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CNN Live Today

White House Privacy; Kerry's Medals; Daily Dose; The Dirty Dozen; The New Europe

Aired April 27, 2004 - 11:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: We're getting more information now about the argument before the Supreme Court this morning over White House privacy. The case involves files from Vice President Cheney's energy policy task force.
Let's check in again with national correspondent Bob Franken at the Supreme Court.

Bob, good morning, once again.

BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, and the issue has to do fundamentally with a lawsuit by environmental groups and Judicial Watch, which is a judicial activist group, whether the vice president and the White House have to give documents concerning the makeup and advice that was put together by the energy task force amid charges that there may have been a conflict of interest because energy executives were involved in the discussions about that.

Now this is one of those cases where the justices are allowing the immediate release of the audio tapes of the argument, because there's such a fundamental constitutional question, the question that was outlined at the beginning of the proceedings by the administration's lawyer, the solicitor general, Ted Olson.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

THEODORE OLSON, SOLICITOR GENERAL: This is a case about the separation of powers. The Constitution explicitly commits to the president's discretion the authority to obtain the opinions of subordinates and to formulate recommendations for legislation. Congress may neither intrude on the president's ability to perform these functions, nor authorize private litigants to use the courts to do so.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FRANKEN: In other words, the courts have no role, no judicial review role here. It's a case almost as old -- an issue just about as old as the Supreme Court itself.

Is it intrusive? Well everybody was watching Justice Antonin Scalia, because of the controversy that had arisen about his refusal to recuse, that is to say to remove himself from the case, in spite of the fact that he had gone duck hunting with the vice president. Many people said that that gave a perception of being one-sided. His questioning was really as aggressive as usual on both sides. At one point he asked Olson, for the administration, why would this be intrusive, asking him skeptically. Olson said because it would create an unfair burden on the president or vice president, something they should not have to do.

Now on the other side, the Sierra Club, one of the people wanting -- one of the organizations wanting all these documents, their arguments were made inside the courthouse and out by attorney Alan Morrison.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALAN MORRISON, SIERRA CLUB ATTORNEY: Mr. Vice president, what are you hiding? I don't know what happened (INAUDIBLE) -- but I have a pretty good idea what happened. I'm sure that the industry people were there. They were specially there at the task force level. You don't have to vote on the final recommendations in order to have a major input. If you are there when they draft the documents, we can't expect busy secretaries to go and edit the reports that come up from the sub groups. That's where the key work is done. And if you can get your hand on doing the draft, you get your hands on the final product.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FRANKEN: And those comments point up, Daryn, that yes, this is a very fundamental constitutional question, the kind of thing that lawyers like to talk about, but it's also the type of thing that politicians like to talk about in an election year. And gee, this is an election year, isn't it?

KAGAN: And something tells me we'll be hearing more about it later from the campaign trail, also from the Supreme Court, more in the next hour. Our Bob Franken, thank you.

Speaking of that campaign trail, Democratic challenger John Kerry is on the stump in the Midwest this morning. He is trying to move past a controversy over his Vietnam War medals.

More now from our senior political correspondent Candy Crowley.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hit hard by job drain, West Virginia could be fertile ground for John Kerry's economic pitch, but Monday, the Senator was going over old ground.

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: That has nothing to do with this election whatsoever. And if these guys want to argue about Vietnam 35 years ago, let's go do it.

CROWLEY: 1971, Washington, D.C., Kerry, a decorated Vietnam vet, is part of a week-long protest culminating with vets tossing their medals over a capitol fence.

KERRY: In a real sense this administration forced us to return our medals. CROWLEY: In fact, Kerry returned his ribbons, not his medals.

KERRY: I didn't have them with me. It was very simple. And I threw some medals back that belonged to some folks who asked me to throw them back for them.

CROWLEY: It took several years for that to become clear, but the Senator says he never misled anyone into thinking differently.

And then "The New York Times" and ABC found this, an interview Kerry gave to local Washington station WRC shortly after the protest.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How many did you give back -- John?

KERRY: I gave back, I can't remember, six, seven, eight, nine medals.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well you were awarded the Bronze Star, a Silver Star and three Purple Hearts.

KERRY: Well above that...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right.

KERRY: ... I gave back medals.

CROWLEY: Faced with the newly discovered tape, Kerry shoved back.

