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American Morning

Has Kerry Chosen His Running Mate?; 'Fahrenheit 9/11' Mom Speaks Out

Aired July 05, 2004 - 7:59   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: Good morning. Perhaps the biggest decision for John Kerry in his presidential campaign. Word is he's made that decision. Who will be his vice presidential running mate?
An ugly incident from Mexico. Why were U.S. Marines stopped in their tracks while trying to bury a fallen comrade?

And a flame-throwing phenomenon, a look at Michael Moore's hit film, "Fahrenheit 9/11." Hear from a woman who was a big part of that film this hour here on this AMERICAN MORNING.

ANNOUNCER: From the CNN broadcast center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Bill Hemmer and Soledad O'Brien.

HEMMER: Good morning, everybody. Welcome to July 5th. Hope you had a great weekend and good holiday weekend.

Good morning to you.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. Did you have a good weekend?

HEMMER: Yes, actually it was very nice, thank you.

COLLINS: I heard you were water skiing. We have video coming later.

HEMMER: No, we don't. We don't have video of the golf either, and it wasn't pretty.

Heidi is working for Soledad. Good morning, everyone. A lot of political talk to talk about today. We're hearing that John Kerry has made up his mind on his running mate. We'll tell you what the campaign is and actually is not saying more importantly. We'll talk to Ron Brownstein, too, about what's happening in this critical decision for him.

COLLINS: Also, of all of the U.S. troops only one of them can be the oldest. We will talk to 59-year-old Sergeant Clarence Kugler. There he is there. Hello, Sergeant. The oldest enlisted man in Iraq. Find out why he's there and what the younger guys are saying about him.

HEMMER: I guess he's got some experience to share, too.

COLLINS: Yes. HEMMER: Jack Cafferty, good morning to you.

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. Coming up in "The Cafferty File," "Newsweek" magazine reports the gender gap is narrowing when it comes to cheating. Women apparently are cheating almost as much as men, and we hope to have some names and phone numbers by the time we get the "File" on here. And we'll tell you about an apology from a Kentucky newspaper that's coming about 40 years after the civil rights movement. It seems they forgot to cover it. Now they are publishing an apology for that.

COLLINS: I heard about that. It's kind of weird. All right, Jack, thanks so much. We'll check back later.

The question that's been hanging over the presidential campaign of John Kerry is: Who will the Democrat choose as his running mate? Well, there's word this morning Senator Kerry may have made up his mind.

Kelly Wallace has been covering the campaign, joining us now live for more on that.

So, what's the scope? Did he in fact?

KELLY WALLACE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Overnight the word came in, in the middle of the night, that, yes, in fact, he has made a decision. We just don't know who that person is.

COLLINS: It always happens like that.

WALLACE: Always. Continuing to keep us guessing. But here's what a Democratic official is telling CNN -- quote -- "It's clear Kerry has made a decision and is committed to announcing it on his terms with discipline more typically associated with Republican campaigns of yesteryear." This official saying that "obviously means a rapid turn-around."

Now, reporters were looking for all kinds of signs yesterday, and that is when John Kerry spent the day with Governor Tom Vilsack of Iowa. Governor Vilsack is believed to be on the senator's short list.

Neither Kerry nor Vilsack, though, would give any ground. They dodged questions, and John Kerry seemed to be enjoying this guessing game throughout the day.

Other names believed to be on the short list include Missouri Congressman Dick Gephardt, who Kerry is believed to feel very comfortable with, and North Carolina Senator John Edwards, who many Democrats believe would really add the most excitement to the Kerry campaign.

So, we are trying to read the tea leaves, talking to Democratic sources. And, Heidi, this is what we're getting. John Kerry has really studied decisions -- running mate decisions of years past. Ironically, he's very impressed with the president's decision to choose Dick Cheney in 2000, that he believes chemistry is most important and believes geography just doesn't matter anymore.

COLLINS: Interesting, because, you know, traditionally, I mean, you try to choose a VP who is going to get states that maybe you couldn't get. So, what does this turn out to be for him? As far as the decision goes, how important is it then?

WALLACE: Very important for one major reason also. You look at poll after poll, he is not breaking through. Nearly 40 percent, 50 percent of people polled say they just don't know a lot about John Kerry. So, this decision can do a lot for defining John Kerry for voters. How he makes a decision, who he feels comfortable with and what he values, so it is a critical decision for him.

COLLINS: And we'll all be watching and waiting for that word hopefully later this week.

WALLACE: Hopefully.

COLLINS: Kelly Wallace, thanks so much.

WALLACE: Sure.

Bill -- back to you.

HEMMER: All right, Heidi.

How important is this decision? CNN political analyst Ron Brownstein, also a writer for the "L.A. Times," is here to talk about it.

Ron -- good morning.

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Good morning, Bill.

HEMMER: Thanks for making time for us on the holiday.

BROWNSTEIN: Thanks for having me.

HEMMER: Answer the question: Who is it going to be?

BROWNSTEIN: How important. Oh, well, look, I think we all have to tip our hat to John Kerry. I mean, he really has done a good job of keeping this a secret.

I separate the candidates, the contenders into two categories. The conventional wisdom about who are the front-runners, which we're still seeing, began very early, and it began at a point when it seemed this race was going to pivot most on domestic issues. So, we're talking about people like John Edwards of North Carolina, Dick Gephardt of Missouri, Tom Vilsack, the governor of Iowa -- all of whom offer credibility and the ability to deliver a message, mostly on things like health care and the economy.

As the year has gone on, and it's increasingly seemed as though Iraq and national security would be the centerpiece of this race, you have a whole series of other names that have lingered in discussion, whether it's Joe Biden, the former Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman, Wesley Clark, the candidate, Bob Graham of Florida, the former Intelligence Committee chairman, who also brings a state, potentially, help you in a state that is very important.

Right now I think the conventional wisdom is still on the first group, but I would not rule out a surprise of someone who had a little more to say on the national security side.

HEMMER: Ron, about 10 days ago, here's what a CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup Poll turned up. Enthusiastic or satisfied if Kerry picks the following: John Edwards clearly on top of that list, Dick Gephardt behind him at 64 percent, Tom Vilsack farther down the line at 54 percent.

John Edwards has gotten so much attention regarding this. Is it almost a disappointment to the Democratic faithful if he's not chosen?

BROWNSTEIN: A top aide to one of the other contenders said to me yesterday that the biggest reason they thought their candidate might not get picked is that John Kerry would have to absorb two or three days of griping Democrats and reporters asking, why didn't you pick John Edwards?

There seems to be some resistance, obviously, in Kerry world to Edwards. They seem to get along OK. The question, though, was whether Kerry felt that Edwards was moving too fast, running for president in his first term in the Senate. But there is no doubt that John Edwards was a very good campaigner, had a very sharp message -- the two Americas, President Bush honoring wealth, not work. And a lot of Democratic activists around the country really responded to him.

The question here seems to be one more of personal chemistry. But no one should be ruling him out, I think.

