to do it. I know how you feel about this, Jack.
CAFFERTY: I'm sure there are serious legitimate issues. But come on, the Masters is about springtime, and the flowers and Augusta National. You know, it's a nice golf tournament and now it's going to be associated with this every time.
SERWER: The only thing about that one point is Hootie Johnson, who is the head of the club and has resisted these efforts, I talked to a CEO last year who's a member, and he said, he was not so happy with the way Hootie handled things. He could have been a little bit more diplomatic.
CAFFERTY: Didn't they offer to pay all of the costs out of the members' pockets and cancel all the sponsorships if necessary?
SERWER: Yes, CBS was involved in that, too, I believe, right?
CAFFERTY: I just want to watch the golf tournament.
SERWER: And you will. And you will.
CAFFERTY: What about the markets?
SERWER: The market, another great day yesterday. We continued this rally, and that's a great thing. The Dow up over 87 points. And you can see here, you know, the employment report on Friday was the big thing. Futures down a little bit this morning, but they were yesterday and we still got that nice rally.
CAFFERTY: I was just told by Ted Fine, who is our producer on this program, he is also not a bad golfer, said that the Masters is commercial-free again this year. So apparently...
SERWER: Oh it is? Well, all right.
CAFFERTY: On to the file. We all get up in the morning, and say, gee, I've got this problem, I've got that problem, and we all have problems. Everything is relative. A woman in Romania went to the doctor to have a tumor removed.
SERWER: Sound like the beginning of a joke.
CAFFERTY: This is no joke. The tumor weighed 176 pounds. It was benign. She's going to be all right. She was in the hospital for 10 weeks recovering from this surgery and the operations that followed. She now weighs only 88 pounds. So when you get up in the morning and think you are having a bad day, think of the lady in Romania with a 176-pound tumor. That's disgusting.
Now, down in Washington, they are taping a series of shows, "Jeopardy" shows, using people in the news, high-profile people like NBC's Tim Russert, Tucker Carlson, I think Anderson Cooper is going to be on. So they start taping these shows, and Russert, who does "Meet the Press" on NBC, is having trouble with the buzzer can't operate the buzzer. And if you don't buzz the buzzer, you can't answer the question, and you get the snot beat out of you by the other contestants. Tucker Carlson is watching all of this and develops a strategy. He says, when it's my turn, I'm going to hit that thing like a lab rat going for crack. What a lovely concept.
SERWER: Metaphors 'r' us.
CAFFERTY: And New York has been rated fourth in the worst driver poll nationwide -- 16,000 voted. it's not scientific, Massachusetts first, Florida second, California third, New York fourth. The reason we're fourth is that for most of the day, traffic doesn't move in this city hardly at all.
SERWER: But Boston, notorious for bad drivers. I hate to say. No, I don't hate to say it, it's true. A lot of people think that Boston has the worst drivers.
CAFFERTY: So we're fourth.
HEMMER: Good file today. And good e-mails, too, by the way. Excellent response. And well stated throughout the entire program.
CAFFERTY: Thank you very much. Really appreciate your support.
HEMMER: And we've got one hour to go. I'm there for you all the time.
CAFFERTY: I know you are. That's what worries me.
HEMMER: Back in a moment here.
SERWER: There's a back story here, I suspect.
HEMMER: Never worry.
CAFFERTY: You are filling in for Soledad, too, this week?
HEMMER: I'm doing double time my friend.
Back in a moment here, marines surrounding Fallujah, a hotbed of insurgents there. We're already getting reports of more Marines dead today.
Also from Baghdad, we'll get you an update on what's happening there. Senator Joe Biden, a long-time critic about the handover and the plan if there is one now for late June. He's our guest, top of the hour here on AMERICAN MORNING.
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