KERRY: That this is a complete distraction by the Bush administration. It's their attack method. This is what they do. And it's coming from a president who can't even prove that he actually showed up for duty in the National Guard.

CROWLEY: It is the news media looking through the Kerry records, but Republicans are happy to stoke whatever is there.

KAREN HUGHES, BUSH ADVISOR: Now I can understand if, out of conscious, you take a principled stand and you would decide that you are so opposed to this that you would actually throw your medals. But to pretend to do so, I think that's very revealing.

CROWLEY: Kerry now says he never made any distinction between medals and ribbons and returning one is the same as the other.

Candy Crowley, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: We are going to get some health news in after the break. Dropping those pounds after pregnancy, it's a challenge that millions of women face. Up next, Dr. Sanjay Gupta takes a look at some new tactics as his week-long look at newborns continues.

And speaking of your baby, National Immunization Week is here. And coming up, we have a guest who will tell you why he believes it's more important than ever.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Losing weight after having a baby is the focus of our 'Daily Dose' of health news, part two of our series on newborns.

Medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta looks at some of the best ways for new moms to shed those pregnancy pounds.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good job, moms.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Losing weight. It's one of the hardest things to do after pregnancy. Most common question, how quickly can you get back to exercise?

Elaine Loyack runs a power strolling class in Raleigh, North Carolina.

ELAINE LOYACK, PRENATAL FITNESS INSTRUCTOR: It's a walk, not a run.

GUPTA: She won't accept women into her class without a note from their doctor, and not right away.

LOYACK: We like to see now moms after their six-week postpartum checkup.

GUPTA: Most moms gain an average of 30 pounds during pregnancy. Eighteen to 20 of that can usually be lost within a month of having the baby. It's those last 5 to 10 pounds that can be hard to get rid of.

Heidi Murkoff, author of "What to Expect in the First Year," counsels new moms to not expect miracles.

HEIDI MURKOFF, AUTHOR, "WHAT TO EXPECT THE FIRST YEAR": It took you nine months to gain that weight. It might take you at least nine months to take it off, so cut yourself some slack. Maybe just don't cut yourself another piece of cake.

GUPTA: Easter Maynard gained 40 pounds during her pregnancy. Six months later, she's lost 35 pounds. She has another inspiration.

EASTER MAYNARD, MOTHER OF NEWBORN: I love being able to workout with my kid. I know that I wouldn't do it if I didn't have the opportunity to bring her with me.

GUPTA: And that may be one of the best secrets of losing post- pregnancy weight: exercise with your baby. You're more likely to stick with it.

MURKOFF: Babies love being part of the action, and new moms definitely enjoy the camaraderie of being around other new moms. GUPTA: Other tips: start slow. Only simple exercises the first week or two. A slow walk can get blood flowing to help heal C-section incisions or other delivery damage.

LOYACK: It might also help mom deal with her baby blues.

GUPTA: No ab crunches. They might hurt you. Instead, focus on pelvic tilts, abdominal compressions and slow belly breathing to strengthen and tone your middle.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Take a drink of that water, mom.

GUPTA: Stay hydrated, especially if you are nursing, and eat sensibly. Strenuous dieting should be avoided.

MURKOFF: Because it can zap you of that energy you so desperately need during those early months of mothering.

GUPTA: More energy and more fit.

(on camera): It's also good to get outside. If your doctor gives you the OK, get some exercise, even during pregnancy. It will help reduce weight gain, make for a better delivery and help you snap back more quickly into shape after the birth of your child.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: Our special series on newborns continues throughout the week. Coming up tomorrow, postpartum depression and baby blues. On Thursday, we'll take a look at sleep training. And on Friday, handling multiples.

Also speaking of losing weight, we have a special author on with us tomorrow on this program at this hour, Frances Kuffel. She has written a fascinating book called "Passing for Thin." She lost half her body weight. She was well over 300 pounds, and she has written an emotional book, very insightful, about what it is like to completely change her life physically and spiritually. She will be with us this time tomorrow.

Parents of babies need to protect them from the dirty dozen, 12 common childhood illnesses that are preventable with immunizations. This week is National Infant Immunization Week.

Dr. Lou Cooper is past president of the American Academy of Pediatrics. He joins us from New York.

Dr. Cooper, good morning, thanks for being with us.

DR. LOU COOPER, PEDIATRICIAN: Good morning, Daryn, it's nice to be here.

KAGAN: So the list is up to 12. Quickly,...