HEMMER: I want to try and get to two more topics quickly here, not much time left, Ron. But with the newspaper in Iowa over the weekend, Senator Kerry talked about abortion. On the screen part of his quote: "I oppose abortion personally. I don't like abortion. I believe life does begin at conception, but I can't take my Catholic belief, my article of faith and legislate it on a Protestant or a Jew or atheist who does not share it. We have separation of church and state in the United States of America." Again over the weekend, Sunday in fact.

The Bush campaign has already said this is another indication of him flipping his message yet again. How do you weigh in on how we are to size this up now from the Catholic candidate?

BROWNSTEIN: Well, this, first of all, is something that Catholic politicians have often said. It's a distinction they've often drawn; I think most famously Mario Cuomo in a speech at Notre Dame in the 1980s. Their personal faith leads them one way, but they do not believe they can legislate their personal faith on others. That is a common line for Democratic Catholics.

Now, is he doing it now? A more interesting question. John Kerry over the weekend has spent his time in small town rural America arguing that he has mainstream centrist, even conservative values. The big change in the electorate, Bill, from '96 when Clinton won to 2000 when Gore lost was the Democratic collapse in rural sort of blue highway America. And it's very clear that John Kerry sees one of his major tasks, especially with Dick Cheney going after him over the weekend on issues like guns and abortion, as grounding himself in the cultural mainstream for more culturally-conservative voters in those Midwestern states and elsewhere, who are going to be, I think, really crucial in deciding who the next president is.

HEMMER: On another topic here, the Bush-Cheney campaign apparently has recorded a TV ad with John McCain that is scheduled to be released as soon as John Kerry makes his pick for the vice president, his running mate. What is that message that the Bush- Cheney camp hopes to relay?

BROWNSTEIN: A sharp stick in the eye? You know, John Kerry obviously that hoped John McCain would join him. There are many Democrats who thought that would be a dream ticket. The fact the Bush campaign is out there saying, whoever John Kerry picks is his second choice, and they need to underscore that and dramatize it by having John McCain out there.

John McCain disagrees with the president on a lot of domestic issues, from taxes to the environment, but he is one of the strongest, if not the strongest, supporter in the Senate of his approach to the war on terror, particularly the war in Iraq. And that provides a place where they can come together comfortably and Senator McCain can speak out for the president.

HEMMER: Three weeks to Boston. We're counting down. Thank you, Ron.

BROWNSTEIN: Thank you, Bill.

HEMMER: All right -- Heidi.

COLLINS: Hundreds of American soldiers are headed back to Iraq after spending two weeks at home as part of the military's leave rotation.

And as David Mattingly reports, they are returning to a very different country.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They've been home for the shortest two weeks of their lives, but leave is over. For these soldiers, it's time for the long flight back, back to an Iraq that is now run by Iraqis.

TANYA SIMMONS, WIFE OF SOLDIER: Hopefully now it will take the emphasis off the American soldiers and put it back on the Iraqis.

MATTINGLY: Many of these soldiers watched the handover with their families on television, a reminder of the job waiting for them as they try to lose themselves in the comforts of home.

(on camera): What do you expect to do so when you get back?

(voice-over): They now return talking of mixed emotions, hopeful that the worst is over, mindful of possible dangers ahead.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hopefully, they'll step up and start taking responsibility for their own country, own people in their country.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We'll still wait and see. I mean, we don't know what to expect going back. We don't know what the change is going to be.

MATTINGLY (on camera): When these soldiers get back to Iraq, they'll be returning more experienced than last time. They're smarter, more seasoned. But with that experience they say has come an important lesson: to always be prepared for anything.

(voice-over): Daily episodes of violence since the handover drive the point home that the bloodshed they left behind will be waiting, a certainty that makes a new round of farewells tough for any soldier.

(on camera): Is it harder saying good-bye the second time than it was the first time?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

MATTINGLY: In what way?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Because I have to leave them a second time.

MATTINGLY (voice-over): Sergeant Bonnie Collins holds her two young daughters closely, trying to make the most of their last hours together before mom goes back to Baghdad.

SGT. BONNIE COLLINS, U.S ARMY: Getting through this and getting on the plane will be hard, but once it's done, it's done, and I'll be OK.

MATTINGLY: A 14-hour flight that begins with heartache. Destination: the now familiar, but dangerous nation of Iraq.

David Mattingly, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Tough it must be.

His fellow soldiers call him old school, and Reserve Sergeant Clarence Kugler wears it as a badge of honor. At the age of 59, Kugler is the Army's oldest enlisted man serving in Iraq. He's been there for more than four months now, working with locals at the Iraqi assistance center.

And Sergeant Clarence Kugler is joining us now live from Baghdad this morning.

Sergeant Kugler, thanks for being here.

SGT. CLARENCE KUGLER, U.S. ARMY: Thank you for having me. Good morning.

COLLINS: For starters, tell us a little bit about what it was like for U.S. troops to witness last week that transfer of power, as well as Saddam Hussein being brought before a judge.

KUGLER: I think personally for me it was something that we had been striving for since the breakout of the war. And it was, to us, on a day-by-day basis, we are here to help rebuild this country, and we expect that the trial will take place. And that, of course, we presume everyone innocent before a trial, but we are hoping that the evidence will find Saddam guilty, and that we can go about rebuilding the country.

COLLINS: As we mentioned in introducing you this morning, you are 59 years old. They are saying you are the old guy there. You must have some insight after being a Vietnam War veteran as well that the younger soldiers can benefit from. What are some of those characteristics?

KUGLER: Well, I think in one aspect you learn not to be complacent, that when you are in a combat environment it really is the best of times for soldiering in many ways. You get people helping you and working as a team, and that's a great feeling to be part of a team.

But you still, the bottom line is force protection. We want to bring everyone home. And in a combat environment if you take things for granted, that's when real disaster can happen.

So, the sergeant major here in country says, treat every day like it's your first day here, because it may be your last day.

COLLINS: Yes, some solid advice, that's for sure. And as I'm sure you are well aware, a lot of Americans are watching the news coverage. And what they're seeing is mostly news about fighting the insurgency. But you say that the work that you've been doing with the Civil Affairs Unit there is kind of like the Peace Corps. Explain to our viewers a little bit about what exactly it is that you are doing.

KUGLER: Well, It's real exciting. If you enjoy helping people, and I think most people in civil affairs are really here because they enjoy working with civilian communities throughout the world. And in the next 90 days we have committed $445 million to improving Baghdad. There's going to be new sewer systems put in the city. The electricity is going to be upgraded. There's going to be clean water that hasn't been here before that's going to be brought to the area. And we're going to start cleaning up the city by moving the waste that's throughout the city.

Soldier Sergeant Kugler, are things getting better for Iraqis as you see it? KUGLER: I do see it as getting better for the Iraqis. I see it because when I go out on missions, we get waves. We get signs of approval.

