Return to Transcripts main page

American Morning

New Poll Shines Light on How Some Iraqis Feel About Situation; 'Paging Dr. Gupta'

Aired April 29, 2004 - 08:30   ET

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

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


SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. Welcome back, everybody. It is just about half past the hour on this AMERICAN MORNING. There is a plan in the works to turn over military operations in Fallujah to Iraqi forces. That's being batted around apparently. We're going to take a look at that in the context of a new poll that shows most Iraqis are fed up with the U.S. occupation, when talk to a reporter with "The Chicago Tribune," who is in Baghdad this morning.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Also, our series continues today, part four with Sanjay on newborns, looking today at how to get babies to sleep through the night, and some mistakes that new parents often make. We'll get to that.

O'BRIEN: Oh, there are so many mistakes.

HEMMER: You actually probably should give the advice at this point, right? You've probably mastered it.

O'BRIEN: You know what, ear plugs. Put them down, let them cry. But I'm not sure that Dr. Gupta will agree with my nonprofessional advice.

Let's get to our top stories this morning. The GDP numbers are just in, and this is what they show, the U.S. economy growing steadily, but a little bit weaker than expected. Andy Serwer is going to join us in just about 20 minutes. We're that the economy expanded about 4.2 percent in the first quarter, January through March. So a little analysis on that from Andy in just a few moments.

Senior military officials in Iraq dismissing reports that a peace deal has been reach. An official says U.S. and Iraqi forces are discussing increasing the Iraqi security presence in the area. But at this point there are no definitive plans for U.S. pullback. President Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney will meet this morning with the panel investigating the September 11th terrorist attacks. White House officials expect the closed-door session to last about two hours. All 10 members of the commission are expected to be on hand for the meeting, which takes place in the Oval Office.

A former nurse in New Jersey expected to plead guilty today to more than a dozen counts of murder. Charles Cullen is accused of killing as many as 40 patients in hospitals and in nursing homes in New Jersey and in Pennsylvania by giving them overdoses of a heart medication. Authorities say in exchange for his cooperation, Cullen will not face the death penalty. And more than half of Americans live in areas with hazardous smog levels. That is the word in a new American Lung Association study. The top 10 worst polluted counties in the nation are mostly in California. Los Angeles County had the worst ozone pollution for the fifth year in a row. Houston ranks fifth. Knoxville, Tennessee is ranked ninth.

HEMMER: New York is not on the list.

O'BRIEN: Oh, that's...

HEMMER: A prideful day here in Manhattan. And look at this scene right here. Remember earlier, I mentioned it's a Willie Nelson kind of day?

O'BRIEN: How can I forget.

HEMMER: This is the evidence, Soledad, blue skies.

O'BRIEN: I hear you. I know the song. It just -- here in New York City, we wouldn't call it that.

HEMMER: Nothing but blue skies.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HEMMER: An extensive new CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll shining a light on how some Iraqis are feeling these days about the situation in their country and about U.S. troops there.

Judy Woodruff now, the results on those numbers.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Even before violence exploded in Fallujah, before Iraqi insurgents murdered four American civilians and before the U.S. military launched its counterattack, even before all that, the majority of Iraqis felt the American occupation was bad news.

A CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll of Iraqis, conducted just before the latest wave of attacks, shows 52 percent found the U.S. military offensive unjustified, compared to 31 percent who felt the opposite.

That said, Iraqis don't have a lot of love for the guy who is gone. More than three quarters gave Saddam Hussein a thumbs down. And 61 percent declared his ouster worth the hardship they've endured since.

But now that Saddam has left, Iraqis want the U.S. to leave, too. 57 percent of those polled said the troops should ship out immediately. Though more than half believe they'd be less safe if that were to happen.

Iraqis said they had little use for the U.S. commander in chief. More than half said they had an unfavorable opinion of President Bush. 24 percent had a favorable opinion. 17 percent called themselves neutral.

And guess what? They thought U.S. opinion could be on their side. Only about one in three Iraqis believe that most Americans support the administration's Iraq policy.

Judy Woodruff, CNN, reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HEMMER: "Chicago Tribune" reporter Christine Spolar now live in our Baghdad bureau, talking more about these numbers and also what we're hearing out of Fallujah.

Christine, thanks for your time, live from the Iraqi capital.

And let's get back to the poll numbers in a moment here. What can you add, though, on the reporting that we're getting out of Fallujah that says a deal has been reached, and other U.S. commanders saying not so fast, We're not that far just yet?

