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American Morning

'Kamber & May'; 'Paging Dr. Gupta'

Aired June 02, 2004 - 08:30   ET

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

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


BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: 8:30 here in New York. Welcome back, everybody.
And we were talking about your yellow outfit earlier today. Had I known, I would have worn my yellow jacket.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Your yellow suit?

HEMMER: We could have matched.

COLLINS: Your yellow suit? This I would like to see.

HEMMER: My big yellow suit. I don't own one.

COLLINS: Big bird we'd call you.

HEMMER: That's right. Heidi Collins working for Soledad O'Brien today.

In a moment, Iraq's new leadership is in place. We know that. The U.S. now under a lot of pressure to make sure the government holds and then succeeds without exerting too much pressure and influence. Can that work? We'll put that question to our friends Kamber and May in a moment here.

COLLINS: Also this morning, Sanjay Gupta will be with us, talking about a medical dilemma that's just becoming known among doctors. He's looking at the prescription medicines that can cause unexpected weight gain and what you can do about it.

HEMMER: Very intriguing topic. We'll get to that in a moment.

COLLINS: First up this hour, President Bush set to talk about the situation in Iraq and the wider war on terror. But later today, he's at the Air Force Academy. Graduates today there in Colorado Springs. Yesterday, in the White House Rose Garden, the president hailed the formation of that new interim government in Baghdad.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT, OF THE UNITED STATES: This is a very hopeful day for the Iraqi people and a hopeful day for the American people, because the American people want to see a free Iraq as well. They understand what I know. A free Iraq in the heart of the Middle East is going to be a game changer, an agent of change. It's going to send a clear signal that the terrorists can't win.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: The president from yesterday. Time today for Kamber and May in D.C. Democratic strategist Victor Kamber back with us.

Vic, good morning.

VICTOR KAMBER, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Good morning, Bill. How are you?

HEMMER: I'm doing just fine, thanks.

Former RNC communications director Cliff May also with us as well.

Cliff, you start. Has the U.S. turned a corner in Iraq as of yesterday?

CLIFF MAY, FMR. RNC COMM. DIR.: Yes, I think you can say that. It's certainly a big step forward. What you've seen in recent days in Iraq is startling. It's Iraqi leaders actually exercising leadership, making decisions, deciding to take responsibility. That is a great sign of moving forward. You've got a government coming into power now that will be representative of all of the diverse communities in that country. I think we are slowly, and with great difficulty, and despite mistakes, we are making some progress.

HEMMER: You are saying that statement with a bit of reservation. Victor, where do you come down on this? Have we turned the corner or not?

KAMBER: Well, I'm sure we've turned the corner. I just don't think we know which direction we're going in and whether we're going down the wrong block.

The problem is, it sounds great that there's a regime change there, that there are some leaders there. We don't know what power the leaders have. We don't know what role the American government is going to play there, our troops are going to play. Who calls the shots, who doesn't call the shots. We didn't get our choice for the leader. We got someone that was acceptable to us, but we have no idea what role he will really play.

So I think there's a lot of unknowns. and so when you say, have we turned the corner, it's a step in the right direction, but it could then path down the wrong or the path up the right road. We're not going to know for quite a while.

MAY: What we're trying to do in Iraq is historic. It's pretty much unprecedented. There is no way that this is going to be easy and smooth. It's going to be stumbling. We're going to make mistakes. Hopefully the Iraqis now will have a chance to make their own mistakes. But the point is that we make progress little by little, that more importantly, that the Iraqis make progress little by little in terms of governing themselves, having human rights for the first time in generations, having the freedoms that we have helped them get ensured for the future. HEMMER: Back up here just a little bit, if I could. Take that soundbite we just played with the president yesterday. Do you believe in what he says, about a stable and free Iraq, a Democratic Iraq is what will unleash the chains of democracy all over the Middle East and the Arab world?

KAMBER: Well, I think that would be the goal. It would be wonderful to see in the Mideast there a second country like Israel that is Democratic, that is free, that has choices. That would change every bit of history that this country and that part of the world has ever known. Whether it can happen or not again, only time will tell. It's interesting that Cliff says we've had mistakes and we're trying to make changes. He's the first Republican I know that so far has admitted to any mistakes over there. There are plenty of mistakes, and there's going to be plenty more, and I'm afraid plenty more lives lost before we get to a resolve in this situation.