I was in Vietnam, and I saw the faces of civilians at that time, and it's a 360 degrees difference. I think that when we actually in the civil affairs community get a chance to work with the Iraqis, we really see what a decent and moral people these are. It's just a shame that a few people in the area that, you know, want to use violence as a means of communication that they get all the publicity. Because the real heroes of this country are the Iraqis that come to work every day and wait so that this nation can be run by Iraqis.

COLLINS: Sergeant Clarence Kugler this morning. Sir, thanks so much. Hey, when is your birthday?

KUGLER: February 25th in 2005.

COLLINS: All right, OK, you're going to be 60 years old. Wonderful. Thanks so much for your time this morning. We do appreciate it.

KUGLER: Thank you.

HEMMER: A fine example too.

A woman in Alabama surviving three days trapped in her wrecked car driving in Talladega County on Friday. She lost control, veered off the road into dense woods. No one knew she was there until yesterday, on Sunday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL STEVENSON, FOUND WOMAN TRAPPED IN CAR FOR THREE DAYS: There was a van in front of me, and he had stopped in the middle of the road. And they got out, and I stopped behind him and got out. And he said that they had heard something. And when I got out, I heard it, too -- a cry for help.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: A 47-year-old woman hospitalized, listed in good condition. Our best to her in her recovery.

Carol Costello with us today at the CNN center with a look at the other news this morning.

Carol -- how are you? And good morning.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. I'm fine. Thank you Bill.

A senior Saudi official is dismissing reports of a three-way prisoner trade. "The New York Times" is claiming that last year the U.S. returned five Saudi detainees held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. In exchange, Saudi Arabia reportedly released five British citizens and two other Westerners involved in terrorist activities. U.S. officials would not confirm that report.

The U.S. ambassador to Mexico says he is outraged over what happened at the funeral for a Marine there. Mexican troops carrying automatic weapons blocked the path of a Marine Honor Guard at the funeral for Juan Lopez. He was killed in Iraq. The Mexican troops demanded that the Marines hand over their ceremonial rifles, After a few moments, "Taps" was played, and the funeral went on despite the objections of the Mexican troops.

In Fort Lauderdale, Florida, a man in his 30s drove his SUV straight into an airport terminal packed with people. The car slammed into a ticket counter and smashed into a wall. No one was hurt. Two cops and a federal air marshal tackled the driver. Charges against him are now pending.

NASA releases new images from the Cassini spacecraft's fly-by of Saturn's largest moon, Titan. Take a look. These pictures show a fuzzy surface and clouds. This cloud bank is as big as the state of Arizona. This is NASA's very first look at Titan. Astronomers say they are thrilled with the pictures. They are part of a four-year study of Saturn and its moons.

"Spider-Man 2" snaring another box office record. Unofficial estimates are saying the movie took in between $150 million and $155 million since it opened last Wednesday. If true, the total would shatter the record for the best five-day opening. Final numbers expected later today.

Back to you guys in New York.

HEMMER: All right, Carol, thanks for that. And good to have you here with us today.

(WEATHER BREAK)

COLLINS: For decades, a remote Civil War-era fort off the Florida Keys has been crumbling into the Gulf of Mexico. Now, nearly 160 years after its construction began, Fort Jefferson is about to rise again, and it will be no easy task.

Here's John Zarrella.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN MIAMI BUREAU CHIEF (voice over): Standing on scaffolding that hangs from the side of a sheer brick wall, Mike Higginbotham is working to put back together a piece of history that sits surrounded by water in the middle of nowhere.

MIKE HIGGINBOTHAM, PRESERVATION MASON: If you need something, you don't just go to the hardware store and get it. You better hope you brought it out here with you.

ZARRELLA: Higginbotham, a brick mason, and a handful of co- workers are part of phase one of the restoration of one of America's most remote national treasures, Fort Jefferson. The 16 million-brick fort sits in the Gulf of Mexico 70 miles west of Key West on the Dry Tortugas Island. Built in the mid-1800s, it served as a fortress to protect shipping lanes through the Gulf of Mexico.

MIKE RYAN, NATIONAL PARK RANGER: It was designed to be a powerful deterrent. And by building it so powerfully, well, the ultimate goal that no enemy would dare attack.

ZARRELLA: But for 160 years the fort has been under attack by salt air, humidity and baking sun. Iron embedded around brick canon portals called embrasures is rusting. As it does, it expands and displaces the brick, which collapses into the sea.

Because the fort is so remote and accommodations basically nonexistent, 15 to 20 workers at a time, no more, will spend up to a year on the job.

ROSS HUNT, RESTORATION PROJECT MANAGER: We have to capture all of our own drinking water and bathing water, water for doing the construction work itself.

ZARRELLA (on camera): At its peak in 1864, 2,000 people lived here -- military personnel, their families and prisoners. So, just how big is this fort? Well, you could fit two Roman coliseums inside or Yankee Stadium.

(voice over): At one point, the massive prison wing held 900 men. Its most famous guest lived in this room. Dr. Samuel Mudd, sentenced to hard labor for his role in Lincoln's assassination spent four years here. It will take six years and 18 million government dollars to restore the fort to the way it was when Mudd paced the floor in shackles and irons.

John Zarrella, CNN, Fort Jefferson, in the Dry Tortugas.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Wow! Beautiful.

Day trips to Fort Jefferson and Dry Tortugas National Park are available by ferry and seaplane. You can get more information at FortJefferson.com.

HEMMER: In a moment, how would you like to win your wife's weight in beer? Jack Cafferty...

COLLINS: I'm not so sure about that.

HEMMER: Jack Cafferty is on that story this morning.

COLLINS: He always has the good ones, doesn't he?

COLLINS: Also, he's not a superhero or a big green ogre, but Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11" is a box office behemoth nonetheless. A look at the phenomenon coming up.

HEMMER: Also, a big party for a country that doesn't look a day over 227 years old. Ahead this morning here on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Always spectacular, aren't they? That's pretty good. Fireworks at New York Harbor last night. The annual Fourth of July celebration is billed as the largest pyrotechnics display in the country. Security was pretty heavy, but there were no incidents, and people said they felt safe. That's a good thing.

HEMMER: They brought in an extra barge this year down by the Statue of Liberty.

COLLINS: Oh, really?

HEMMER: To give the folks a Jersey a chance to see them as well, not just on the East River. I was asleep.

COLLINS: From what I saw.

HEMMER: Did you see it?

COLLINS: Well, I was showing Jack a diagram here just for the fireworks. The big building in front of where we were, we saw about maybe a 16th of each firework off the side.

CAFFERTY: That's enough. I mean, if you've seen one firecracker, you've seen them all, you know?

HEMMER: Did you hear them?

COLLINS: Oh, yes, we heard them, yes.

CAFFERTY: You can imagine what the rest of it looked like.

COLLINS: Right.

CAFFERTY: Gee, it must be pretty.

COLLINS: Oh, beautiful.

CAFFERTY: All right. The "File" on what will become very obvious to you as a holiday weekend as we move forward here. A long overdue clarification for a Kentucky newspaper. Yesterday's edition of the Lexington "Herald Leader" had a front-page article apologizing for to newspaper's readers that the publication failed to cover the civil rights movement in the 1960s. This is serious stuff.