COOPER: Yes.

KAGAN: ... what are the 12 we're trying to prevent in our children?

COOPER: Hepatitis B, diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, measles, mumps, rubella, haemophilus meningitis, varicella, oral and polio, pneumococcal disease, which is also meningitis, and now influenza.

KAGAN: Let's...

COOPER: I think...

KAGAN: Yes, let's talk about...

COOPER: I think I got them all.

KAGAN: ... flu. Yes, you did very well. Didn't mean to give you a pop quiz there, doctor. But let's talk about flu. How dangerous is it in children?

COOPER: Well what we've discovered was that infants and young children are hospitalized with flu at a rate even greater than our senior citizens, and everyone noticed the number of deaths, over 140 deaths, from influenza this year, in what was basically a mild flu year. So it's a serious condition. And we can prevent it. That's what's important.

KAGAN: You can prevent it if there's enough vaccines. But pediatricians put out this list and then parents have a problem sometimes getting the shots that doctors are telling them they must get for their kids.

COOPER: The issue of adequate vaccine supply is of great concern to all of us. Our federal government and the manufacturers are working hard to correct that. But we don't have any margin of safety, even now.

KAGAN: For many parents, the whole issue of immunizing their children has become controversial. And many people think we're over immunizing our kids. Take chicken pox, for example. Why must a child, except for the sake of convenience for the parents, why must a child be immunized against chicken pox? It's not a deadly disease.

COOPER: Well it's not a deadly disease for most children, but it is for a few, and that few is too many. Once you have seen a child with serious or fatal chicken pox, and when you have a vaccine that is absolutely safe, you want to prevent it. And that's why the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Public Health Service have made varicella, or chicken pox vaccine, universal for all children.

KAGAN: But when you are making that decision of what you recommend and what you don't recommend, how do you, in the bigger picture of things, balance -- of course you don't want any child to die, but you have a few children over here that are susceptible to it, versus exposing the entire population to immunizations? COOPER: That's the success we now enjoy. Do you realize that three million children around the world still die from vaccine- preventable diseases? And the happy circumstance we have in the United States reflects our public's acceptance of universal immunization for all our children.

KAGAN: Which is going to be why some parents are going to say well shoot, don't need it here, my kids aren't exposed to this here in the U.S. How do you convince those parents that they do need to immunize their children?

COOPER: Well we have ample evidence that this is a global society. And the outbreaks of measles that we've experienced within the last several months, not only in big towns like New York, but also in small towns, from importation because of all the travel mean you're only an airplane ride away from any of these diseases. We've not wiped them out.

The only one that's gone is smallpox. So the only way to maintain that safety is to continue to immunize the 11,000 children who are born every day in the United States. We're the envy of the rest of the world because of our record of immunization. And that's something we want to maintain.

KAGAN: And just real quickly, for parents who might have a concern, who don't want to do the whole list of 12, or just they want to be more educated about what kind of shots they are giving their children, what is the best way to get that information?

COOPER: Parents have an obligation to be informed about every medication their children receive. They should ask their pediatricians. And the pediatrician will explain why it's important to do.

KAGAN: And we're glad to have you with us here today. Dr. Lou Cooper, thank you.

COOPER: Thank you -- Daryn.

KAGAN: You can get more health news online. Log on to our Web site. You'll find the latest medical news, a health library and information on diet and fitness. The address, very easy, CNN.com/Health.

The times they are a changing in Europe. The European Union about to expand. Everyone is getting in on the party. We decided to do something a little bit different. We have sent Richard Quest in search of nightlife in the new Europe. And you're going to get a picture of that just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: On Saturday, the European Union expands to 25 nations. Eight former Soviet block allies are joining the club, among them, Lithuania.

We sent our Richard Quest to the capital to get the feel of the pulse of the new Europe.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RICHARD QUEST, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): There is no shortage of things to see in Vilnius. Churches by the dozen, galleries by the score.

(on camera): But there has to be more than old churches and museums. Where's today's Vilnius? I need help!

(voice-over): And help is at hand. Tatiana (ph), Gabia (ph) and Ernesto (ph), they'll open my eyes with a night on the town.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is a sky bar that I wanted to take you to. I like this place because this is the most beautiful spot that you can spend an evening of romance and also the city view that you can get is really one of the best views that you can ever get.