HEMMER: One more word on this, Cliff, and then I want to talk to the election.

MAY: Yes, I'd like to just say, that if we could get a democracy, if the Iraqis could get a democracy, going similar to Turkey, I think we'd be satisfied by that.

KAMBER: Turkey is a dictatorship; it's not a democracy.

MAY: I'd be satisfied to see Iraq be where Turkey is at this point, in terms of choice and freedoms. It's not ideal. It's not Israel, you're right, but I'd be satisfied with that.

KAMBER: Let me jump in here. I've got about a minute left here. John Kerry yesterday talking about nuclear proliferation. Listen to him on the stump.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: While we've been preoccupied in Iraq, next door in Iran, a new clear program has been reportedly moving ahead. Let me say it plainly, a nuclear-armed Iran is unacceptable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: Continues his 10 or 11-day speech about foreign policy, how to keep America safe going into the future. Victor, why vote for John Kerry on the issue of Iraq? what would he do differently than this administration is engaging in at this point?

KAMBER: I think clearly reach out to other leaders in the world to try to bring about a world solution to the problem. He's made that clear from the beginning. While he has supported the freedom of Iraqi people, he has said it can't be done by America being the new leader of Iraq. We've got to surround ourselves with other world leaders to clear out terrorism. He's also set the scepter down that while we're deal with Iraq, we cannot let the rest of the world grow to be our enemies, ala Iran, Korea continues to be out there, et cetera. MAY: Let me say, if I may, Bill, that John Kerry gets points from me, because he's talking about serious problems, Iran and its development of nuclear weapons, North Korea. This is not what Al Gore is talking about. It's not what Howard Dean would be talking about, or Ralph Nader. John Kerry is taking serious and responsible positions, and he's telling the Democrats that they need to get serious about national security, and I got to give him high marks for that.

KAMBER: And you may vote for him, Cliff.

MAY: Listen, until November, you don't know how I'll vote, and I don't know either.

HEMMER: Thanks, guys, see you next week, Kamber and May.

COLLINS: Still to come on AMERICAN MORNING today, why some medications may be making the battle of the bulge even tougher.

HEMMER: Also in a moment, teens and antidepressants. We'll look at just how effective those drug might be.

COLLINS: And protecting U.S. borders. You might be surprised who got the job. We'll tell you, next on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: If you're gaining weight and taking one of a number of common prescription drugs, there may be a link. The June issue of "Consumer Reports" on health has a list of drugs that lead to weight gain.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta is here with us now from CNN Center to talk more about this. A lot of people are going to be asking questions about this one, Sanjay.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, good morning, Heidi.

There's no surprise really that there's a link between the medications you take and the weight that you may gain. People have known that. But there are some myths. For example, birth control pills, for a long time, people thought those caused weight gain. In fact, not according to this new study, they don't, in fact, cause weight gain, but there are a lot of medications that do. How do they do it? Well, they increase your appetite, they slow down your metabolism, they cause fluid retention, they may cause you to be more drowsy.

Take a look at some of the lists here. First of all, antidepressants, everything from Elavil to Remaron. These medications can actually interfere with your perception of appetite. In fact, what happens to a lot of people is they lose weight the first couple of months on these medications, and then gain it back later on.

Other drugs as well, some of them may surprise you. Anti- inflammatory drugs can also cause weight gain. Anti-inflammatory drugs, some of the more common ones: corticosteroids, hydrocortisone, prednisone. Heidi, you know about this, being on prednisone can sometimes cause weight gain. What happens in this situation, It can cause bloating and fluid retention long term that could cause weight gain as well.

Another class of drugs as well are the anticonvulsant drugs. These are drugs that are not as commonly taken, but certainly more problematic, everything from Depakote to Trileptal. Also some of the psychiatric medications, Clozaril, Risperdal. What happens here is that you take these medications and they make you feel less than full. So you want to keep eating. The researchers suggest eating more protein and avoiding the sugar fixes.