They wrote -- quote: "It has come to the editor's attention 'The Herald Leader' neglected to cover the civil rights movement. We regret the omission."

COLLINS: All right.

CAFFERTY: This comes as the nation marked the 40th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act in 1964. Women are having almost as many extramarital affairs as men, according to "Newsweek" magazine. This week's cover story reports married women are having affairs at work and meeting men on the Internet at a record pace. And although it's hard to know exactly how many women are cheating, therapists estimate that 40 percent of women that they have counseled have had affairs. That compares to 50 percent of men.

If you do the math, there's a lot of action out there, if you just know where to look.

And the 13th annual wife carrying world championships in Finland over the weekend, Inga Clowso (ph) and Maddis Yusorn (ph) used the famous Estonian carry to snag the gold. Instead of riding traditional piggy-back style, as you can see here, the woman clamps her thighs to the sides of the man's face while hanging upside down on his back. Despite the name of the contest, the couple does not have to be married. The winner gets his wife's weight in beer, which he immediately drinks in order to forget.

HEMMER: That was the Estonian carry, not to be confused with the Latvian carry, which is done in...

CAFFERTY: You know, I don't know about the Latvian carry. How is that done?

HEMMER: I'm not quite sure, but I know it's done somewhere.

COLLINS: I'm sure it exists, yes.

CAFFERTY: That's all I have at the this time.

HEMMER: Well done.

CAFFERTY: We've seen enough of that. Thank you.

HEMMER: Let's go.

Let's get a break here. In a moment here, experts are telling us one of the biggest health risks of the summer is on the rise this year. Sanjay stops by and tells us what we need to know in a moment.

Also, "Fahrenheit 9/11," another strong showing at the box office over the weekend. Meet a woman featured in that film in a scene that some say is the most powerful scene in the movie. Back in a moment here after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: Welcome back, everybody. Kind of feels like July 5th on a Monday morning. Hope you had a good holiday weekend as the holiday continues for most Americans today.

Heidi Collins working for Soledad today.

COLLINS: What does July 5th feel like? Kind of uneventful? HEMMER: Feels like a holiday. Feels like a rainy Monday morning in New York City, doesn't it?

COLLINS: It does, sadly.

HEMMER: We're not far from it.

Top of the news this half hour -- does senator John Kerry have reason to celebrate? A party official telling CNN he's made his decision on a VP running mate.

Now the campaign not disclosing the name, saying Kerry will announce that choice on his own terms. Much more on this as the morning goes along -- Heidi.

COLLINS: Also in a few minutes, an interview with Lila Lipscomb -- actually, you spoke with her, and she's become very well known after being featured in Michael Moore's documentary "Fahrenheit 9/11" -- what she shared with Bill about losing her son in Iraq and the message of the film in her mind.

HEMMER: We'll hear from her in a matter of moments here.

Also this half hour -- Sanjay is back to talk about a scourge of summer, Lyme disease, nasty little bugs that cause it. Why is the problem worse this year than in years past? What you need to know from the good doctor in a moment, so we'll get to that.

In the meantime though -- at the box office, Michael Moore's controversial documentary film "Fahrenheit 9/11" packing movie theaters across the country where it plays. The film not without its controversy -- from both sides, in fact. Entertainment correspondent Sibila Vargas now has more this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAEL MOORE, FILMMAKER: I'm stunned by the response to this. It's absolutely incredible.

SIBILA VARGAS, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The box office success of "Fahrenheit 9/11" not only shocked the filmmaker himself. It sent ripples across the country from Hollywood to Washington.

MOORE: Members of Congress, this is Michael Moore.

TOM O'NEIL, "IN-TOUCH WEEKLY": People don't like to pay money to see something about politics, and they don't pay money to see documentaries. So, the success of this movie is all the more remarkable because of that.

VARGAS: The film's distributor says Michael Moore's scathing documentary about President Bush brought in more money in its opening weekend than any other documentary ever.

From big cities to small towns, the film has become a magnet for the anti-Bush crowd. Though some conservatives have been reluctant to address the issue, counter efforts have been waged. Organizations hoping to discredit Moore claim he manipulates facts and stretches artistic license.

One group, Citizens United, has filed a claim with the Federal Election Commission charging the film's TV ads violate campaign laws.

DAVID BOSSIE, PRES. CITIZENS UNITED: The movie, which I have seen, is full, start to finish, with lies. It's propaganda.

VARGAS: The filmmaker welcomes the criticism.

MOORE: All attempts by Republicans and right-wingers to prohibit the American public from seeing this film, they have only helped the movie. And they are all getting a Christmas card from me this year.

VARGAS: Sibila Vargas, CNN -- Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HEMMER: Let's continue our discussion on whether or not you agree or disagree with that film. It's hard not to feel the pain of one of the central figures -- a mother, Lila Lipscomb whose son died in a Black Hawk helicopter crash in April of 2003.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "FAHRENHEIT 9/11")

LILA LIPSCOMB, SON DIED IN IRAQ: I literally fell on the floor and I was alone. I didn't have anybody to pick me up.

So I literally crawled over to my desk and was hanging on, and I remember screaming -- why does it have to be Michael? Why did you have to take my son? Why is it my son you had to take? He didn't do anything. He wasn't a bad guy. He was a good guy. Why did you have to take my son?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: At the end of last week I spoke with Lila Lipscomb here in New York about how she felt about her role in "9/11."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LIPSCOMB: I was given full reign from the very beginning. Anything that I wasn't comfortable with, it was up to me if I wanted to leave it in or take it out.

HEMMER: And tell me about your son.

LIPSCOMB: Michael was a very strong, very quiet, very enthusiastic. He could be a prankster. He was just one of the blessings from God. I was given four blessings, and he happened to be one of them.

HEMMER: At the end of the film, you are seen on camera reading a letter. LIPSCOMB: Yes.

HEMMER: What was it in that letter that touched you so much?

LIPSCOMB: It was that my son had become so angry, that he was over there -- not just him, but all the people that he was serving with -- were over there for no reason that they could think of and that they could understand, other than the fact that they were over there because their commander in chief had told them that that's what they were supposed to do.

HEMMER: Is it true when you first met Michael Moore that you despised protesters from the first Persian Gulf War?

LIPSCOMB: Yes. Yes.

HEMMER: How do you now reconcile your feelings? Because now you are clearly a changed...

LIPSCOMB: Because I didn't have an understanding back then. I thought the protesters, in my mind, I thought that the protesters were actually protesting the service people because my mind goes back to Vietnam and how my brothers were treated when they came home from Vietnam. That's what I remember about protesters.

But when my -- when the administration called for war and I went to Grand Rapids, Michigan, and I got off the expressway and drove past the city hall in Grand Rapids, protesters were everywhere. And I was so appalled because I felt they were protesting my son. But then it came to me and my light finally went on -- they were not protesting my son. They were protesting the act that made the decision to go to war.