QUEST: This could be Paris, Madrid or Rome, and that's the point.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: To me this bar is a great metaphor to show the changes that happens in Lithuania, or especially in Vilnius for the last 14 years. Because if you walk in into this bar 14 years ago, you would find grumpy, gray faces, no smiles, no hellos. And today, you walk in, and you find smiling faces, people saying hello, this really great atmosphere, which is felt in the streets of Vilnius today.

QUEST: It's not everyone's vodka cocktail. How about something more earthy?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This bar is not so glamorous. It's underground bar where you can be yourself. Just be yourself.

QUEST: This bar, in a different way, also show hopes and dreams of young people in the new Europe.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People like to believe that they can be much higher or much better than they are now. And, you know, they will be able to improve themselves. Every day, they're going to be in the European Union, and I think this is a chance.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The chance to improve yourself, the chance to show -- to show the world that Lithuanians are also strong in arts, in music.

QUEST: After midnight, onwards and upwards. By now, our merry band has grown. We are the night out in Vilnius. This is the University Bar. No sign of a library here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are creative. We are -- we are quite cool in arts, in science, and we can be Europeans and we are Europeans, but we have some problems and we want, together with Europe, to work and, you know, to create something new and better. QUEST (on camera): By this time next week, the people I have been partying with tonight will be the new citizens of the European Union. And despite what the critics say, those that I've met show an enthusiasm and optimism for the union that, quite frankly, is infectious. They've gone on clubbing. I'm going to bed.

Richard Quest, CNN, Vilnius, Lithuania.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: I have my doubts on that one. I think Richard Quest went on clubbing that night.

Let's see what Susan Lisovicz thinks at the New York Stock Exchange.

Vilnius, have you ever been there?

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN FINANCIAL NEWS CORRESPONDENT: No, I haven't, but I know Richard Quest, and I agree with you...

KAGAN: Yes, I think he is still out clubbing as we speak.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

LISOVICZ: CNN LIVE TODAY will be back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Just enough time to check in on weather, which I bet will feature some of the sizzling temperatures on the West Coast -- Rob.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hi, Daryn.

(WEATHER REPORT)

KAGAN: That's going to do it for me, Daryn Kagan. I will see you right here tomorrow morning.

For now, Wolf Blitzer takes over from Washington, D.C.

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 27, 2004 - 11:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: We're getting more information now about the argument before the Supreme Court this morning over White House privacy. The case involves files from Vice President Cheney's energy policy task force.
Let's check in again with national correspondent Bob Franken at the Supreme Court.

Bob, good morning, once again.

BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, and the issue has to do fundamentally with a lawsuit by environmental groups and Judicial Watch, which is a judicial activist group, whether the vice president and the White House have to give documents concerning the makeup and advice that was put together by the energy task force amid charges that there may have been a conflict of interest because energy executives were involved in the discussions about that.

Now this is one of those cases where the justices are allowing the immediate release of the audio tapes of the argument, because there's such a fundamental constitutional question, the question that was outlined at the beginning of the proceedings by the administration's lawyer, the solicitor general, Ted Olson.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

THEODORE OLSON, SOLICITOR GENERAL: This is a case about the separation of powers. The Constitution explicitly commits to the president's discretion the authority to obtain the opinions of subordinates and to formulate recommendations for legislation. Congress may neither intrude on the president's ability to perform these functions, nor authorize private litigants to use the courts to do so.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FRANKEN: In other words, the courts have no role, no judicial review role here. It's a case almost as old -- an issue just about as old as the Supreme Court itself.

Is it intrusive? Well everybody was watching Justice Antonin Scalia, because of the controversy that had arisen about his refusal to recuse, that is to say to remove himself from the case, in spite of the fact that he had gone duck hunting with the vice president. Many people said that that gave a perception of being one-sided. His questioning was really as aggressive as usual on both sides. At one point he asked Olson, for the administration, why would this be intrusive, asking him skeptically. Olson said because it would create an unfair burden on the president or vice president, something they should not have to do.