It's important to point out, Heidi, it's a little bit of a tough line here, because these medications are important, and you don't want to stop taking them just for the weight gain, although it can be very problematic. Also age and gender play a role. Women are more likely to gain weight on these medications, and if you're over 40, you're more likely as well -- Heidi.

COLLINS: Yes, I remember being on that prednisone for a while and worrying about the weight gain. Thankfully, it didn't happen too badly for me, but it's different for everybody.

How much do the doctors know about this? How -- as far as the side effects go, how widely known is it by doctors?

GUPTA: Yes, and, you know again, you as a patient sort of have gone through this, but doctors typically are going to focus on things that may be life threatening or very concerning. To be quite candid, a lot of times weight gain is not going to be high on their list of priorities in terms of recommending or not recommending a medication. So it's really going to be up to the patient to sort of say something about that.

COLLINS: And I would imagine you can talk to your doctor if you are feeling and seeing the weight gain about maybe similar but a different drug that has different side effects. Is that a possibility?

GUPTA: That's right. One advantage of having all these drugs out there, and we hear about them all the time, is that you may be able to switch over to a different medication that does the same thing, but doesn't cause weight gain, or you may be able to lower your dose. Both those options may provide you both benefits without of the medications, as well as not as much weight gain -- Heidi.

COLLINS: All right, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, thanks so much for that this morning -- Bill.

GUPTA: Thank you.

HEMMER: In a moment here, more on these alarming accusations the allegations yesterday against the alleged dirty bomber. Back in a moment here, on AMERICAN MORNING. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Forty-five minutes past the hour now, and here's what's happening in other news today. The Justice Department revealing new details about the detention of Jose Padilla. Padilla, considered an enemy combatant by the U.S. government, has been in military custody for two years. Officials claim he had plans to detonate a radioactive dirty bomb. They say he also plotted to blow up as many as 20 high- rise apartment buildings in New York. The Justice Department says criminal charges are unlikely anytime soon. His attorney telling AMERICAN MORNING just a bit earlier she just wants to see the case go to court.

And word this morning that Iran was told the U.S. had deciphered its secret communications code. Knowledgeable sources confirming to CNN former Iraqi exile Ahmed Chalabi disclosed the information. But Chalabi and his aides deny that he passed any information relating to Iran.

In California, the defense in the Scott Peterson case are set to deliver opening statements today in a double murder trial. The prosecution made its opening statements yesterday. Jurors were shown photos, including ones of Peterson with his mistress. Others images were of his wife's remains. Peterson is charged with killing his wife, Laci, and their unborn son in December of 2002.

A new government-backed study may add more fuel to the debate on whether kids should be treated with antidepressants. Researchers found depressed teens who were treated with Prozac fared better than adolescents who solely underwent talk therapy. But the study found that a combination of the two worked best. The study, by the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health, is said to be the first to compare psychotherapy and drug treatment for depressed adolescents.

And, finally, have you heard of the canine cha-cha. Well, one woman in Arizona has taught her dog to cha-cha, as you see there. Now she's teaching others to dance with their pets. It's all for a good cause, though. She donates any profits from her lessons to the local humane society. And she even helps cheer up hospital patients and the elderly with visits from her dancing dog. Now that's a great idea. Because I was just wondering, who really says, you know, I really got to teach my dog how to dance.

HEMMER: That's cool, huh? Look at that.

ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: That's a border collie.

COLLINS: That's great. That is a very smart dog.

HEMMER: Well done.

SERWER: That border collie wants to chase sheep, not the stick around, you know what I mean.

HEMMER How you doing, Andy?

SERWER: I'm doing better than that dog.

HEMMER: Andy's got a story here, this company that won a big deal with the Homeland Security department, a huge contract; the company is not even within the borders of the United States apparently, though. Here to explain now with this.

SERWER: Ironies abound here, Bill and Heidi. This is the Department of Homeland Security yesterday awarding a contract, as much as $10 billion to Accenture, which is a Bermuda-based company. This to create a virtual border, basically to coordinate all the passport control at the nation's borders.