HEMMER: And there is also a scene where you made a visit to the White House.

LIPSCOMB: Yes.

HEMMER: For our viewers, let's listen and watch that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "FAHRENHEIT 9/11")

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Bush is a terrorist.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, he isn't. This is all staged.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, he is. He's a crucifier.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is all staged.

LIPSCOMB: My son...

UNIDENTIFED FEMALE: Where was he killed?

LIPSCOMB: You tell me my son...

UNIDENTIFED FEMALE: Where was he killed?

LIPSCOMB: Is not a stage.

UNIDENTIFED FEMALE: Where was he killed?

LIPSCOMB: He was killed in Karbala April 2nd. It's not a stage. My son is dead.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: Why did you feel it important to go to the White House?

LIPSCOMB: Because as a child I was always raised that if you didn't find answers then you went to the highest level to be able to find those answers. And to me, the highest level was the White House where the decision was made.

HEMMER: You describe yourself as a patriot, right?

LIPSCOMB: Yes. That's exactly right.

HEMMER: It's my understanding you still have an American flag flying every day?

LIPSCOMB: I still have my flag -- exactly right.

HEMMER: How do you then -- because you said you have supported the commander in chief in the past -- how then do you reconcile your feelings now, knowing your loss and knowing that for so long you had supported the decision to go to war.

LIPSCOMB: I didn't support the decision to go to war. I supported that my commander-in-chief had made the proper decision. And what I've come to learn is, had we been told as Americans that the decision was that Saddam was an inhumane human being and the things he were doing was improper to humans and had each of us -- each of us and the United Nations agreed with that -- that would have been different to go to war under those terms.

But that's not what we were told. We were told weapons of mass destruction. We were told a lot of other things, so that's when it changed.

HEMMER: You have said you have been in search of closure.

LIPSCOMB: Exactly, and I continue to be.

HEMMER: It's not there, is it?

LIPSCOMB: No, it's not. Not as long as there's soldiers over in Iraq.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HEMMER: Lipscomb -- Lila Lipscomb again speaking about "Fahrenheit 9/11." She said she's seen it several times and still finds it very difficult to see herself as a part of that film, on screen -- Heidi.

COLLINS: Still to come this morning -- we're paging Dr. Gupta. He's got some important safety tips on how to avoid one of summertime's biggest health risks.

Also ahead -- already a thorn in the coalition's side, a radical cleric does a flip-flop on Iraq's new government.

Plus going for history -- how Lance Armstrong is doing at the start of the Tour de France -- an update just ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Summertime is prime time for Lyme disease. And this year could be the worst on record.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta writes about Lyme disease in this week's "Time" magazine. He also is joining us live from CNN Center. Good morning to you, Sanjay. Doesn't sound good, that's for sure.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. I mean, people sort of underestimate Lyme disease, I think, quite a bit. A lot of people don't know what it is exactly.

It's a bacterial infection and it's certainly more prevalent in the summer month. The reason we write about it in "Time" magazine, the reason why we're concerned about it is that the numbers keep going up. In fact, they went up about 40 percent over the last year or so. And most prevalent between May and August -- certainly a summertime disease, as you say.

This disease is spread by ticks, as you see there. Those ticks actually come from deer or from rodents. They tend to hang out near the ground and they can certainly infect anyone who is walking through wilderness areas, or damp, dusky areas -- things like that. That could be the biggest concern.

Now, the good news, in a way, is that it's really localized to several states. About 95 percent of the cases actually in about 12 states around the country, although 43 of the 48 states are affected.

You can see the highest risk areas there: really the northeast, a little bit in the Midwest, lighter areas in the west coast and south coast that's where you're going to get your minimal or no risk. But again, 43 of the 48 states now have it.

The numbers is most likely to continue to go up, Heidi. A lot of people paying attention to this, so it's a concern that we talk about every summer, Heidi.

COLLINS: Two things that are tough, though, Sanjay -- I found, anyway, coming from the Midwest -- hard to know whether or not it's a deer tick that you are dealing with; and number two, how to find out and figure out if you really do have Lyme disease. It's not easy to diagnose, right? GUPTA: Very good points, both of them. And here's the good news on that. Most people who get bitten by a tick will never even know that they had Lyme disease. It may just go and pass through their body without them really having too much illness.

COLLINS: Yes?

GUPTA: But take a look at this characteristic rash.

COLLINS: Yuck.

GUPTA: They call this the bull's-eye rash. It is a very characteristic rash of Lyme disease. Now, if you have that, there's a chance you've been bitten by the tick that causes Lyme disease.

You also oftentimes get a series of other symptoms, which can be concerning symptoms, such as muscle pain -- that can be, obviously, a little bit vague -- you can get headaches, swollen glands, fever, joint aches, all that sort of stuff. If you have that rash and these sorts of symptoms, there's a good chance that you may develop Lyme disease.

Now, having said all that, it's very easily treatable. You can treat it with an oral antibiotic. If you see these symptoms, go see your doctor. It's just an antibiotic you take by mouth for a few days and that almost always gets rid of the symptoms, Heidi.

COLLINS: So quickly, Sanjay before we let you go, should you be concerned if you live outside of the geographical risky area?

GUPTA: If you've been hiking through woods, if you have that characteristic rash, you maybe need to be a little more concerned, a little bit more vigilant. The tick needs to be on your body for 36 hours for it to cause Lyme disease. I tell you that so that you actually make sure to do a tick check on your body if you have been hiking.

Also wear light-colored clothing that'll make it easier to see the ticks. Insect repellents work well for mosquitoes as well as ticks. Avoid the moist, shady areas -- that's where they like to hang out. And again, that tick check -- so important, Heidi, especially if you've been doing some hiking.

COLLINS: And stay away from your dogs if they have been out there, too, I bet you.

GUPTA: Make sure they don't get it either. Pets can get it as well.

COLLINS: All right. Dr. Sanjay Gupta this morning, we'll look for your article in "Time" magazine.

GUPTA: Thank you.

COLLINS: Thanks so much, Sanjay.

GUPTA: Stay healthy.

COLLINS: Still to come this morning -- John Kerry may have already made up his mind on the biggest decision of his campaign so far. That's just ahead.

And before the break -- a look at July 4th celebrations coming out of Atlanta.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: Forty-six minutes past the hour. Back to Carol Costello looking at other news and starting with politics. Carol, good morning.

COSTELLO: My favorite subject. Thank you, Bill. We do start with politics this morning.

The Kerry campaign set to fill in the vice presidential slot on the Democratic ticket. Sources telling CNN that Democratic front- runner John Kerry has chosen a running mate. No word yet on who it is. An announcement is expected as early as this week.

On the Republican side, President Bush stumping the campaign trail in West Virginia. The president appearing at the state capital yesterday praising the military and veterans and saying the country's founders would be proud of America today.

The president's trip was slowed by a mechanical glitch with Air Force One. A second jet was sent. West Virginia expected to be a key battleground state come November.