CHRISTINE SPOLAR, REPORTER, "CHICAGO TRIBUNE": Well, it's interesting. But I -- just from experience here, I find that kind of quick agreement just hard to believe. We did know this morning, we were told that a committee of sheikhs had gone into Fallujah and planned a series of meetings today in Fallujah to talk with insurgents and to talk to leaders there, with the sheikhs seeming to have tribal ties and some military of their own, or militia, if you will, of their own that could perhaps persuade some people.

I just find it hard to believe they could in to this kind of quick decision, and clearly the military is indicating that is not happening.

HEMMER: Listen, we're trying to gather more information about what's happening there, and it may be a process that goes well into the day here, and even beyond into the weekend.

Back to the poll numbers though. The opinion the Iraqis have in this survey about how they feel about U.S. troops. On the screen, we can show our viewers, last spring, 43 percent to 43 occupiers versus liberators. But clearly, a year later now, 71 percent view the forces there as occupiers. How do they become effective if this is the view of the majority, according to these surveys?

SPOLAR: Well, that's really the challenge for the military now, which will be here for months after the turnover of sovereignty. And it's really a very big problem for the Iraqi Governing Council. Still leading into that turnover of sovereignty, but how do they get people to believe they have the best at heart for them?

This is a difficult situation. I think that what the Americans tried to do was get a lot of those Iraqi leaders out into the community to try to persuade them. But what's happened here is that the pictures of people at the hands of some American soldiers; what they see on TV is very powerful. They are watching Arab satellite TV, because they understand Arab satellite TV, not Western shows that are showing different images. So the images have been very convincing to the Iraqis in their communities.

HEMMER: Christine, I've read a number of your reports here about how you feel about this handover and how it may or may not go over. You consistently say the plan that you can figure out is right now completely vague, "all so vague" are some of the words you've used. Why is it that way? And what is your understanding, whether it's the end of May or the end June, as to who gets control of that country.

SPOLAR: Well, the issue is here not how vague it is. It's that when we've asked for details, and specifically Iraqi reporters, too, asking for details, trying to inform people about the turnover, the details just aren't there. What had been signed as an agreement on November 15th, and then a transitional constitution later on, none of the parts seem to be in place. And people here are just trying to figure out, OK, who chooses the president? Who choose the vice president and the prime minister, and will there, in fact, be a consultative part body afterwards? It's just not clear. Iraqis themselves on the Governing Council are asking, where is my role in this? They've heard through press reports that they will be dissolved. Some of them are very supportive of that, but on the other hand, they are trying to figure out, well, who picks the next crew.

HEMMER: Christine, thanks. Christine Spolar, "Chicago Tribune" there in Baghdad. Thanks for your thoughts today.

Also, you can read more about the Iraqi poll results on our Web site, CNN.com. In fact, it's there for you right now -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Remember this story out of Florida. A schoolteacher there now has been charged in the hit-and-run deaths of two young brothers. Jennifer Porter was charged with leaving the scene of a deadly accident. She stepped forward almost a month ago to apologize, and she was released on bail. She could face up to 15 years behind bars if she is convicted. Three-3-year-old Durante Caldwell (ph) and his 13-year-old brother, Bryant Wilkins (ph), were killed in that accident.

HEMMER: In a moment here on AMERICAN MORNING, Andy joins us. New figures on the economy. Is it finally on the upswing? We'll check in with him on that.

Also today from the White House, it's historic, but there will be no official record as the president and the vice president head before that commission. Live from the White House, top of the hour on that story.

O'BRIEN: Plus, getting your newborn to sleep through the night. It's not easy. Dr. Sanjay Gupta is going to join us with some ways to get babies on a regular sleep schedule. It's all part of our newborn series, and it continues in just a moment. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: In today's installment of our weeklong series on newborns, we take another look at a challenge that's facing parents: getting that baby to sleep through the night. Dr. Sanjay Gupta join us with more.

Good morning.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.

Are we teaching you anything?

O'BRIEN: You know, I find it fascinating. I want to know how you got your baby to sleep through the night.

GUPTA: I'll tell you about that after the show.

O'BRIEN: I give you a hard time like I give my obstetrician? I'm like, really? Tell me how you lost the baby weight, doctor.

GUPTA: Sleep training for both baby and parents, one of the most challenging things. We've gone to a lot of experts and gotten lots of opinions. This is what we came up with.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How is his sleep going now?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He sleeps five hours a night.