Now a lot of people here are crying foul, because, as we mentioned, based in Bermuda. This is what Democratic Congressman Richard Neil of Massachusetts said about it. The American taxpayers are paying $10 billion for passport inspection to a company that has turned down its own U.S. passport. A point well taken.

A couple of U.S. companies lost out on the bidding, including Computer Sciences and Lockheed Martin. The company responds by saying the work will be handled by a U.S. subsidiary that does pay U.S. taxes for work done here. You know, however, it kind of doesn't...

HEMMER: Puts a whole new shine on outsourcing, huh?

SERWER: Yes, absolutely. And of course Accenture used to be Anderson Consulting, which was connected to Arthur Anderson, but split apart many years ago and renamed itself and located down there.

HEMMER: Watching the clock here, 41 minutes away, the open.

SERWER: Yes, things are actually looking pretty good today. The price of oil is starting to ease back a little bit. Tomorrow, the OPEC ministers -- here's what happened yesterday. We actually managed to eke out some gains here. OPEC ministers meeting in Beirut tomorrow. That's something to watch. And on Friday, we have that big jobs report coming out for the month of May. That will be something to pay attention to as well.

HEMMER: And we will.

COLLINS: Yes, people watching the oil, though, big time.

SERWER: Yes, that's the big story.

COLLINS: All right, Andy, thanks so much for that.

Still to come this morning, a new government is set to take power in Iraq, but will the Iraqis accept it? We'll take a look here, on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: All righty. Back to Jack and the File.

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Want to welcome Lou on camera three. It's his first day on the program. He's doing a great job. You don't have to be on your knees for the whole show, however. That comes after 10.

HEMMER: Lou is terrific.

CAFFERTY: The Cafferty File today, things people said that got our attention, beginning with this: "Can we tell them no? When I talked to the president, he was loaded." Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, 1973 conversation with an aide when he was asked if President Nixon would take a call from the prime minister. The president had been having a cocktail.

"It's ridiculous that it's easier for 16-year-olds to visit prostitutes than it is to get chewing gum here." This is a Singapore College student on gum now being legal there after a 12-year ban. Citizens who want to chew gum, though, must give their names and I.D. cards to the government. Wasn't that American kid that got caned in Singapore? Wasn't that about chewing gum?

HEMMER: Yes, that's exactly right. Michael Fay was his name, Michael Fay.

CAFFERTY: Here's another: "We have no idea whose wig it is. It's a mystery." This is the guy who runs the Coney Island Cyclone roller coaster on the ride stopping at the top of a hill after a woman's wig got caught in the wheels. They should have been able to figure out who's wig it was -- just look at who is riding the train.

"They know I'm interested in doing pieces for them that come along. If they call upon me to be the senior citizen, I will be the senior citizen." Anchorman Walter Kronkite, 87 years old, on the possibility of contributing to MTV's political coverage. That would be a giant. I hope he does it.

And this one, "Contrary to popular belief, I've never been to rehab. What else haven't I done? I've never been to jail, never been arrested, all the child-star cliches." MaCaulay Culkin, who starred in "Home Alone." He's now 23 years old, and has led, for the most part, a pretty clean and exemplary existence, compared to some of the other Hollywood trollops out there.

HEMMER: Like Lou?

COLLINS: Leave Lou alone. You're doing great.

HEMMER: He's one of the best.

CAFFERTY: You know what Lou does besides this? He's a cameraman on "Saturday Night Live." This is just like warm-up exercises for Lou. This is like Kindergarten, and then he goes across the street to the big show on Saturday, but he is a cameraman for "Saturday Night Live," and a damn good one at that.

COLLINS: Lou. Props for you. All right, very good.

HEMMER: Hey, Lou, turn to your right there. COLLINS: We want to see your face.

HEMMER: Yes, turn to your right there.

COLLINS: There you go.

CAFFERTY: That's enough. Turn back around.