Iraq's interim government delaying indefinitely an announcement on a possible amnesty deal with insurgents. The delay comes as radical cleric Muqtada Al-Sadr vows to continue his fight against U.S.-led forces. Al-Sadr calling the new Iraqi government illegitimate and retracting an earlier offer under which Al-Sadr had suggested his men would lay down arms if offered amnesty.

At the Tour de France, defending champion Lance Armstrong is hoping for a record sixth win. Armstrong made a strong showing at the start of the race. He's in third place now as the race heads into its second stage today in Belgium.

And a mega win on the links for Meg Mallon who took home the trophy and a half million dollars at the U.S. Women's Open. Mallon had the lowest final round in the 59-year history of the tournament to beat Annika Sorenstam, who came in second.

In the meantime, Michelle Wie, just 14 years old and 17-year-old Paula Kramer tied for low amateur. They finished in a tie for 13th place. Not bad.

They are having fun across the newsroom, Bill. I don't know what they are laughing at, but I got to go check that out.

HEMMER: Sounds like a holiday down there. COSTELLO: They were messing me up.

HEMMER: You look great in red, so you're wearing the colors today. We'll talk to you again next hour. Thank you, Carol.

Back to Jack. "Question of the Day" here in New York. Good morning.

CAFFERTY: Thank you, Bill.

The Iraqi interim government is thinking about offering amnesty to the insurgents, even the ones responsible for killing American soldiers. Although there's no time-table for a formal announcement, the prime minister Ayad Allawi said yesterday that he's already negotiating with representatives of the radical Muslim cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.

Supporters of this idea say the former insurgents should get a chance to have a fresh start. But U.S. officials have said insurgents who attack coalition forces will face charges in an Iraqi courtroom.

The question this morning is: "Is granting amnesty to insurgents in Iraq the right approach?"

Annette (ph) in Irving, Texas, writes: "Amnesty makes about as much sense as allowing Iraqi troops to just lay down their weapons and walk home. How dumb was that? And probably, half of those are the ones we are now offering amnesty to. If they want amnesty, let them earn it by giving names and locations of those who don't plan to stop the killing."

Mark (ph) in Northridgeville (ph), Ohio: "I don't like the idea, but sometimes the solution to problem is to choose between the lesser of two evils. In this case, let the murderers walk and end the bloodshed, or suffer continued bloodshed and try to hunt them down?"

Dave (ph) in Nevada writes: "We in America have nothing to say about this now, remember? If we were to back off on our handover after one week and intervene now, we would be the laughing stock of the world."

And Reg (ph) in Thunder Bay writes: "If amnesty were not an option for people to make mistakes, there would be only four people left watching Jack."

COLLINS: Whoa.

CAFFERTY: Zero if you don't count his daughters. Thank you, Reg. And happy Fourth of July to you.

HEMMER: Reg is watching, huh? North of the border?

CAFFERTY: Up there in Ontario.

HEMMER: Thanks, Jack.

CAFFERTY: Sure.

COLLINS: Thank you, Jack.

Still to come this morning -- a birthday card for America. We'll show you some of the sights and sounds of Independence Day next on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Revelers in red, white and blue celebrated Independence Day all across the country yesterday. Here's a look at some of the sights and sounds of July 4th.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Today is a day we gather with our friends and family and give thanks to the United States of America, give thanks to the fact that we are citizens in a free land.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And there's our lady liberty who welcomes all.

THOMAS HAMILL, FORMER IRAQI HOSTAGE: We have a mighty country, one nation under God. It looks divided sometimes, but we must stand strong.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Ooh, ah. We had to do it, right?

HEMMER: Cue the soundtrack.

COLLINS: It's so beautiful.

HEMMER: Really good looking stuff.

COLLINS: Too bad we were in bed.

HEMMER: That's all right. Good looking stuff.

Chad Myers is watching the weather outside, too. Tough going in D.C. yesterday, Chad, huh?

CHAD MYERS, CNN WEATHER CORRESPONDENT: It was, and in Baltimore as well. The storm rolled right up I-95 from Richmond and then in Petersburg and just kept right on going right into D.C. And obviously, we had about a million people on the mall all scattering for their cars or for the metro trying to get away from that lightning.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HEMMER: All right, Chad, thanks for that. See you next hour.

Also, next hour here on AMERICAN MORNING, revisiting the case of Sam Shepherd --why some experts talk about it in the same breath as another high-profile case today. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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Aired July 5, 2004 - 7:59   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. Perhaps the biggest decision for John Kerry in his presidential campaign. Word is he's made that decision. Who will be his vice presidential running mate?
An ugly incident from Mexico. Why were U.S. Marines stopped in their tracks while trying to bury a fallen comrade?

And a flame-throwing phenomenon, a look at Michael Moore's hit film, "Fahrenheit 9/11." Hear from a woman who was a big part of that film this hour here on this AMERICAN MORNING.

ANNOUNCER: From the CNN broadcast center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Bill Hemmer and Soledad O'Brien.

HEMMER: Good morning, everybody. Welcome to July 5th. Hope you had a great weekend and good holiday weekend.

Good morning to you.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. Did you have a good weekend?

HEMMER: Yes, actually it was very nice, thank you.

COLLINS: I heard you were water skiing. We have video coming later.

HEMMER: No, we don't. We don't have video of the golf either, and it wasn't pretty.

Heidi is working for Soledad. Good morning, everyone. A lot of political talk to talk about today. We're hearing that John Kerry has made up his mind on his running mate. We'll tell you what the campaign is and actually is not saying more importantly. We'll talk to Ron Brownstein, too, about what's happening in this critical decision for him.

COLLINS: Also, of all of the U.S. troops only one of them can be the oldest. We will talk to 59-year-old Sergeant Clarence Kugler. There he is there. Hello, Sergeant. The oldest enlisted man in Iraq. Find out why he's there and what the younger guys are saying about him.

HEMMER: I guess he's got some experience to share, too.

COLLINS: Yes. HEMMER: Jack Cafferty, good morning to you.

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. Coming up in "The Cafferty File," "Newsweek" magazine reports the gender gap is narrowing when it comes to cheating. Women apparently are cheating almost as much as men, and we hope to have some names and phone numbers by the time we get the "File" on here. And we'll tell you about an apology from a Kentucky newspaper that's coming about 40 years after the civil rights movement. It seems they forgot to cover it. Now they are publishing an apology for that.

COLLINS: I heard about that. It's kind of weird. All right, Jack, thanks so much. We'll check back later.

The question that's been hanging over the presidential campaign of John Kerry is: Who will the Democrat choose as his running mate? Well, there's word this morning Senator Kerry may have made up his mind.

Kelly Wallace has been covering the campaign, joining us now live for more on that.

So, what's the scope? Did he in fact?

KELLY WALLACE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Overnight the word came in, in the middle of the night, that, yes, in fact, he has made a decision. We just don't know who that person is.

COLLINS: It always happens like that.

