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American Morning

Working for Halliburton in Iraq One of More Dangerous Jobs in the World; 'Paging Dr. Gupta'

Aired April 15, 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, everybody. It's just about half past the hour on this AMERICAN MORNING. The pay is good, but working for Halliburton in Iraq has become one of the more dangerous jobs in the world. And with the sudden increase in violence there, we're going to meet some people who are now saying enough is enough.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Also on this audiotape, it's been reported that Osama bin Laden used the name "Halliburton" in his message earlier today, a bit ominous there.

Sanjay Gupta back with us this morning. The risk that come from social drinking, raising questions about how health problems, but also raising questions about how care-free some are when defining the word "moderation." Sanjay is up in a few moments.

O'BRIEN: And Jack Cafferty is with us also later in the next hour or so. We'll chat with him later.

But first our top stories, and we begin with some developing news out of Iraq. Al Jazeera's TV saying that three Japanese hostages in Iraq have been freed. This is new video shown today on the Arab network. It says the hostages were handed over to Muslim clerics, and they are in good health. A Japanese broadcaster reports that Japan's government has confirmed their release. We're going to have more details an this story as they come in.

Meanwhile, a top Italian diplomat is visiting Iraq to try to save the remaining hostages from his country. Today, the country's foreign minister confirmed that one of the four hostages has been executed.

And Russia is evacuating its citizens from Iraq. The move follows the abduction of four Russians and five Ukrainians on Monday. They were all release the next day.

The CIA is trying to authenticate the latest audiotape said to be from Osama bin Laden. Arabic language networks have aired an audiotape reportedly from the al Qaeda leader. The tape's speaker offers a truce with European countries, but wants the U.S. to pay for Israel's killing of Hamas founder Sheikh Ahmed Yassin. A CIA official says it is unclear -- it is clear rather that the tape was made within the last three weeks or so.

More than 20,000 U.S. troops in Iraq will stay there longer. Today Defense Secretary Rumsfeld expected to announce a combat tour extension for those troops. The decision breaks an earlier promise to limit duty in Iraq to one year. U.S. commanders say the extension is necessary to keep up combat capability in the wake of recent uprisings. We could hear more about this during a news conference set to take place in Baghdad in just about 15 minutes from now.

This is it. If you don't know that, you're in trouble. It's the last day to file your taxes. If you haven't filed them yet, you have until midnight tonight. The post office says in a typical year, 600,000 people call the hotline to find a post office that's open late. That's an indication of the number of procrastinators out there, isn't it? You can also send your returns online.

HEMMER: Get it over with.

O'BRIEN: That's what I did this year.

HEMMER: Did you? electronic? Increases are bigtime for that, too, the number of people doing it.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HEMMER: Halliburton, that company now identifying one of the truck drivers killed in Iraq on Friday, Steven Fisher (ph) of Virginia Beach, Virginia. The danger for civilian contractors in Iraq increasing dramatically in the past two weeks.

Ed Lavendera talked with two contractors deciding to call it quits in Iraq, after both them had a very close call.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Steve Heering and Stacy Clark feel safe again. Four months as civilian Halliburton contractors driving fuel trucks in Iraq was too much to handle. Hearing and Clark say the mood in Iraq started changing three week ago. Rocks, road side explosions and mortar fire were already common. Then last Friday, their convoy was ambushed.

STACY CLARK, TRUCK DRIVER: I seen a guy come across from the left side of the road. He come across. He threw a grenade underneath his -- Steven's rear trailer tires. Well, it just ignited. It just, boom, you know, and flames everywhere.

LAVENDERA: Hearing and Clark never drove another route. They quit.

(on camera): Halliburton says 30 of its employees have been killed in Iraq and Kuwait. Civilian workers aren't allowed to carry weapons and many don't have military training. But they are lured to the jobs by the promise of an $80,000 a year paycheck.

(voice-over): In Houston, thousands of people are still applying for civilian jobs in Iraq. This training seminar is the last chance for perspective employees to back out.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The rocket that went through the side of the trailer. They made it. He didn't. LAVENDERA: Despite the warnings, John Bolam is ready for his second trip back to Iraq.