COLLINS: All right, Jack, thanks. and, Lou, you, too.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COLLINS: Still to come this morning, the crisis in the Middle East. We'll talk to someone who says Israel has lost its way, and there's only one way to fix the problem. Stay with us, here on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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Aired June 2, 2004 - 08:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: 8:30 here in New York. Welcome back, everybody.
And we were talking about your yellow outfit earlier today. Had I known, I would have worn my yellow jacket.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Your yellow suit?

HEMMER: We could have matched.

COLLINS: Your yellow suit? This I would like to see.

HEMMER: My big yellow suit. I don't own one.

COLLINS: Big bird we'd call you.

HEMMER: That's right. Heidi Collins working for Soledad O'Brien today.

In a moment, Iraq's new leadership is in place. We know that. The U.S. now under a lot of pressure to make sure the government holds and then succeeds without exerting too much pressure and influence. Can that work? We'll put that question to our friends Kamber and May in a moment here.

COLLINS: Also this morning, Sanjay Gupta will be with us, talking about a medical dilemma that's just becoming known among doctors. He's looking at the prescription medicines that can cause unexpected weight gain and what you can do about it.

HEMMER: Very intriguing topic. We'll get to that in a moment.

COLLINS: First up this hour, President Bush set to talk about the situation in Iraq and the wider war on terror. But later today, he's at the Air Force Academy. Graduates today there in Colorado Springs. Yesterday, in the White House Rose Garden, the president hailed the formation of that new interim government in Baghdad.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT, OF THE UNITED STATES: This is a very hopeful day for the Iraqi people and a hopeful day for the American people, because the American people want to see a free Iraq as well. They understand what I know. A free Iraq in the heart of the Middle East is going to be a game changer, an agent of change. It's going to send a clear signal that the terrorists can't win.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: The president from yesterday. Time today for Kamber and May in D.C. Democratic strategist Victor Kamber back with us.

Vic, good morning.

VICTOR KAMBER, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Good morning, Bill. How are you?

HEMMER: I'm doing just fine, thanks.

Former RNC communications director Cliff May also with us as well.

Cliff, you start. Has the U.S. turned a corner in Iraq as of yesterday?

CLIFF MAY, FMR. RNC COMM. DIR.: Yes, I think you can say that. It's certainly a big step forward. What you've seen in recent days in Iraq is startling. It's Iraqi leaders actually exercising leadership, making decisions, deciding to take responsibility. That is a great sign of moving forward. You've got a government coming into power now that will be representative of all of the diverse communities in that country. I think we are slowly, and with great difficulty, and despite mistakes, we are making some progress.

HEMMER: You are saying that statement with a bit of reservation. Victor, where do you come down on this? Have we turned the corner or not?

KAMBER: Well, I'm sure we've turned the corner. I just don't think we know which direction we're going in and whether we're going down the wrong block.

The problem is, it sounds great that there's a regime change there, that there are some leaders there. We don't know what power the leaders have. We don't know what role the American government is going to play there, our troops are going to play. Who calls the shots, who doesn't call the shots. We didn't get our choice for the leader. We got someone that was acceptable to us, but we have no idea what role he will really play.

So I think there's a lot of unknowns. and so when you say, have we turned the corner, it's a step in the right direction, but it could then path down the wrong or the path up the right road. We're not going to know for quite a while.

MAY: What we're trying to do in Iraq is historic. It's pretty much unprecedented. There is no way that this is going to be easy and smooth. It's going to be stumbling. We're going to make mistakes. Hopefully the Iraqis now will have a chance to make their own mistakes. But the point is that we make progress little by little, that more importantly, that the Iraqis make progress little by little in terms of governing themselves, having human rights for the first time in generations, having the freedoms that we have helped them get ensured for the future. HEMMER: Back up here just a little bit, if I could. Take that soundbite we just played with the president yesterday. Do you believe in what he says, about a stable and free Iraq, a Democratic Iraq is what will unleash the chains of democracy all over the Middle East and the Arab world?

KAMBER: Well, I think that would be the goal. It would be wonderful to see in the Mideast there a second country like Israel that is Democratic, that is free, that has choices. That would change every bit of history that this country and that part of the world has ever known. Whether it can happen or not again, only time will tell. It's interesting that Cliff says we've had mistakes and we're trying to make changes. He's the first Republican I know that so far has admitted to any mistakes over there. There are plenty of mistakes, and there's going to be plenty more, and I'm afraid plenty more lives lost before we get to a resolve in this situation.