WALLACE: Always. Continuing to keep us guessing. But here's what a Democratic official is telling CNN -- quote -- "It's clear Kerry has made a decision and is committed to announcing it on his terms with discipline more typically associated with Republican campaigns of yesteryear." This official saying that "obviously means a rapid turn-around."

Now, reporters were looking for all kinds of signs yesterday, and that is when John Kerry spent the day with Governor Tom Vilsack of Iowa. Governor Vilsack is believed to be on the senator's short list.

Neither Kerry nor Vilsack, though, would give any ground. They dodged questions, and John Kerry seemed to be enjoying this guessing game throughout the day.

Other names believed to be on the short list include Missouri Congressman Dick Gephardt, who Kerry is believed to feel very comfortable with, and North Carolina Senator John Edwards, who many Democrats believe would really add the most excitement to the Kerry campaign.

So, we are trying to read the tea leaves, talking to Democratic sources. And, Heidi, this is what we're getting. John Kerry has really studied decisions -- running mate decisions of years past. Ironically, he's very impressed with the president's decision to choose Dick Cheney in 2000, that he believes chemistry is most important and believes geography just doesn't matter anymore.

COLLINS: Interesting, because, you know, traditionally, I mean, you try to choose a VP who is going to get states that maybe you couldn't get. So, what does this turn out to be for him? As far as the decision goes, how important is it then?

WALLACE: Very important for one major reason also. You look at poll after poll, he is not breaking through. Nearly 40 percent, 50 percent of people polled say they just don't know a lot about John Kerry. So, this decision can do a lot for defining John Kerry for voters. How he makes a decision, who he feels comfortable with and what he values, so it is a critical decision for him.

COLLINS: And we'll all be watching and waiting for that word hopefully later this week.

WALLACE: Hopefully.

COLLINS: Kelly Wallace, thanks so much.

WALLACE: Sure.

Bill -- back to you.

HEMMER: All right, Heidi.

How important is this decision? CNN political analyst Ron Brownstein, also a writer for the "L.A. Times," is here to talk about it.

Ron -- good morning.

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Good morning, Bill.

HEMMER: Thanks for making time for us on the holiday.

BROWNSTEIN: Thanks for having me.

HEMMER: Answer the question: Who is it going to be?

BROWNSTEIN: How important. Oh, well, look, I think we all have to tip our hat to John Kerry. I mean, he really has done a good job of keeping this a secret.

I separate the candidates, the contenders into two categories. The conventional wisdom about who are the front-runners, which we're still seeing, began very early, and it began at a point when it seemed this race was going to pivot most on domestic issues. So, we're talking about people like John Edwards of North Carolina, Dick Gephardt of Missouri, Tom Vilsack, the governor of Iowa -- all of whom offer credibility and the ability to deliver a message, mostly on things like health care and the economy.

As the year has gone on, and it's increasingly seemed as though Iraq and national security would be the centerpiece of this race, you have a whole series of other names that have lingered in discussion, whether it's Joe Biden, the former Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman, Wesley Clark, the candidate, Bob Graham of Florida, the former Intelligence Committee chairman, who also brings a state, potentially, help you in a state that is very important.

Right now I think the conventional wisdom is still on the first group, but I would not rule out a surprise of someone who had a little more to say on the national security side.

HEMMER: Ron, about 10 days ago, here's what a CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup Poll turned up. Enthusiastic or satisfied if Kerry picks the following: John Edwards clearly on top of that list, Dick Gephardt behind him at 64 percent, Tom Vilsack farther down the line at 54 percent.

John Edwards has gotten so much attention regarding this. Is it almost a disappointment to the Democratic faithful if he's not chosen?

BROWNSTEIN: A top aide to one of the other contenders said to me yesterday that the biggest reason they thought their candidate might not get picked is that John Kerry would have to absorb two or three days of griping Democrats and reporters asking, why didn't you pick John Edwards?

There seems to be some resistance, obviously, in Kerry world to Edwards. They seem to get along OK. The question, though, was whether Kerry felt that Edwards was moving too fast, running for president in his first term in the Senate. But there is no doubt that John Edwards was a very good campaigner, had a very sharp message -- the two Americas, President Bush honoring wealth, not work. And a lot of Democratic activists around the country really responded to him.

The question here seems to be one more of personal chemistry. But no one should be ruling him out, I think.

HEMMER: I want to try and get to two more topics quickly here, not much time left, Ron. But with the newspaper in Iowa over the weekend, Senator Kerry talked about abortion. On the screen part of his quote: "I oppose abortion personally. I don't like abortion. I believe life does begin at conception, but I can't take my Catholic belief, my article of faith and legislate it on a Protestant or a Jew or atheist who does not share it. We have separation of church and state in the United States of America." Again over the weekend, Sunday in fact.

The Bush campaign has already said this is another indication of him flipping his message yet again. How do you weigh in on how we are to size this up now from the Catholic candidate?

BROWNSTEIN: Well, this, first of all, is something that Catholic politicians have often said. It's a distinction they've often drawn; I think most famously Mario Cuomo in a speech at Notre Dame in the 1980s. Their personal faith leads them one way, but they do not believe they can legislate their personal faith on others. That is a common line for Democratic Catholics.

Now, is he doing it now? A more interesting question. John Kerry over the weekend has spent his time in small town rural America arguing that he has mainstream centrist, even conservative values. The big change in the electorate, Bill, from '96 when Clinton won to 2000 when Gore lost was the Democratic collapse in rural sort of blue highway America. And it's very clear that John Kerry sees one of his major tasks, especially with Dick Cheney going after him over the weekend on issues like guns and abortion, as grounding himself in the cultural mainstream for more culturally-conservative voters in those Midwestern states and elsewhere, who are going to be, I think, really crucial in deciding who the next president is.

HEMMER: On another topic here, the Bush-Cheney campaign apparently has recorded a TV ad with John McCain that is scheduled to be released as soon as John Kerry makes his pick for the vice president, his running mate. What is that message that the Bush- Cheney camp hopes to relay?

BROWNSTEIN: A sharp stick in the eye? You know, John Kerry obviously that hoped John McCain would join him. There are many Democrats who thought that would be a dream ticket. The fact the Bush campaign is out there saying, whoever John Kerry picks is his second choice, and they need to underscore that and dramatize it by having John McCain out there.

John McCain disagrees with the president on a lot of domestic issues, from taxes to the environment, but he is one of the strongest, if not the strongest, supporter in the Senate of his approach to the war on terror, particularly the war in Iraq. And that provides a place where they can come together comfortably and Senator McCain can speak out for the president.

HEMMER: Three weeks to Boston. We're counting down. Thank you, Ron.

BROWNSTEIN: Thank you, Bill.

HEMMER: All right -- Heidi.

COLLINS: Hundreds of American soldiers are headed back to Iraq after spending two weeks at home as part of the military's leave rotation.

And as David Mattingly reports, they are returning to a very different country.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They've been home for the shortest two weeks of their lives, but leave is over. For these soldiers, it's time for the long flight back, back to an Iraq that is now run by Iraqis.