JOHN BOLAM, TRUCK DRIVER: I'm going more for the fact that I'm too old to go into the military. I am ex-military, and I want to do my part. This is one of the ways I can help take care of our guys over there in Iraq.

LAVENDERA: Since returning from Iraq, Hearing and Clark have been urging people to think hard before signing up.

STEPHEN HEERING, TRUCK DRIVER: Especially if you are going to drive up and down the roads in Iraq, really rethink it. Is the money really worth dying for? For Steve Heering and Stacy Clark, the answer to that question was simple.

Ed Lavendera, CNN, Houston.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HEMMER: In addition to this, Russia Wednesday announcing it was sending planes to Iraq to evacuate any of its citizens who wanted to leave. Some videotape now. Some of them did take up Russia on the offer today -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Well, Iraq, of course is a major issue in the presidential campaign, and syndicated columnist Arianna Huffington has some no-holds barred advice for both parties in the race for the White House. She was a political candidate, you'll remember, herself, not so long ago, running for governor in California's recall election. Her new book is called "Fanatics and Fools," the game plan for winning back America.

Arianna Huffington joins us this morning. Nice to see you.

ARIANNA HUFFINTON, AUTHOR, "FANATICS AND FOOLS": Great to see you.

O'BRIEN: "Fanatics and Fools," I like the title. Who are you talking about?

HUFFINGTON: Well, the fanatics are obviously those in the Bush administration who are reluctant and completely unwilling to look at any evidence, any facts that do not confirm the preconceived notions about what should be done. We saw that again and again about Iraq. We saw it again during the president's press conference, when he would not admit any need for course correcting. That's a definition of fanaticism, as I write about in the book.

O'BRIEN: Who is the fools?

HUFFINGTON: The fools are those in the Democratic leadership who went along, who enabled the fanatics, who went along with the resolution to go to war in Iraq, who went along with the multi- trillion-dollar tax cut. There was an uprising in the Democratic Party during the primary, and somehow, they got some spine, and now we see John Kerry sounding a very different note than Tom Daschle had sounded or Dick Gephardt during that period when somehow they wanted to be just Republican lite. And that doesn't work, because if they are just going to be Republican light, the public will always choose the original version.

O'BRIEN: In spite of calling some fanatics and some fools, you say you're going to support the Democrats in this year's presidential election. What do you think John Kerry needs to do to hone his message, or did you that think he's going to win as is?

HUFFINGTON: Well, what I am saying in the book is that he really needs to put forth a really bold, inspired vision for America, that deals both with what's happening domestically, with the need for us to become one nation again, and for a more internationalist policy abroad.

Last night, I heard him speak here in New York. And there was a very moving moment when they had a young African-American man, Michael Parker, talk about a program, called Youth Fill (ph), that has given him the skills to be able to deal with his life, to have a productive life, and he talked about his mother telling him yesterday, you'll be OK, and he broke down and cried. And this entire room of affluent successful New Yorkers stood up and gave him a standing ovation, and that recognition, that we are not doing enough for people like Michael Parker, who have a greater chance in this country to go to jail than to have a productive life is something that has to be part of the debate in November.

And if John Kerry succeeds, in making it a part of the debate and challenging the Bush version of reality, which is that somehow give tax cuts to the wealthy and all will be well, then he can win, not just in a squeaker, but a landslide. That's what I call the game plan for winning back America, and I also provide a 10-point contract with specific policies, and -- that he can offer to the American people.

O'BRIEN: Many people say that voters are going to look toward what's going on in Iraq right now. And what the president said in his news conference the other day was that what's happening in Iraq is ultimately going to make the world safer.

HUFFINGTON: It is very, very difficult to believe that. And it is very clear that al Qaeda has been strengthened by the invasion of Iraq, and there have been more deaths because of al Qaeda after September 11 than before. And it is very clear that it's been diverted from fighting the war on terror here at home because of this delusional pursuit of the invasion of Iraq, which is nothing but pure fanaticism, and the country has suffered because of it.

O'BRIEN: It's an interesting book. I bet you're going to send a copy off to John Kerry and his staff. Arianna Huffington, nice to see you. The book is called "Fanatics and Fools." Appreciate it -- Bill.