Now on the other side, the Sierra Club, one of the people wanting -- one of the organizations wanting all these documents, their arguments were made inside the courthouse and out by attorney Alan Morrison.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALAN MORRISON, SIERRA CLUB ATTORNEY: Mr. Vice president, what are you hiding? I don't know what happened (INAUDIBLE) -- but I have a pretty good idea what happened. I'm sure that the industry people were there. They were specially there at the task force level. You don't have to vote on the final recommendations in order to have a major input. If you are there when they draft the documents, we can't expect busy secretaries to go and edit the reports that come up from the sub groups. That's where the key work is done. And if you can get your hand on doing the draft, you get your hands on the final product.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FRANKEN: And those comments point up, Daryn, that yes, this is a very fundamental constitutional question, the kind of thing that lawyers like to talk about, but it's also the type of thing that politicians like to talk about in an election year. And gee, this is an election year, isn't it?

KAGAN: And something tells me we'll be hearing more about it later from the campaign trail, also from the Supreme Court, more in the next hour. Our Bob Franken, thank you.

Speaking of that campaign trail, Democratic challenger John Kerry is on the stump in the Midwest this morning. He is trying to move past a controversy over his Vietnam War medals.

More now from our senior political correspondent Candy Crowley.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hit hard by job drain, West Virginia could be fertile ground for John Kerry's economic pitch, but Monday, the Senator was going over old ground.

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: That has nothing to do with this election whatsoever. And if these guys want to argue about Vietnam 35 years ago, let's go do it.

CROWLEY: 1971, Washington, D.C., Kerry, a decorated Vietnam vet, is part of a week-long protest culminating with vets tossing their medals over a capitol fence.

KERRY: In a real sense this administration forced us to return our medals. CROWLEY: In fact, Kerry returned his ribbons, not his medals.

KERRY: I didn't have them with me. It was very simple. And I threw some medals back that belonged to some folks who asked me to throw them back for them.

CROWLEY: It took several years for that to become clear, but the Senator says he never misled anyone into thinking differently.

And then "The New York Times" and ABC found this, an interview Kerry gave to local Washington station WRC shortly after the protest.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How many did you give back -- John?

KERRY: I gave back, I can't remember, six, seven, eight, nine medals.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well you were awarded the Bronze Star, a Silver Star and three Purple Hearts.

KERRY: Well above that...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right.

KERRY: ... I gave back medals.

CROWLEY: Faced with the newly discovered tape, Kerry shoved back.

KERRY: That this is a complete distraction by the Bush administration. It's their attack method. This is what they do. And it's coming from a president who can't even prove that he actually showed up for duty in the National Guard.

CROWLEY: It is the news media looking through the Kerry records, but Republicans are happy to stoke whatever is there.

KAREN HUGHES, BUSH ADVISOR: Now I can understand if, out of conscious, you take a principled stand and you would decide that you are so opposed to this that you would actually throw your medals. But to pretend to do so, I think that's very revealing.

CROWLEY: Kerry now says he never made any distinction between medals and ribbons and returning one is the same as the other.

Candy Crowley, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: We are going to get some health news in after the break. Dropping those pounds after pregnancy, it's a challenge that millions of women face. Up next, Dr. Sanjay Gupta takes a look at some new tactics as his week-long look at newborns continues.

And speaking of your baby, National Immunization Week is here. And coming up, we have a guest who will tell you why he believes it's more important than ever.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Losing weight after having a baby is the focus of our 'Daily Dose' of health news, part two of our series on newborns.

Medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta looks at some of the best ways for new moms to shed those pregnancy pounds.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good job, moms.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Losing weight. It's one of the hardest things to do after pregnancy. Most common question, how quickly can you get back to exercise?

Elaine Loyack runs a power strolling class in Raleigh, North Carolina.

ELAINE LOYACK, PRENATAL FITNESS INSTRUCTOR: It's a walk, not a run.

GUPTA: She won't accept women into her class without a note from their doctor, and not right away.

LOYACK: We like to see now moms after their six-week postpartum checkup.

GUPTA: Most moms gain an average of 30 pounds during pregnancy. Eighteen to 20 of that can usually be lost within a month of having the baby. It's those last 5 to 10 pounds that can be hard to get rid of.

Heidi Murkoff, author of "What to Expect in the First Year," counsels new moms to not expect miracles.

HEIDI MURKOFF, AUTHOR, "WHAT TO EXPECT THE FIRST YEAR": It took you nine months to gain that weight. It might take you at least nine months to take it off, so cut yourself some slack. Maybe just don't cut yourself another piece of cake.

GUPTA: Easter Maynard gained 40 pounds during her pregnancy. Six months later, she's lost 35 pounds. She has another inspiration.