GUPTA (voice-over): As a children's sleep specialist, Dr. Gary Montgomery hears lots of stories about babies and sleep patterns. Studies show 25 percent of young children experience some kind of sleep problem. Newborn infants need to sleep an average of 16 to 17 hours a day, but may only sleep one to two hours at a time. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, at three to four months of age, your baby should be sleeping through the night, and definitely by 6 to 7 months old.

HEIDI MURKOFF, AUTHOR, "WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU'RE EXPECTING": By the time most babies are six months old, if they're full term, they are physically capable of sleeping through the night. Whether they do or not is pretty much up to their parents.

GUPTA: Kathy Wesle's (ph) son, Jonathan, had trouble getting to sleep on his own when he was a baby.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He still didn't want to go to sleep by himself. He still wanted me there.

GUPTA: What's the number one lesson Kathy had to learn?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: After you give them feedings, you put them in the crib awake, but drowsy so they learn to fall asleep on their own.

GUPTA: Other sleep-training tips. Don't let your infant sleep too long during the day. Shorten naps, and they'll sleep longer at night. Take advantage of natural circadian rhythms. Give the baby some sunlight during the day, and don't let them get overtired before you put them to bed. Avoid putting your baby to bed with the pacifier. He may get used to and have trouble sleeping without it.

Begin to delay your reaction to fussing at 4 to 6 months of age. Wait a few minutes to see if your baby will settle himself. If he doesn't, pat or console, but try not to pick him up. Most important, be consistent. Use the same routine for naps, bedtime and awakenings in the middle of the night.

DR. GARY MONTGOMERY, CHILDREN'S SLEEP SPECIALIST: The baby has to see the same thing done each night to really learn that this is the routine. And if they're consistent, the baby can learn new habits in anywhere from 3 to 7 nights. It can be solved fast.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GUPTA: So peaceful to see them sleeping. It's hard to recognize sometimes when your baby is sleeping. They're not always going to yawn. Sometimes they may be rubbing at their. Sometimes they may be rubbing their eyes, they mat be scratching at their ears or pulling or something like that. So you've seen this before. It can be difficult.

O'BRIEN: The best time is when the baby suddenly falls asleep. You're like, I'm free, I can go to sleep, or take a shower, how about that.

Let's talk about co-sleeping, because you didn't mention in there some parents decide to co-sleep with their babies, and there are some issues there, too.

GUPTA: It's a very personal decision. We talked to a lot of experts about this, whether or not you have the baby in the bed with you. The bottom line is really the best tips are that safety becomes the most important issue here with regards to overall co-sleeping.

One of the things, these co-sleeping bassinets, bassinets that you can actually attach to the bed, one of the best things that we saw actually. The baby is right there, but it's not going to be potentially hurt by any of the loose fitting bedding, or big pillows or anything that can be of great concern to a child in terms of possibly suffocation or something else disastrous.

O'BRIEN: No one is going to roll over on the baby.

GUPTA: Exactly, right.

O'BRIEN: People who do that, I have to say, my sisters who did that found when they're nursing that actually it's really great to have the baby to co-sleep, because then you can just nurse them, put them right back.

GUPTA: Yes, and one of the things we heard as well, if you're going to choose to do this, sort of understand why you're doing it. If it's because you can't get the baby to sleep in another bed, that's probably not the best reason to do it. But if it's a practical reason, like the nursing, or something like that, it's probably going to be a better reason. Again, both mom and dad have to be on board with this. Important if mom and dad all around, both of them on board, and that you're co-sleeping for the right reason.

O'BRIEN: Yes, interesting. Good advice. I'd never do that. I just can't. I need my sleep.

GUPTA: You furburized (ph)?

O'BRIEN: We furburized . It's horrible, worked well, but it's...

GUPTA: Lots of crying.

O'BRIEN: A couple of days of really bad, bad, bad. You're very hormonal, too. So they're crying, you're crying. I'm so exciting to relive all of this in about four months. Thanks, Sanjay.

GUPTA: And tomorrow multiples.

Heidi Murkoff, who we've been seeing, is going to be here as well tomorrow.

O'BRIEN: Oh, terrific, great. Oh good, because I need a ton of help on that. You can come to my house and help me babysit.

GUPTA: Absolutely, I'd be happy to.

O'BRIEN: Oh, you lie, but thank you, Sanjay -- Bill.

HEMMER: You need to temper your enthusiasm over there, partner.

In a moment here, the Army wants some of its big guns back. You won't believe who's got them and what they are doing with them. Back in a moment, after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: All right, welcome back.

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Got some new numbers out on the economy, and the Army wants its howitzers back.