HUFFINGTON: Thank you.

HEMMER: Still to come, Soledad: pushing for reform inside the FBI: Will Robert Mueller's change make America safer? We'll talk about that.

Also, when does drinking alcohol turn dangerous? Dr. Sanjay Gupta today on how some social drinkers could be damaging their brains. Back in a moment after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: A glass of wine or two may be harmless, but a new study shows that heavy social drinking could be developing into a big problem.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta joins us with details.

Heavy social drinking sounds sort of oxymoronic. You are a heavy drinker or you're a social drinker, right?

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: I know. We're going to get into the distinctions, because everyone is going to look at the numbers of this, but this is something that people have been looking at for some time. These are people who drink. They are social. They also are high functioning. They have jobs, they have families, and they've never sought treatment for drinking problems. They don't see themselves as having a drinking problem.

Researchers at the University of California San Francisco decided to put it to the test, trying to figure out whether or not there are actually changes going on in the body that people didn't recognize, specifically the brain. Looking at a new imaging, trying to look at some of the specific chemicals within the brain and whether or not they were being altered. The chemical in particular they were looking at emacetil aspertate (ph), the name not that important, but what they found is that this slight chemical was actually decreased in people who were considered heavy social drinkers. That's basically what happens lower levels, and subsequently, decreased cognitive abilities. That's sort of a throwaway term. I asked the researcher yesterday specifically, what does that mean, cognitive abilities? Not able to restore and retrieve information as well, not able to or understand abstract concepts, such as time and money, and having poor understanding of the consequences of previous actions.

It's unclear how long these cognitive disabilities sort of last after someone stops drinking, but these are some new findings. These are heavy social drinkers.

O'BRIEN: So is that considered, the list of cognitive disabilities, I mean, is that someone just being foggy, or is that considered major, or even relatively major, brain damage.

GUPTA: You know, and brain damage is also one of those throwaway terms, but if you're talking about pretty high-functioning people, which these people are, carrying very good jobs, making good money, and you are starting have these subtle changes which may increase over time, it could lead to some more serious problems.

O'BRIEN: Do doctors delineate between a social drinker and an alcoholism, literally, specifically with the number of drinks you have?

GUPTA: You know, everyone likes numbers.

O'BRIEN: I do.

GUPTA: Yes, you like numbers. Everyone provides numbers, so they do give you those numbers. Light drinkers, for example, they do it per month, about 10 drinks per month, heavy drinkers, 100 to 200 drinks per month. This is for men. About 80 months per month for women, heavy social drinker. Alcoholism, 300 to 400 drinks per month. That's a lot of drinks.

But more importantly, what the researchers say, there's this questionnaire, and it's a very, very famous questionnaire in the world of alcoholism. It's called the "Cage Questionnaire." Have you tried to cut down on your drinking? Are you annoyed when people tell you that you drink too much. Do you feel guilty about you're drinking? Are you using alcohol as an eye opener? C-A-G-E, that's the questionnaire they also use to determine if someone's an alcoholic.

O'BRIEN: Interesting study. All right, Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Appreciate it. Thank you.

GUPTA: Thank you. You can't drink by the way, at all.

O'BRIEN: Thanks for reminding me.

HEMMER: She would love a martini, though.

O'BRIEN: Can I tell you, the minute I deliver these kids, it could be 2:00, 5:00 in the morning, I'll be there with a martini.

HEMMER: Stick around, Sanjay.

In a moment here, I know you've give us advice on Krispy Kreme donuts in the past. When you only have one Krispy Kreme in your state, things get sticky. Andy explains that, right after this. Also back with Jack in a moment, here on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: Here's Jack Cafferty yet again.

Good morning.

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Andy Serwer is here now playing with food, right, something you've always wanted to do on live, national TV.

ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Yes, I do want to do that. Let's talk about that. Let's also talk about advertising. Volatile times in the ad business, a lot of concerns that traditional print and TV ads aren't working. That's not true about AMERICAN MORNING, by the way, advertisers. It has worked just great here. There's a lot of viral marketing campaigns out there, people using the Internet, companies using the Internet and having wacky ad campaigns. We've got to show you this one, unbelievable. A new ad campaign from Burger King called subservientchicken.com. OK, yes, it is kinky. "The Wall Street Journal" said some people may find this disturbing. So if you have older folks around or younger children. No, it's not that disturbing; it's just silly. And, interesting, they rolled this thing out on April 7th, Jack. They only told 20 people about it, and they got 15 to 20 million hits, so this is the new face of advertising.

CAFFERTY: All the degenerates know the traditional porn sites. They are looking around for something new.

SERWER: I knew you'd have a pithy analysis of that. That's why we decided to do that.

O'BRIEN: I don't know where that came from.

SERWER: Well, yes, subservientchicken.com.

All right, you want to talk about doughnuts now?

CAFFERTY: Sure.

SERWER: Change in gears here.

CAFFERTY: Everyone knows Krispy Kreme has taken the world by storm. There's one store in Hawaii that opened up on January 27th, I believe, in Maui. OK, that's terrific, right? the problem is, Hawaiian Airlines are having a big problem. The reason, people are flying around the islands, they're going to Maui, buying the doughnuts and filling up the overhead compartments with boxes of Krispy Kreme.

Let me demonstrate, Soledad. They are taking the doughnuts and they're putting them up here, see, up above where you can't get them, Soledad. No, you can't get them.

O'BRIEN: Give me the doughnut.

Five to six of them they are stacking them up, this one police officer in Kuai (ph) bought them for his whole department. And look at these, these are a pernicious new varietial (ph). Look at that.

CAFFERTY: Glazed doughnut with chocolate frosting and sprinkles.

SERWER: Omayagi (ph), the Japanese term for bringing gifts. There's a lot of that going on on the Japanese island.

CAFFERTY: Well, that's part of the culture, sure, so that Krispy Kreme...

How long before they get another one to open up?

SERWER: I bet pretty soon.

The market is going to be flat this morning, even though we got some good stuff coming out of Apple, Citi and some other companies. Pepsi also has some pretty good earnings, too.

CAFFERTY: Fear of rising interest rates, so people...

SERWER: Yes, back and forth we go.

CAFFERTY: Thanks, Andy.

Time now for the Cafferty File. A couple of slice of life stories here in the Big Apple. We begin with a family of a Brooklyn man who had a heart attack and died while getting a parking ticket. His family is suing the city for $100 million. They say the traffic agent left the 61-year-old man without calling 911, and witnesses say as he walked away he said, just make sure he pays the ticket. And you thought New York was a cold, uncaring place. True story.

If you are thinking about moving to New York, bring your money, a lot of money. This is -- the average price of an apartment in Manhattan is up 28 percent. It now costs a million bucks for an apartment in Manhattan. That's the average price. This is a real estate survey by Douglass Edelman (ph). The boroughs ain't cheap either. You want to live in Brooklyn, $500,000. Queens, $350,000. The Bronx, about the same thing. Staten Island, where they have that huge landfill, still costs you $300,000 to get a apartment out there.

SERWER: You can commute fro Nevada. That'd be cheaper.

CAFFERTY: And remember the cross-dressing Texas politician? Republican Sam Wahls (ph), who was at one time the front-runner, lost the election Tuesday to a real estate developer Rob Orr (ph). Wahl's campaigned ended when the Texas House of Representative took a turn for the worse two weeks ago when pictures of him wearing women's clothing circulated.

There he is there.

Wahls had told reporters that his family had dealt with his cross dressing. However, apparently the voters just couldn't handle it.

One more item, if we can turn on the control room camera. Rene (ph), can you flip on that control room camera. Now stand up and turn around and wave to the folks. It's our director's birthday. There she is.

HEMMER: Happy birthday to you.

What's up, Rene.

O'BRIEN: She's 23.

SERWER: Again.

HEMMER: Nice stuff.

CAFFERTY: Happy birthday.

HEMMER: How was that doughnut? We got an hour to go.