EASTER MAYNARD, MOTHER OF NEWBORN: I love being able to workout with my kid. I know that I wouldn't do it if I didn't have the opportunity to bring her with me.

GUPTA: And that may be one of the best secrets of losing post- pregnancy weight: exercise with your baby. You're more likely to stick with it.

MURKOFF: Babies love being part of the action, and new moms definitely enjoy the camaraderie of being around other new moms. GUPTA: Other tips: start slow. Only simple exercises the first week or two. A slow walk can get blood flowing to help heal C-section incisions or other delivery damage.

LOYACK: It might also help mom deal with her baby blues.

GUPTA: No ab crunches. They might hurt you. Instead, focus on pelvic tilts, abdominal compressions and slow belly breathing to strengthen and tone your middle.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Take a drink of that water, mom.

GUPTA: Stay hydrated, especially if you are nursing, and eat sensibly. Strenuous dieting should be avoided.

MURKOFF: Because it can zap you of that energy you so desperately need during those early months of mothering.

GUPTA: More energy and more fit.

(on camera): It's also good to get outside. If your doctor gives you the OK, get some exercise, even during pregnancy. It will help reduce weight gain, make for a better delivery and help you snap back more quickly into shape after the birth of your child.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: Our special series on newborns continues throughout the week. Coming up tomorrow, postpartum depression and baby blues. On Thursday, we'll take a look at sleep training. And on Friday, handling multiples.

Also speaking of losing weight, we have a special author on with us tomorrow on this program at this hour, Frances Kuffel. She has written a fascinating book called "Passing for Thin." She lost half her body weight. She was well over 300 pounds, and she has written an emotional book, very insightful, about what it is like to completely change her life physically and spiritually. She will be with us this time tomorrow.

Parents of babies need to protect them from the dirty dozen, 12 common childhood illnesses that are preventable with immunizations. This week is National Infant Immunization Week.

Dr. Lou Cooper is past president of the American Academy of Pediatrics. He joins us from New York.

Dr. Cooper, good morning, thanks for being with us.

DR. LOU COOPER, PEDIATRICIAN: Good morning, Daryn, it's nice to be here.

KAGAN: So the list is up to 12. Quickly,...

COOPER: Yes.

KAGAN: ... what are the 12 we're trying to prevent in our children?

COOPER: Hepatitis B, diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, measles, mumps, rubella, haemophilus meningitis, varicella, oral and polio, pneumococcal disease, which is also meningitis, and now influenza.

KAGAN: Let's...

COOPER: I think...

KAGAN: Yes, let's talk about...

COOPER: I think I got them all.

KAGAN: ... flu. Yes, you did very well. Didn't mean to give you a pop quiz there, doctor. But let's talk about flu. How dangerous is it in children?

COOPER: Well what we've discovered was that infants and young children are hospitalized with flu at a rate even greater than our senior citizens, and everyone noticed the number of deaths, over 140 deaths, from influenza this year, in what was basically a mild flu year. So it's a serious condition. And we can prevent it. That's what's important.

KAGAN: You can prevent it if there's enough vaccines. But pediatricians put out this list and then parents have a problem sometimes getting the shots that doctors are telling them they must get for their kids.

COOPER: The issue of adequate vaccine supply is of great concern to all of us. Our federal government and the manufacturers are working hard to correct that. But we don't have any margin of safety, even now.

KAGAN: For many parents, the whole issue of immunizing their children has become controversial. And many people think we're over immunizing our kids. Take chicken pox, for example. Why must a child, except for the sake of convenience for the parents, why must a child be immunized against chicken pox? It's not a deadly disease.

COOPER: Well it's not a deadly disease for most children, but it is for a few, and that few is too many. Once you have seen a child with serious or fatal chicken pox, and when you have a vaccine that is absolutely safe, you want to prevent it. And that's why the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Public Health Service have made varicella, or chicken pox vaccine, universal for all children.

KAGAN: But when you are making that decision of what you recommend and what you don't recommend, how do you, in the bigger picture of things, balance -- of course you don't want any child to die, but you have a few children over here that are susceptible to it, versus exposing the entire population to immunizations? COOPER: That's the success we now enjoy. Do you realize that three million children around the world still die from vaccine- preventable diseases? And the happy circumstance we have in the United States reflects our public's acceptance of universal immunization for all our children.