Andy Serwer's "Minding Your Business."

ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Bring back my guns, yes.

Let's go through these economic numbers, because we've got a raft of them this morning.

First of all, the economy grew at 4.2 percent in the first quarter. That is less than expected. Economists were looking for 5 percent. Slightly disappointing, but nothing to tear your hair out about, Jack.

CAFFERTY: That's good, because I don't have much left to tear out.

SERWER: I gave that to you. CAFFERTY: A little slow.

SERWER: What's interesting, though, is this inflation number that also came out at the same time. It's called the personal consumption expenditures. PCE for those of you who care. Alan Greenspan looks at this carefully, and it shows inflation rearing its ugly head, significantly, I think you can say.

Also jobless claims declined, which is also inflationary. Bottom line here is I think that we are going to be seeing higher interest rates, I've said this before, and I really think we'll be seeing this, probably in the summer.

CAFFERTY: Sooner rather than later based on this kind of inflation.

Now out there in Reno, Nevada, when I was a youngster, I used to actually watch them use these howitzers to artificially trigger avalanches before they might come down the mountain accidentally and kill somebody. It's pretty interested stuff. Now these guys want the guns back? They spend $500 billion a year on defense, and they got to go take these guns out of the...

SERWER: Yes, it's pretty amazing actually. The Pentagon lends these howitzers, Jack, to ski resorts out West to blow out snow, so it doesn't -- to prevent an avalanche. Look at this.

CAFFERTY: It's pretty cool to watch.

SERWER: Boom! Boom! Look at that, rolling down the mountain.

OK, there are five howitzers that Alpine Meadows and Mammoth Mountain, which are in the Sierra Nevadas over on the California side, near Lake Tahoe, and then 100 miles south, I believe, Mammoth, you were telling me. out near lake Tahoe.

There are five howitzers. Now the government wants them back to use in Iraq and Afghanistan. I mean, are we constrained here in terms of supply of weaponry? I mean...

CAFFERTY: We're out of slingshots?

I mean, these things date back to the Civil War, the ones I can remember.

SERWER: These are a little newer, these 119-As apparently. But still, it's kind of disturbing, I think, that they have to ask the ski resort people for guns back. I guess they just don't have enough.

CAFFERTY: All right, on to "The Cafferty File." Things people said which we usually do on Wednesday. Because of breaking news, we put it off until today. Things people said that got our attention.

"I just got out of prison, so I really need a break." This would be Bobby Brown, the singer and husband of Whitney Houston, on vacation down in the Bahamas. His wife, Whitney, just got out of rehab. Brown just got out of jail, and they're having a little family reunion. It's an interesting group.

SERWER: Nice.

CAFFERTY: Yes.

"There's not going to be no wardrobe malfunction this evening. There's not supposed to be, it's not planned, but as tight as my clothes are, there's no telling what will happen. And If it does happen, I'm going to wipe out the first three rows." That would be Dolly Parton, at the Country Music Television Flame Worthy Video Music Awards down in Nashville, Tennessee, of course referring to that...

SERWER: Someone's got a sense of humor.

CAFFERTY: She's great. She's terrific.

"It could have been worse. Pete could have been identified as John Kerry." Cinnamon Watson, spokesman for Colorado Senate candidate Pete Coors. "The New York Times" identified Pete Coors as a member of the Ku Klux Klan and a murderer. "The Times" later published a correction.

SERWER: I saw that. They had a little picture. They said the news story, and they Pete Coors next to it. It was unbelievable.

CAFFERTY: That's pretty funny, they could have called him John Kerry.

Here's another John Kerry one: "The family has it. I don't have it." Presidential candidate John Kerry, who says he doesn't own an SUV. He was answering a question about the Chevrolet Suburban he was seen riding around in. He says it belongs to his wife. Come on.

"I have put a lot of people through a lot of needless angst and concern about this when I should have definitely rechecked my luggage." Indiana Representative John Hostetler, being detained after he tried to carry a loaded 9 millimeter handgun onto an airplane, qualifying him as the idiot of the week here on AMERICAN MORNING.

O'BRIEN: We have a winner.

CAFFERTY: Hello, yes.

SERWER: Very high bar there, too.

CAFFERTY: Oh, man.

SERWER: That's really unbelievable.

CAFFERTY: I'm glad we got those in, because that was a decent batch.

O'BRIEN: Absolutely. Better than decent. Very good batch. I liked it. Thanks, Jack.