In a moment here, we're going to get you to Baghdad. General Richard Meyers there, a surprise visit earlier in the week. A press conference said to get under way any moment. Also, in addition to that news, a tape from Osama bin Laden, offering a truce to some countries, vowing violence against others. We'll get back to that in a moment here. Top of the hour, on AMERICAN MORNING.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com


Aired April 15, 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, everybody. It's just about half past the hour on this AMERICAN MORNING. The pay is good, but working for Halliburton in Iraq has become one of the more dangerous jobs in the world. And with the sudden increase in violence there, we're going to meet some people who are now saying enough is enough.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Also on this audiotape, it's been reported that Osama bin Laden used the name "Halliburton" in his message earlier today, a bit ominous there.

Sanjay Gupta back with us this morning. The risk that come from social drinking, raising questions about how health problems, but also raising questions about how care-free some are when defining the word "moderation." Sanjay is up in a few moments.

O'BRIEN: And Jack Cafferty is with us also later in the next hour or so. We'll chat with him later.

But first our top stories, and we begin with some developing news out of Iraq. Al Jazeera's TV saying that three Japanese hostages in Iraq have been freed. This is new video shown today on the Arab network. It says the hostages were handed over to Muslim clerics, and they are in good health. A Japanese broadcaster reports that Japan's government has confirmed their release. We're going to have more details an this story as they come in.

Meanwhile, a top Italian diplomat is visiting Iraq to try to save the remaining hostages from his country. Today, the country's foreign minister confirmed that one of the four hostages has been executed.

And Russia is evacuating its citizens from Iraq. The move follows the abduction of four Russians and five Ukrainians on Monday. They were all release the next day.

The CIA is trying to authenticate the latest audiotape said to be from Osama bin Laden. Arabic language networks have aired an audiotape reportedly from the al Qaeda leader. The tape's speaker offers a truce with European countries, but wants the U.S. to pay for Israel's killing of Hamas founder Sheikh Ahmed Yassin. A CIA official says it is unclear -- it is clear rather that the tape was made within the last three weeks or so.

More than 20,000 U.S. troops in Iraq will stay there longer. Today Defense Secretary Rumsfeld expected to announce a combat tour extension for those troops. The decision breaks an earlier promise to limit duty in Iraq to one year. U.S. commanders say the extension is necessary to keep up combat capability in the wake of recent uprisings. We could hear more about this during a news conference set to take place in Baghdad in just about 15 minutes from now.

This is it. If you don't know that, you're in trouble. It's the last day to file your taxes. If you haven't filed them yet, you have until midnight tonight. The post office says in a typical year, 600,000 people call the hotline to find a post office that's open late. That's an indication of the number of procrastinators out there, isn't it? You can also send your returns online.

HEMMER: Get it over with.

O'BRIEN: That's what I did this year.

HEMMER: Did you? electronic? Increases are bigtime for that, too, the number of people doing it.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HEMMER: Halliburton, that company now identifying one of the truck drivers killed in Iraq on Friday, Steven Fisher (ph) of Virginia Beach, Virginia. The danger for civilian contractors in Iraq increasing dramatically in the past two weeks.

Ed Lavendera talked with two contractors deciding to call it quits in Iraq, after both them had a very close call.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Steve Heering and Stacy Clark feel safe again. Four months as civilian Halliburton contractors driving fuel trucks in Iraq was too much to handle. Hearing and Clark say the mood in Iraq started changing three week ago. Rocks, road side explosions and mortar fire were already common. Then last Friday, their convoy was ambushed.

STACY CLARK, TRUCK DRIVER: I seen a guy come across from the left side of the road. He come across. He threw a grenade underneath his -- Steven's rear trailer tires. Well, it just ignited. It just, boom, you know, and flames everywhere.

LAVENDERA: Hearing and Clark never drove another route. They quit.

(on camera): Halliburton says 30 of its employees have been killed in Iraq and Kuwait. Civilian workers aren't allowed to carry weapons and many don't have military training. But they are lured to the jobs by the promise of an $80,000 a year paycheck.

(voice-over): In Houston, thousands of people are still applying for civilian jobs in Iraq. This training seminar is the last chance for perspective employees to back out.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The rocket that went through the side of the trailer. They made it. He didn't. LAVENDERA: Despite the warnings, John Bolam is ready for his second trip back to Iraq.