HEMMER: One more word on this, Cliff, and then I want to talk to the election.

MAY: Yes, I'd like to just say, that if we could get a democracy, if the Iraqis could get a democracy, going similar to Turkey, I think we'd be satisfied by that.

KAMBER: Turkey is a dictatorship; it's not a democracy.

MAY: I'd be satisfied to see Iraq be where Turkey is at this point, in terms of choice and freedoms. It's not ideal. It's not Israel, you're right, but I'd be satisfied with that.

KAMBER: Let me jump in here. I've got about a minute left here. John Kerry yesterday talking about nuclear proliferation. Listen to him on the stump.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: While we've been preoccupied in Iraq, next door in Iran, a new clear program has been reportedly moving ahead. Let me say it plainly, a nuclear-armed Iran is unacceptable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: Continues his 10 or 11-day speech about foreign policy, how to keep America safe going into the future. Victor, why vote for John Kerry on the issue of Iraq? what would he do differently than this administration is engaging in at this point?

KAMBER: I think clearly reach out to other leaders in the world to try to bring about a world solution to the problem. He's made that clear from the beginning. While he has supported the freedom of Iraqi people, he has said it can't be done by America being the new leader of Iraq. We've got to surround ourselves with other world leaders to clear out terrorism. He's also set the scepter down that while we're deal with Iraq, we cannot let the rest of the world grow to be our enemies, ala Iran, Korea continues to be out there, et cetera. MAY: Let me say, if I may, Bill, that John Kerry gets points from me, because he's talking about serious problems, Iran and its development of nuclear weapons, North Korea. This is not what Al Gore is talking about. It's not what Howard Dean would be talking about, or Ralph Nader. John Kerry is taking serious and responsible positions, and he's telling the Democrats that they need to get serious about national security, and I got to give him high marks for that.

KAMBER: And you may vote for him, Cliff.

MAY: Listen, until November, you don't know how I'll vote, and I don't know either.

HEMMER: Thanks, guys, see you next week, Kamber and May.

COLLINS: Still to come on AMERICAN MORNING today, why some medications may be making the battle of the bulge even tougher.

HEMMER: Also in a moment, teens and antidepressants. We'll look at just how effective those drug might be.

COLLINS: And protecting U.S. borders. You might be surprised who got the job. We'll tell you, next on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: If you're gaining weight and taking one of a number of common prescription drugs, there may be a link. The June issue of "Consumer Reports" on health has a list of drugs that lead to weight gain.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta is here with us now from CNN Center to talk more about this. A lot of people are going to be asking questions about this one, Sanjay.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, good morning, Heidi.

There's no surprise really that there's a link between the medications you take and the weight that you may gain. People have known that. But there are some myths. For example, birth control pills, for a long time, people thought those caused weight gain. In fact, not according to this new study, they don't, in fact, cause weight gain, but there are a lot of medications that do. How do they do it? Well, they increase your appetite, they slow down your metabolism, they cause fluid retention, they may cause you to be more drowsy.

Take a look at some of the lists here. First of all, antidepressants, everything from Elavil to Remaron. These medications can actually interfere with your perception of appetite. In fact, what happens to a lot of people is they lose weight the first couple of months on these medications, and then gain it back later on.

Other drugs as well, some of them may surprise you. Anti- inflammatory drugs can also cause weight gain. Anti-inflammatory drugs, some of the more common ones: corticosteroids, hydrocortisone, prednisone. Heidi, you know about this, being on prednisone can sometimes cause weight gain. What happens in this situation, It can cause bloating and fluid retention long term that could cause weight gain as well.

Another class of drugs as well are the anticonvulsant drugs. These are drugs that are not as commonly taken, but certainly more problematic, everything from Depakote to Trileptal. Also some of the psychiatric medications, Clozaril, Risperdal. What happens here is that you take these medications and they make you feel less than full. So you want to keep eating. The researchers suggest eating more protein and avoiding the sugar fixes.