Still to come this morning, it's been a costly day for U.S. forces in Iraq, even amid talk of a possible peace deal. We've got details on that just ahead, as AMERICAN MORNING continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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 29, 2004 - 08:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. Welcome back, everybody. It is just about half past the hour on this AMERICAN MORNING. There is a plan in the works to turn over military operations in Fallujah to Iraqi forces. That's being batted around apparently. We're going to take a look at that in the context of a new poll that shows most Iraqis are fed up with the U.S. occupation, when talk to a reporter with "The Chicago Tribune," who is in Baghdad this morning.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Also, our series continues today, part four with Sanjay on newborns, looking today at how to get babies to sleep through the night, and some mistakes that new parents often make. We'll get to that.

O'BRIEN: Oh, there are so many mistakes.

HEMMER: You actually probably should give the advice at this point, right? You've probably mastered it.

O'BRIEN: You know what, ear plugs. Put them down, let them cry. But I'm not sure that Dr. Gupta will agree with my nonprofessional advice.

Let's get to our top stories this morning. The GDP numbers are just in, and this is what they show, the U.S. economy growing steadily, but a little bit weaker than expected. Andy Serwer is going to join us in just about 20 minutes. We're that the economy expanded about 4.2 percent in the first quarter, January through March. So a little analysis on that from Andy in just a few moments.

Senior military officials in Iraq dismissing reports that a peace deal has been reach. An official says U.S. and Iraqi forces are discussing increasing the Iraqi security presence in the area. But at this point there are no definitive plans for U.S. pullback. President Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney will meet this morning with the panel investigating the September 11th terrorist attacks. White House officials expect the closed-door session to last about two hours. All 10 members of the commission are expected to be on hand for the meeting, which takes place in the Oval Office.

A former nurse in New Jersey expected to plead guilty today to more than a dozen counts of murder. Charles Cullen is accused of killing as many as 40 patients in hospitals and in nursing homes in New Jersey and in Pennsylvania by giving them overdoses of a heart medication. Authorities say in exchange for his cooperation, Cullen will not face the death penalty. And more than half of Americans live in areas with hazardous smog levels. That is the word in a new American Lung Association study. The top 10 worst polluted counties in the nation are mostly in California. Los Angeles County had the worst ozone pollution for the fifth year in a row. Houston ranks fifth. Knoxville, Tennessee is ranked ninth.

HEMMER: New York is not on the list.

O'BRIEN: Oh, that's...

HEMMER: A prideful day here in Manhattan. And look at this scene right here. Remember earlier, I mentioned it's a Willie Nelson kind of day?

O'BRIEN: How can I forget.

HEMMER: This is the evidence, Soledad, blue skies.

O'BRIEN: I hear you. I know the song. It just -- here in New York City, we wouldn't call it that.

HEMMER: Nothing but blue skies.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HEMMER: An extensive new CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll shining a light on how some Iraqis are feeling these days about the situation in their country and about U.S. troops there.

Judy Woodruff now, the results on those numbers.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Even before violence exploded in Fallujah, before Iraqi insurgents murdered four American civilians and before the U.S. military launched its counterattack, even before all that, the majority of Iraqis felt the American occupation was bad news.

A CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll of Iraqis, conducted just before the latest wave of attacks, shows 52 percent found the U.S. military offensive unjustified, compared to 31 percent who felt the opposite.

That said, Iraqis don't have a lot of love for the guy who is gone. More than three quarters gave Saddam Hussein a thumbs down. And 61 percent declared his ouster worth the hardship they've endured since.

But now that Saddam has left, Iraqis want the U.S. to leave, too. 57 percent of those polled said the troops should ship out immediately. Though more than half believe they'd be less safe if that were to happen.

Iraqis said they had little use for the U.S. commander in chief. More than half said they had an unfavorable opinion of President Bush. 24 percent had a favorable opinion. 17 percent called themselves neutral.

And guess what? They thought U.S. opinion could be on their side. Only about one in three Iraqis believe that most Americans support the administration's Iraq policy.

Judy Woodruff, CNN, reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HEMMER: "Chicago Tribune" reporter Christine Spolar now live in our Baghdad bureau, talking more about these numbers and also what we're hearing out of Fallujah.

Christine, thanks for your time, live from the Iraqi capital.

And let's get back to the poll numbers in a moment here. What can you add, though, on the reporting that we're getting out of Fallujah that says a deal has been reached, and other U.S. commanders saying not so fast, We're not that far just yet?