JOHN BOLAM, TRUCK DRIVER: I'm going more for the fact that I'm too old to go into the military. I am ex-military, and I want to do my part. This is one of the ways I can help take care of our guys over there in Iraq.

LAVENDERA: Since returning from Iraq, Hearing and Clark have been urging people to think hard before signing up.

STEPHEN HEERING, TRUCK DRIVER: Especially if you are going to drive up and down the roads in Iraq, really rethink it. Is the money really worth dying for? For Steve Heering and Stacy Clark, the answer to that question was simple.

Ed Lavendera, CNN, Houston.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HEMMER: In addition to this, Russia Wednesday announcing it was sending planes to Iraq to evacuate any of its citizens who wanted to leave. Some videotape now. Some of them did take up Russia on the offer today -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Well, Iraq, of course is a major issue in the presidential campaign, and syndicated columnist Arianna Huffington has some no-holds barred advice for both parties in the race for the White House. She was a political candidate, you'll remember, herself, not so long ago, running for governor in California's recall election. Her new book is called "Fanatics and Fools," the game plan for winning back America.

Arianna Huffington joins us this morning. Nice to see you.

ARIANNA HUFFINTON, AUTHOR, "FANATICS AND FOOLS": Great to see you.

O'BRIEN: "Fanatics and Fools," I like the title. Who are you talking about?

HUFFINGTON: Well, the fanatics are obviously those in the Bush administration who are reluctant and completely unwilling to look at any evidence, any facts that do not confirm the preconceived notions about what should be done. We saw that again and again about Iraq. We saw it again during the president's press conference, when he would not admit any need for course correcting. That's a definition of fanaticism, as I write about in the book.

O'BRIEN: Who is the fools?

HUFFINGTON: The fools are those in the Democratic leadership who went along, who enabled the fanatics, who went along with the resolution to go to war in Iraq, who went along with the multi- trillion-dollar tax cut. There was an uprising in the Democratic Party during the primary, and somehow, they got some spine, and now we see John Kerry sounding a very different note than Tom Daschle had sounded or Dick Gephardt during that period when somehow they wanted to be just Republican lite. And that doesn't work, because if they are just going to be Republican light, the public will always choose the original version.

O'BRIEN: In spite of calling some fanatics and some fools, you say you're going to support the Democrats in this year's presidential election. What do you think John Kerry needs to do to hone his message, or did you that think he's going to win as is?

HUFFINGTON: Well, what I am saying in the book is that he really needs to put forth a really bold, inspired vision for America, that deals both with what's happening domestically, with the need for us to become one nation again, and for a more internationalist policy abroad.

Last night, I heard him speak here in New York. And there was a very moving moment when they had a young African-American man, Michael Parker, talk about a program, called Youth Fill (ph), that has given him the skills to be able to deal with his life, to have a productive life, and he talked about his mother telling him yesterday, you'll be OK, and he broke down and cried. And this entire room of affluent successful New Yorkers stood up and gave him a standing ovation, and that recognition, that we are not doing enough for people like Michael Parker, who have a greater chance in this country to go to jail than to have a productive life is something that has to be part of the debate in November.

And if John Kerry succeeds, in making it a part of the debate and challenging the Bush version of reality, which is that somehow give tax cuts to the wealthy and all will be well, then he can win, not just in a squeaker, but a landslide. That's what I call the game plan for winning back America, and I also provide a 10-point contract with specific policies, and -- that he can offer to the American people.

O'BRIEN: Many people say that voters are going to look toward what's going on in Iraq right now. And what the president said in his news conference the other day was that what's happening in Iraq is ultimately going to make the world safer.

HUFFINGTON: It is very, very difficult to believe that. And it is very clear that al Qaeda has been strengthened by the invasion of Iraq, and there have been more deaths because of al Qaeda after September 11 than before. And it is very clear that it's been diverted from fighting the war on terror here at home because of this delusional pursuit of the invasion of Iraq, which is nothing but pure fanaticism, and the country has suffered because of it.

O'BRIEN: It's an interesting book. I bet you're going to send a copy off to John Kerry and his staff. Arianna Huffington, nice to see you. The book is called "Fanatics and Fools." Appreciate it -- Bill.

HUFFINGTON: Thank you.