It's important to point out, Heidi, it's a little bit of a tough line here, because these medications are important, and you don't want to stop taking them just for the weight gain, although it can be very problematic. Also age and gender play a role. Women are more likely to gain weight on these medications, and if you're over 40, you're more likely as well -- Heidi.

COLLINS: Yes, I remember being on that prednisone for a while and worrying about the weight gain. Thankfully, it didn't happen too badly for me, but it's different for everybody.

How much do the doctors know about this? How -- as far as the side effects go, how widely known is it by doctors?

GUPTA: Yes, and, you know again, you as a patient sort of have gone through this, but doctors typically are going to focus on things that may be life threatening or very concerning. To be quite candid, a lot of times weight gain is not going to be high on their list of priorities in terms of recommending or not recommending a medication. So it's really going to be up to the patient to sort of say something about that.

COLLINS: And I would imagine you can talk to your doctor if you are feeling and seeing the weight gain about maybe similar but a different drug that has different side effects. Is that a possibility?

GUPTA: That's right. One advantage of having all these drugs out there, and we hear about them all the time, is that you may be able to switch over to a different medication that does the same thing, but doesn't cause weight gain, or you may be able to lower your dose. Both those options may provide you both benefits without of the medications, as well as not as much weight gain -- Heidi.

COLLINS: All right, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, thanks so much for that this morning -- Bill.

GUPTA: Thank you.

HEMMER: In a moment here, more on these alarming accusations the allegations yesterday against the alleged dirty bomber. Back in a moment here, on AMERICAN MORNING. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Forty-five minutes past the hour now, and here's what's happening in other news today. The Justice Department revealing new details about the detention of Jose Padilla. Padilla, considered an enemy combatant by the U.S. government, has been in military custody for two years. Officials claim he had plans to detonate a radioactive dirty bomb. They say he also plotted to blow up as many as 20 high- rise apartment buildings in New York. The Justice Department says criminal charges are unlikely anytime soon. His attorney telling AMERICAN MORNING just a bit earlier she just wants to see the case go to court.

And word this morning that Iran was told the U.S. had deciphered its secret communications code. Knowledgeable sources confirming to CNN former Iraqi exile Ahmed Chalabi disclosed the information. But Chalabi and his aides deny that he passed any information relating to Iran.

In California, the defense in the Scott Peterson case are set to deliver opening statements today in a double murder trial. The prosecution made its opening statements yesterday. Jurors were shown photos, including ones of Peterson with his mistress. Others images were of his wife's remains. Peterson is charged with killing his wife, Laci, and their unborn son in December of 2002.

A new government-backed study may add more fuel to the debate on whether kids should be treated with antidepressants. Researchers found depressed teens who were treated with Prozac fared better than adolescents who solely underwent talk therapy. But the study found that a combination of the two worked best. The study, by the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health, is said to be the first to compare psychotherapy and drug treatment for depressed adolescents.

And, finally, have you heard of the canine cha-cha. Well, one woman in Arizona has taught her dog to cha-cha, as you see there. Now she's teaching others to dance with their pets. It's all for a good cause, though. She donates any profits from her lessons to the local humane society. And she even helps cheer up hospital patients and the elderly with visits from her dancing dog. Now that's a great idea. Because I was just wondering, who really says, you know, I really got to teach my dog how to dance.

HEMMER: That's cool, huh? Look at that.

ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: That's a border collie.

COLLINS: That's great. That is a very smart dog.

HEMMER: Well done.

SERWER: That border collie wants to chase sheep, not the stick around, you know what I mean.

HEMMER How you doing, Andy?

SERWER: I'm doing better than that dog.

HEMMER: Andy's got a story here, this company that won a big deal with the Homeland Security department, a huge contract; the company is not even within the borders of the United States apparently, though. Here to explain now with this.

SERWER: Ironies abound here, Bill and Heidi. This is the Department of Homeland Security yesterday awarding a contract, as much as $10 billion to Accenture, which is a Bermuda-based company. This to create a virtual border, basically to coordinate all the passport control at the nation's borders.