CHRISTINE SPOLAR, REPORTER, "CHICAGO TRIBUNE": Well, it's interesting. But I -- just from experience here, I find that kind of quick agreement just hard to believe. We did know this morning, we were told that a committee of sheikhs had gone into Fallujah and planned a series of meetings today in Fallujah to talk with insurgents and to talk to leaders there, with the sheikhs seeming to have tribal ties and some military of their own, or militia, if you will, of their own that could perhaps persuade some people.

I just find it hard to believe they could in to this kind of quick decision, and clearly the military is indicating that is not happening.

HEMMER: Listen, we're trying to gather more information about what's happening there, and it may be a process that goes well into the day here, and even beyond into the weekend.

Back to the poll numbers though. The opinion the Iraqis have in this survey about how they feel about U.S. troops. On the screen, we can show our viewers, last spring, 43 percent to 43 occupiers versus liberators. But clearly, a year later now, 71 percent view the forces there as occupiers. How do they become effective if this is the view of the majority, according to these surveys?

SPOLAR: Well, that's really the challenge for the military now, which will be here for months after the turnover of sovereignty. And it's really a very big problem for the Iraqi Governing Council. Still leading into that turnover of sovereignty, but how do they get people to believe they have the best at heart for them?

This is a difficult situation. I think that what the Americans tried to do was get a lot of those Iraqi leaders out into the community to try to persuade them. But what's happened here is that the pictures of people at the hands of some American soldiers; what they see on TV is very powerful. They are watching Arab satellite TV, because they understand Arab satellite TV, not Western shows that are showing different images. So the images have been very convincing to the Iraqis in their communities.

HEMMER: Christine, I've read a number of your reports here about how you feel about this handover and how it may or may not go over. You consistently say the plan that you can figure out is right now completely vague, "all so vague" are some of the words you've used. Why is it that way? And what is your understanding, whether it's the end of May or the end June, as to who gets control of that country.

SPOLAR: Well, the issue is here not how vague it is. It's that when we've asked for details, and specifically Iraqi reporters, too, asking for details, trying to inform people about the turnover, the details just aren't there. What had been signed as an agreement on November 15th, and then a transitional constitution later on, none of the parts seem to be in place. And people here are just trying to figure out, OK, who chooses the president? Who choose the vice president and the prime minister, and will there, in fact, be a consultative part body afterwards? It's just not clear. Iraqis themselves on the Governing Council are asking, where is my role in this? They've heard through press reports that they will be dissolved. Some of them are very supportive of that, but on the other hand, they are trying to figure out, well, who picks the next crew.

HEMMER: Christine, thanks. Christine Spolar, "Chicago Tribune" there in Baghdad. Thanks for your thoughts today.

Also, you can read more about the Iraqi poll results on our Web site, CNN.com. In fact, it's there for you right now -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Remember this story out of Florida. A schoolteacher there now has been charged in the hit-and-run deaths of two young brothers. Jennifer Porter was charged with leaving the scene of a deadly accident. She stepped forward almost a month ago to apologize, and she was released on bail. She could face up to 15 years behind bars if she is convicted. Three-3-year-old Durante Caldwell (ph) and his 13-year-old brother, Bryant Wilkins (ph), were killed in that accident.

HEMMER: In a moment here on AMERICAN MORNING, Andy joins us. New figures on the economy. Is it finally on the upswing? We'll check in with him on that.

Also today from the White House, it's historic, but there will be no official record as the president and the vice president head before that commission. Live from the White House, top of the hour on that story.

O'BRIEN: Plus, getting your newborn to sleep through the night. It's not easy. Dr. Sanjay Gupta is going to join us with some ways to get babies on a regular sleep schedule. It's all part of our newborn series, and it continues in just a moment. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: In today's installment of our weeklong series on newborns, we take another look at a challenge that's facing parents: getting that baby to sleep through the night. Dr. Sanjay Gupta join us with more.

Good morning.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.

Are we teaching you anything?

O'BRIEN: You know, I find it fascinating. I want to know how you got your baby to sleep through the night.

GUPTA: I'll tell you about that after the show.

O'BRIEN: I give you a hard time like I give my obstetrician? I'm like, really? Tell me how you lost the baby weight, doctor.

GUPTA: Sleep training for both baby and parents, one of the most challenging things. We've gone to a lot of experts and gotten lots of opinions. This is what we came up with.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How is his sleep going now?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He sleeps five hours a night.

GUPTA (voice-over): As a children's sleep specialist, Dr. Gary Montgomery hears lots of stories about babies and sleep patterns. Studies show 25 percent of young children experience some kind of sleep problem. Newborn infants need to sleep an average of 16 to 17 hours a day, but may only sleep one to two hours at a time. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, at three to four months of age, your baby should be sleeping through the night, and definitely by 6 to 7 months old.