KAGAN: Which is going to be why some parents are going to say well shoot, don't need it here, my kids aren't exposed to this here in the U.S. How do you convince those parents that they do need to immunize their children?

COOPER: Well we have ample evidence that this is a global society. And the outbreaks of measles that we've experienced within the last several months, not only in big towns like New York, but also in small towns, from importation because of all the travel mean you're only an airplane ride away from any of these diseases. We've not wiped them out.

The only one that's gone is smallpox. So the only way to maintain that safety is to continue to immunize the 11,000 children who are born every day in the United States. We're the envy of the rest of the world because of our record of immunization. And that's something we want to maintain.

KAGAN: And just real quickly, for parents who might have a concern, who don't want to do the whole list of 12, or just they want to be more educated about what kind of shots they are giving their children, what is the best way to get that information?

COOPER: Parents have an obligation to be informed about every medication their children receive. They should ask their pediatricians. And the pediatrician will explain why it's important to do.

KAGAN: And we're glad to have you with us here today. Dr. Lou Cooper, thank you.

COOPER: Thank you -- Daryn.

KAGAN: You can get more health news online. Log on to our Web site. You'll find the latest medical news, a health library and information on diet and fitness. The address, very easy, CNN.com/Health.

The times they are a changing in Europe. The European Union about to expand. Everyone is getting in on the party. We decided to do something a little bit different. We have sent Richard Quest in search of nightlife in the new Europe. And you're going to get a picture of that just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: On Saturday, the European Union expands to 25 nations. Eight former Soviet block allies are joining the club, among them, Lithuania.

We sent our Richard Quest to the capital to get the feel of the pulse of the new Europe.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RICHARD QUEST, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): There is no shortage of things to see in Vilnius. Churches by the dozen, galleries by the score.

(on camera): But there has to be more than old churches and museums. Where's today's Vilnius? I need help!

(voice-over): And help is at hand. Tatiana (ph), Gabia (ph) and Ernesto (ph), they'll open my eyes with a night on the town.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is a sky bar that I wanted to take you to. I like this place because this is the most beautiful spot that you can spend an evening of romance and also the city view that you can get is really one of the best views that you can ever get.

QUEST: This could be Paris, Madrid or Rome, and that's the point.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: To me this bar is a great metaphor to show the changes that happens in Lithuania, or especially in Vilnius for the last 14 years. Because if you walk in into this bar 14 years ago, you would find grumpy, gray faces, no smiles, no hellos. And today, you walk in, and you find smiling faces, people saying hello, this really great atmosphere, which is felt in the streets of Vilnius today.

QUEST: It's not everyone's vodka cocktail. How about something more earthy?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This bar is not so glamorous. It's underground bar where you can be yourself. Just be yourself.

QUEST: This bar, in a different way, also show hopes and dreams of young people in the new Europe.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People like to believe that they can be much higher or much better than they are now. And, you know, they will be able to improve themselves. Every day, they're going to be in the European Union, and I think this is a chance.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The chance to improve yourself, the chance to show -- to show the world that Lithuanians are also strong in arts, in music.

QUEST: After midnight, onwards and upwards. By now, our merry band has grown. We are the night out in Vilnius. This is the University Bar. No sign of a library here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are creative. We are -- we are quite cool in arts, in science, and we can be Europeans and we are Europeans, but we have some problems and we want, together with Europe, to work and, you know, to create something new and better. QUEST (on camera): By this time next week, the people I have been partying with tonight will be the new citizens of the European Union. And despite what the critics say, those that I've met show an enthusiasm and optimism for the union that, quite frankly, is infectious. They've gone on clubbing. I'm going to bed.

Richard Quest, CNN, Vilnius, Lithuania.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: I have my doubts on that one. I think Richard Quest went on clubbing that night.

Let's see what Susan Lisovicz thinks at the New York Stock Exchange.

Vilnius, have you ever been there?

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN FINANCIAL NEWS CORRESPONDENT: No, I haven't, but I know Richard Quest, and I agree with you...

KAGAN: Yes, I think he is still out clubbing as we speak.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

LISOVICZ: CNN LIVE TODAY will be back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Just enough time to check in on weather, which I bet will feature some of the sizzling temperatures on the West Coast -- Rob.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hi, Daryn.

(WEATHER REPORT)

KAGAN: That's going to do it for me, Daryn Kagan. I will see you right here tomorrow morning.

For now, Wolf Blitzer takes over from Washington, D.C.

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