Now a lot of people here are crying foul, because, as we mentioned, based in Bermuda. This is what Democratic Congressman Richard Neil of Massachusetts said about it. The American taxpayers are paying $10 billion for passport inspection to a company that has turned down its own U.S. passport. A point well taken.

A couple of U.S. companies lost out on the bidding, including Computer Sciences and Lockheed Martin. The company responds by saying the work will be handled by a U.S. subsidiary that does pay U.S. taxes for work done here. You know, however, it kind of doesn't...

HEMMER: Puts a whole new shine on outsourcing, huh?

SERWER: Yes, absolutely. And of course Accenture used to be Anderson Consulting, which was connected to Arthur Anderson, but split apart many years ago and renamed itself and located down there.

HEMMER: Watching the clock here, 41 minutes away, the open.

SERWER: Yes, things are actually looking pretty good today. The price of oil is starting to ease back a little bit. Tomorrow, the OPEC ministers -- here's what happened yesterday. We actually managed to eke out some gains here. OPEC ministers meeting in Beirut tomorrow. That's something to watch. And on Friday, we have that big jobs report coming out for the month of May. That will be something to pay attention to as well.

HEMMER: And we will.

COLLINS: Yes, people watching the oil, though, big time.

SERWER: Yes, that's the big story.

COLLINS: All right, Andy, thanks so much for that.

Still to come this morning, a new government is set to take power in Iraq, but will the Iraqis accept it? We'll take a look here, on AMERICAN MORNING.

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HEMMER: All righty. Back to Jack and the File.

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Want to welcome Lou on camera three. It's his first day on the program. He's doing a great job. You don't have to be on your knees for the whole show, however. That comes after 10.

HEMMER: Lou is terrific.

CAFFERTY: The Cafferty File today, things people said that got our attention, beginning with this: "Can we tell them no? When I talked to the president, he was loaded." Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, 1973 conversation with an aide when he was asked if President Nixon would take a call from the prime minister. The president had been having a cocktail.

"It's ridiculous that it's easier for 16-year-olds to visit prostitutes than it is to get chewing gum here." This is a Singapore College student on gum now being legal there after a 12-year ban. Citizens who want to chew gum, though, must give their names and I.D. cards to the government. Wasn't that American kid that got caned in Singapore? Wasn't that about chewing gum?

HEMMER: Yes, that's exactly right. Michael Fay was his name, Michael Fay.

CAFFERTY: Here's another: "We have no idea whose wig it is. It's a mystery." This is the guy who runs the Coney Island Cyclone roller coaster on the ride stopping at the top of a hill after a woman's wig got caught in the wheels. They should have been able to figure out who's wig it was -- just look at who is riding the train.

"They know I'm interested in doing pieces for them that come along. If they call upon me to be the senior citizen, I will be the senior citizen." Anchorman Walter Kronkite, 87 years old, on the possibility of contributing to MTV's political coverage. That would be a giant. I hope he does it.

And this one, "Contrary to popular belief, I've never been to rehab. What else haven't I done? I've never been to jail, never been arrested, all the child-star cliches." MaCaulay Culkin, who starred in "Home Alone." He's now 23 years old, and has led, for the most part, a pretty clean and exemplary existence, compared to some of the other Hollywood trollops out there.

HEMMER: Like Lou?

COLLINS: Leave Lou alone. You're doing great.

HEMMER: He's one of the best.

CAFFERTY: You know what Lou does besides this? He's a cameraman on "Saturday Night Live." This is just like warm-up exercises for Lou. This is like Kindergarten, and then he goes across the street to the big show on Saturday, but he is a cameraman for "Saturday Night Live," and a damn good one at that.

COLLINS: Lou. Props for you. All right, very good.

HEMMER: Hey, Lou, turn to your right there. COLLINS: We want to see your face.

HEMMER: Yes, turn to your right there.

COLLINS: There you go.

CAFFERTY: That's enough. Turn back around.

COLLINS: All right, Jack, thanks. and, Lou, you, too.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COLLINS: Still to come this morning, the crisis in the Middle East. We'll talk to someone who says Israel has lost its way, and there's only one way to fix the problem. Stay with us, here on AMERICAN MORNING.

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