HEIDI MURKOFF, AUTHOR, "WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU'RE EXPECTING": By the time most babies are six months old, if they're full term, they are physically capable of sleeping through the night. Whether they do or not is pretty much up to their parents.

GUPTA: Kathy Wesle's (ph) son, Jonathan, had trouble getting to sleep on his own when he was a baby.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He still didn't want to go to sleep by himself. He still wanted me there.

GUPTA: What's the number one lesson Kathy had to learn?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: After you give them feedings, you put them in the crib awake, but drowsy so they learn to fall asleep on their own.

GUPTA: Other sleep-training tips. Don't let your infant sleep too long during the day. Shorten naps, and they'll sleep longer at night. Take advantage of natural circadian rhythms. Give the baby some sunlight during the day, and don't let them get overtired before you put them to bed. Avoid putting your baby to bed with the pacifier. He may get used to and have trouble sleeping without it.

Begin to delay your reaction to fussing at 4 to 6 months of age. Wait a few minutes to see if your baby will settle himself. If he doesn't, pat or console, but try not to pick him up. Most important, be consistent. Use the same routine for naps, bedtime and awakenings in the middle of the night.

DR. GARY MONTGOMERY, CHILDREN'S SLEEP SPECIALIST: The baby has to see the same thing done each night to really learn that this is the routine. And if they're consistent, the baby can learn new habits in anywhere from 3 to 7 nights. It can be solved fast.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GUPTA: So peaceful to see them sleeping. It's hard to recognize sometimes when your baby is sleeping. They're not always going to yawn. Sometimes they may be rubbing at their. Sometimes they may be rubbing their eyes, they mat be scratching at their ears or pulling or something like that. So you've seen this before. It can be difficult.

O'BRIEN: The best time is when the baby suddenly falls asleep. You're like, I'm free, I can go to sleep, or take a shower, how about that.

Let's talk about co-sleeping, because you didn't mention in there some parents decide to co-sleep with their babies, and there are some issues there, too.

GUPTA: It's a very personal decision. We talked to a lot of experts about this, whether or not you have the baby in the bed with you. The bottom line is really the best tips are that safety becomes the most important issue here with regards to overall co-sleeping.

One of the things, these co-sleeping bassinets, bassinets that you can actually attach to the bed, one of the best things that we saw actually. The baby is right there, but it's not going to be potentially hurt by any of the loose fitting bedding, or big pillows or anything that can be of great concern to a child in terms of possibly suffocation or something else disastrous.

O'BRIEN: No one is going to roll over on the baby.

GUPTA: Exactly, right.

O'BRIEN: People who do that, I have to say, my sisters who did that found when they're nursing that actually it's really great to have the baby to co-sleep, because then you can just nurse them, put them right back.

GUPTA: Yes, and one of the things we heard as well, if you're going to choose to do this, sort of understand why you're doing it. If it's because you can't get the baby to sleep in another bed, that's probably not the best reason to do it. But if it's a practical reason, like the nursing, or something like that, it's probably going to be a better reason. Again, both mom and dad have to be on board with this. Important if mom and dad all around, both of them on board, and that you're co-sleeping for the right reason.

O'BRIEN: Yes, interesting. Good advice. I'd never do that. I just can't. I need my sleep.

GUPTA: You furburized (ph)?

O'BRIEN: We furburized . It's horrible, worked well, but it's...

GUPTA: Lots of crying.

O'BRIEN: A couple of days of really bad, bad, bad. You're very hormonal, too. So they're crying, you're crying. I'm so exciting to relive all of this in about four months. Thanks, Sanjay.

GUPTA: And tomorrow multiples.

Heidi Murkoff, who we've been seeing, is going to be here as well tomorrow.

O'BRIEN: Oh, terrific, great. Oh good, because I need a ton of help on that. You can come to my house and help me babysit.

GUPTA: Absolutely, I'd be happy to.

O'BRIEN: Oh, you lie, but thank you, Sanjay -- Bill.

HEMMER: You need to temper your enthusiasm over there, partner.

In a moment here, the Army wants some of its big guns back. You won't believe who's got them and what they are doing with them. Back in a moment, after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: All right, welcome back.

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Got some new numbers out on the economy, and the Army wants its howitzers back.

Andy Serwer's "Minding Your Business."

ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Bring back my guns, yes.