HEMMER: Still to come, Soledad: pushing for reform inside the FBI: Will Robert Mueller's change make America safer? We'll talk about that.

Also, when does drinking alcohol turn dangerous? Dr. Sanjay Gupta today on how some social drinkers could be damaging their brains. Back in a moment after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: A glass of wine or two may be harmless, but a new study shows that heavy social drinking could be developing into a big problem.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta joins us with details.

Heavy social drinking sounds sort of oxymoronic. You are a heavy drinker or you're a social drinker, right?

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: I know. We're going to get into the distinctions, because everyone is going to look at the numbers of this, but this is something that people have been looking at for some time. These are people who drink. They are social. They also are high functioning. They have jobs, they have families, and they've never sought treatment for drinking problems. They don't see themselves as having a drinking problem.

Researchers at the University of California San Francisco decided to put it to the test, trying to figure out whether or not there are actually changes going on in the body that people didn't recognize, specifically the brain. Looking at a new imaging, trying to look at some of the specific chemicals within the brain and whether or not they were being altered. The chemical in particular they were looking at emacetil aspertate (ph), the name not that important, but what they found is that this slight chemical was actually decreased in people who were considered heavy social drinkers. That's basically what happens lower levels, and subsequently, decreased cognitive abilities. That's sort of a throwaway term. I asked the researcher yesterday specifically, what does that mean, cognitive abilities? Not able to restore and retrieve information as well, not able to or understand abstract concepts, such as time and money, and having poor understanding of the consequences of previous actions.

It's unclear how long these cognitive disabilities sort of last after someone stops drinking, but these are some new findings. These are heavy social drinkers.

O'BRIEN: So is that considered, the list of cognitive disabilities, I mean, is that someone just being foggy, or is that considered major, or even relatively major, brain damage.

GUPTA: You know, and brain damage is also one of those throwaway terms, but if you're talking about pretty high-functioning people, which these people are, carrying very good jobs, making good money, and you are starting have these subtle changes which may increase over time, it could lead to some more serious problems.

O'BRIEN: Do doctors delineate between a social drinker and an alcoholism, literally, specifically with the number of drinks you have?

GUPTA: You know, everyone likes numbers.

O'BRIEN: I do.

GUPTA: Yes, you like numbers. Everyone provides numbers, so they do give you those numbers. Light drinkers, for example, they do it per month, about 10 drinks per month, heavy drinkers, 100 to 200 drinks per month. This is for men. About 80 months per month for women, heavy social drinker. Alcoholism, 300 to 400 drinks per month. That's a lot of drinks.

But more importantly, what the researchers say, there's this questionnaire, and it's a very, very famous questionnaire in the world of alcoholism. It's called the "Cage Questionnaire." Have you tried to cut down on your drinking? Are you annoyed when people tell you that you drink too much. Do you feel guilty about you're drinking? Are you using alcohol as an eye opener? C-A-G-E, that's the questionnaire they also use to determine if someone's an alcoholic.

O'BRIEN: Interesting study. All right, Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Appreciate it. Thank you.

GUPTA: Thank you. You can't drink by the way, at all.

O'BRIEN: Thanks for reminding me.

HEMMER: She would love a martini, though.

O'BRIEN: Can I tell you, the minute I deliver these kids, it could be 2:00, 5:00 in the morning, I'll be there with a martini.

HEMMER: Stick around, Sanjay.

In a moment here, I know you've give us advice on Krispy Kreme donuts in the past. When you only have one Krispy Kreme in your state, things get sticky. Andy explains that, right after this. Also back with Jack in a moment, here on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: Here's Jack Cafferty yet again.

Good morning.

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Andy Serwer is here now playing with food, right, something you've always wanted to do on live, national TV.

ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Yes, I do want to do that. Let's talk about that. Let's also talk about advertising. Volatile times in the ad business, a lot of concerns that traditional print and TV ads aren't working. That's not true about AMERICAN MORNING, by the way, advertisers. It has worked just great here. There's a lot of viral marketing campaigns out there, people using the Internet, companies using the Internet and having wacky ad campaigns. We've got to show you this one, unbelievable. A new ad campaign from Burger King called subservientchicken.com. OK, yes, it is kinky. "The Wall Street Journal" said some people may find this disturbing. So if you have older folks around or younger children. No, it's not that disturbing; it's just silly. And, interesting, they rolled this thing out on April 7th, Jack. They only told 20 people about it, and they got 15 to 20 million hits, so this is the new face of advertising.