Let's go through these economic numbers, because we've got a raft of them this morning.

First of all, the economy grew at 4.2 percent in the first quarter. That is less than expected. Economists were looking for 5 percent. Slightly disappointing, but nothing to tear your hair out about, Jack.

CAFFERTY: That's good, because I don't have much left to tear out.

SERWER: I gave that to you. CAFFERTY: A little slow.

SERWER: What's interesting, though, is this inflation number that also came out at the same time. It's called the personal consumption expenditures. PCE for those of you who care. Alan Greenspan looks at this carefully, and it shows inflation rearing its ugly head, significantly, I think you can say.

Also jobless claims declined, which is also inflationary. Bottom line here is I think that we are going to be seeing higher interest rates, I've said this before, and I really think we'll be seeing this, probably in the summer.

CAFFERTY: Sooner rather than later based on this kind of inflation.

Now out there in Reno, Nevada, when I was a youngster, I used to actually watch them use these howitzers to artificially trigger avalanches before they might come down the mountain accidentally and kill somebody. It's pretty interested stuff. Now these guys want the guns back? They spend $500 billion a year on defense, and they got to go take these guns out of the...

SERWER: Yes, it's pretty amazing actually. The Pentagon lends these howitzers, Jack, to ski resorts out West to blow out snow, so it doesn't -- to prevent an avalanche. Look at this.

CAFFERTY: It's pretty cool to watch.

SERWER: Boom! Boom! Look at that, rolling down the mountain.

OK, there are five howitzers that Alpine Meadows and Mammoth Mountain, which are in the Sierra Nevadas over on the California side, near Lake Tahoe, and then 100 miles south, I believe, Mammoth, you were telling me. out near lake Tahoe.

There are five howitzers. Now the government wants them back to use in Iraq and Afghanistan. I mean, are we constrained here in terms of supply of weaponry? I mean...

CAFFERTY: We're out of slingshots?

I mean, these things date back to the Civil War, the ones I can remember.

SERWER: These are a little newer, these 119-As apparently. But still, it's kind of disturbing, I think, that they have to ask the ski resort people for guns back. I guess they just don't have enough.

CAFFERTY: All right, on to "The Cafferty File." Things people said which we usually do on Wednesday. Because of breaking news, we put it off until today. Things people said that got our attention.

"I just got out of prison, so I really need a break." This would be Bobby Brown, the singer and husband of Whitney Houston, on vacation down in the Bahamas. His wife, Whitney, just got out of rehab. Brown just got out of jail, and they're having a little family reunion. It's an interesting group.

SERWER: Nice.

CAFFERTY: Yes.

"There's not going to be no wardrobe malfunction this evening. There's not supposed to be, it's not planned, but as tight as my clothes are, there's no telling what will happen. And If it does happen, I'm going to wipe out the first three rows." That would be Dolly Parton, at the Country Music Television Flame Worthy Video Music Awards down in Nashville, Tennessee, of course referring to that...

SERWER: Someone's got a sense of humor.

CAFFERTY: She's great. She's terrific.

"It could have been worse. Pete could have been identified as John Kerry." Cinnamon Watson, spokesman for Colorado Senate candidate Pete Coors. "The New York Times" identified Pete Coors as a member of the Ku Klux Klan and a murderer. "The Times" later published a correction.

SERWER: I saw that. They had a little picture. They said the news story, and they Pete Coors next to it. It was unbelievable.

CAFFERTY: That's pretty funny, they could have called him John Kerry.

Here's another John Kerry one: "The family has it. I don't have it." Presidential candidate John Kerry, who says he doesn't own an SUV. He was answering a question about the Chevrolet Suburban he was seen riding around in. He says it belongs to his wife. Come on.

"I have put a lot of people through a lot of needless angst and concern about this when I should have definitely rechecked my luggage." Indiana Representative John Hostetler, being detained after he tried to carry a loaded 9 millimeter handgun onto an airplane, qualifying him as the idiot of the week here on AMERICAN MORNING.

O'BRIEN: We have a winner.

CAFFERTY: Hello, yes.

SERWER: Very high bar there, too.

CAFFERTY: Oh, man.

SERWER: That's really unbelievable.

CAFFERTY: I'm glad we got those in, because that was a decent batch.

O'BRIEN: Absolutely. Better than decent. Very good batch. I liked it. Thanks, Jack.

Still to come this morning, it's been a costly day for U.S. forces in Iraq, even amid talk of a possible peace deal. We've got details on that just ahead, as AMERICAN MORNING continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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