CAFFERTY: All the degenerates know the traditional porn sites. They are looking around for something new.

SERWER: I knew you'd have a pithy analysis of that. That's why we decided to do that.

O'BRIEN: I don't know where that came from.

SERWER: Well, yes, subservientchicken.com.

All right, you want to talk about doughnuts now?

CAFFERTY: Sure.

SERWER: Change in gears here.

CAFFERTY: Everyone knows Krispy Kreme has taken the world by storm. There's one store in Hawaii that opened up on January 27th, I believe, in Maui. OK, that's terrific, right? the problem is, Hawaiian Airlines are having a big problem. The reason, people are flying around the islands, they're going to Maui, buying the doughnuts and filling up the overhead compartments with boxes of Krispy Kreme.

Let me demonstrate, Soledad. They are taking the doughnuts and they're putting them up here, see, up above where you can't get them, Soledad. No, you can't get them.

O'BRIEN: Give me the doughnut.

Five to six of them they are stacking them up, this one police officer in Kuai (ph) bought them for his whole department. And look at these, these are a pernicious new varietial (ph). Look at that.

CAFFERTY: Glazed doughnut with chocolate frosting and sprinkles.

SERWER: Omayagi (ph), the Japanese term for bringing gifts. There's a lot of that going on on the Japanese island.

CAFFERTY: Well, that's part of the culture, sure, so that Krispy Kreme...

How long before they get another one to open up?

SERWER: I bet pretty soon.

The market is going to be flat this morning, even though we got some good stuff coming out of Apple, Citi and some other companies. Pepsi also has some pretty good earnings, too.

CAFFERTY: Fear of rising interest rates, so people...

SERWER: Yes, back and forth we go.

CAFFERTY: Thanks, Andy.

Time now for the Cafferty File. A couple of slice of life stories here in the Big Apple. We begin with a family of a Brooklyn man who had a heart attack and died while getting a parking ticket. His family is suing the city for $100 million. They say the traffic agent left the 61-year-old man without calling 911, and witnesses say as he walked away he said, just make sure he pays the ticket. And you thought New York was a cold, uncaring place. True story.

If you are thinking about moving to New York, bring your money, a lot of money. This is -- the average price of an apartment in Manhattan is up 28 percent. It now costs a million bucks for an apartment in Manhattan. That's the average price. This is a real estate survey by Douglass Edelman (ph). The boroughs ain't cheap either. You want to live in Brooklyn, $500,000. Queens, $350,000. The Bronx, about the same thing. Staten Island, where they have that huge landfill, still costs you $300,000 to get a apartment out there.

SERWER: You can commute fro Nevada. That'd be cheaper.

CAFFERTY: And remember the cross-dressing Texas politician? Republican Sam Wahls (ph), who was at one time the front-runner, lost the election Tuesday to a real estate developer Rob Orr (ph). Wahl's campaigned ended when the Texas House of Representative took a turn for the worse two weeks ago when pictures of him wearing women's clothing circulated.

There he is there.

Wahls had told reporters that his family had dealt with his cross dressing. However, apparently the voters just couldn't handle it.

One more item, if we can turn on the control room camera. Rene (ph), can you flip on that control room camera. Now stand up and turn around and wave to the folks. It's our director's birthday. There she is.

HEMMER: Happy birthday to you.

What's up, Rene.

O'BRIEN: She's 23.

SERWER: Again.

HEMMER: Nice stuff.

CAFFERTY: Happy birthday.

HEMMER: How was that doughnut? We got an hour to go.

In a moment here, we're going to get you to Baghdad. General Richard Meyers there, a surprise visit earlier in the week. A press conference said to get under way any moment. Also, in addition to that news, a tape from Osama bin Laden, offering a truce to some countries, vowing violence against others. We'll get back to that in a moment here. Top of the hour, on AMERICAN MORNING.

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