TANYA SIMMONS, WIFE OF SOLDIER: Hopefully now it will take the emphasis off the American soldiers and put it back on the Iraqis.

MATTINGLY: Many of these soldiers watched the handover with their families on television, a reminder of the job waiting for them as they try to lose themselves in the comforts of home.

(on camera): What do you expect to do so when you get back?

(voice-over): They now return talking of mixed emotions, hopeful that the worst is over, mindful of possible dangers ahead.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hopefully, they'll step up and start taking responsibility for their own country, own people in their country.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We'll still wait and see. I mean, we don't know what to expect going back. We don't know what the change is going to be.

MATTINGLY (on camera): When these soldiers get back to Iraq, they'll be returning more experienced than last time. They're smarter, more seasoned. But with that experience they say has come an important lesson: to always be prepared for anything.

(voice-over): Daily episodes of violence since the handover drive the point home that the bloodshed they left behind will be waiting, a certainty that makes a new round of farewells tough for any soldier.

(on camera): Is it harder saying good-bye the second time than it was the first time?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

MATTINGLY: In what way?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Because I have to leave them a second time.

MATTINGLY (voice-over): Sergeant Bonnie Collins holds her two young daughters closely, trying to make the most of their last hours together before mom goes back to Baghdad.

SGT. BONNIE COLLINS, U.S ARMY: Getting through this and getting on the plane will be hard, but once it's done, it's done, and I'll be OK.

MATTINGLY: A 14-hour flight that begins with heartache. Destination: the now familiar, but dangerous nation of Iraq.

David Mattingly, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Tough it must be.

His fellow soldiers call him old school, and Reserve Sergeant Clarence Kugler wears it as a badge of honor. At the age of 59, Kugler is the Army's oldest enlisted man serving in Iraq. He's been there for more than four months now, working with locals at the Iraqi assistance center.

And Sergeant Clarence Kugler is joining us now live from Baghdad this morning.

Sergeant Kugler, thanks for being here.

SGT. CLARENCE KUGLER, U.S. ARMY: Thank you for having me. Good morning.

COLLINS: For starters, tell us a little bit about what it was like for U.S. troops to witness last week that transfer of power, as well as Saddam Hussein being brought before a judge.

KUGLER: I think personally for me it was something that we had been striving for since the breakout of the war. And it was, to us, on a day-by-day basis, we are here to help rebuild this country, and we expect that the trial will take place. And that, of course, we presume everyone innocent before a trial, but we are hoping that the evidence will find Saddam guilty, and that we can go about rebuilding the country.

COLLINS: As we mentioned in introducing you this morning, you are 59 years old. They are saying you are the old guy there. You must have some insight after being a Vietnam War veteran as well that the younger soldiers can benefit from. What are some of those characteristics?

KUGLER: Well, I think in one aspect you learn not to be complacent, that when you are in a combat environment it really is the best of times for soldiering in many ways. You get people helping you and working as a team, and that's a great feeling to be part of a team.

But you still, the bottom line is force protection. We want to bring everyone home. And in a combat environment if you take things for granted, that's when real disaster can happen.

So, the sergeant major here in country says, treat every day like it's your first day here, because it may be your last day.

COLLINS: Yes, some solid advice, that's for sure. And as I'm sure you are well aware, a lot of Americans are watching the news coverage. And what they're seeing is mostly news about fighting the insurgency. But you say that the work that you've been doing with the Civil Affairs Unit there is kind of like the Peace Corps. Explain to our viewers a little bit about what exactly it is that you are doing.

KUGLER: Well, It's real exciting. If you enjoy helping people, and I think most people in civil affairs are really here because they enjoy working with civilian communities throughout the world. And in the next 90 days we have committed $445 million to improving Baghdad. There's going to be new sewer systems put in the city. The electricity is going to be upgraded. There's going to be clean water that hasn't been here before that's going to be brought to the area. And we're going to start cleaning up the city by moving the waste that's throughout the city.

Soldier Sergeant Kugler, are things getting better for Iraqis as you see it? KUGLER: I do see it as getting better for the Iraqis. I see it because when I go out on missions, we get waves. We get signs of approval.

I was in Vietnam, and I saw the faces of civilians at that time, and it's a 360 degrees difference. I think that when we actually in the civil affairs community get a chance to work with the Iraqis, we really see what a decent and moral people these are. It's just a shame that a few people in the area that, you know, want to use violence as a means of communication that they get all the publicity. Because the real heroes of this country are the Iraqis that come to work every day and wait so that this nation can be run by Iraqis.

COLLINS: Sergeant Clarence Kugler this morning. Sir, thanks so much. Hey, when is your birthday?

KUGLER: February 25th in 2005.

COLLINS: All right, OK, you're going to be 60 years old. Wonderful. Thanks so much for your time this morning. We do appreciate it.

KUGLER: Thank you.

HEMMER: A fine example too.

A woman in Alabama surviving three days trapped in her wrecked car driving in Talladega County on Friday. She lost control, veered off the road into dense woods. No one knew she was there until yesterday, on Sunday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL STEVENSON, FOUND WOMAN TRAPPED IN CAR FOR THREE DAYS: There was a van in front of me, and he had stopped in the middle of the road. And they got out, and I stopped behind him and got out. And he said that they had heard something. And when I got out, I heard it, too -- a cry for help.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: A 47-year-old woman hospitalized, listed in good condition. Our best to her in her recovery.

Carol Costello with us today at the CNN center with a look at the other news this morning.

Carol -- how are you? And good morning.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. I'm fine. Thank you Bill.

A senior Saudi official is dismissing reports of a three-way prisoner trade. "The New York Times" is claiming that last year the U.S. returned five Saudi detainees held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. In exchange, Saudi Arabia reportedly released five British citizens and two other Westerners involved in terrorist activities. U.S. officials would not confirm that report.

The U.S. ambassador to Mexico says he is outraged over what happened at the funeral for a Marine there. Mexican troops carrying automatic weapons blocked the path of a Marine Honor Guard at the funeral for Juan Lopez. He was killed in Iraq. The Mexican troops demanded that the Marines hand over their ceremonial rifles, After a few moments, "Taps" was played, and the funeral went on despite the objections of the Mexican troops.

In Fort Lauderdale, Florida, a man in his 30s drove his SUV straight into an airport terminal packed with people. The car slammed into a ticket counter and smashed into a wall. No one was hurt. Two cops and a federal air marshal tackled the driver. Charges against him are now pending.

NASA releases new images from the Cassini spacecraft's fly-by of Saturn's largest moon, Titan. Take a look. These pictures show a fuzzy surface and clouds. This cloud bank is as big as the state of Arizona. This is NASA's very first look at Titan. Astronomers say they are thrilled with the pictures. They are part of a four-year study of Saturn and its moons.

"Spider-Man 2" snaring another box office record. Unofficial estimates are saying the movie took in between $150 million and $155 million since it opened last Wednesday. If true, the total would shatter the record for the best five-day opening. Final numbers expected later today.

Back to you guys in New York.

HEMMER: All right, Carol, thanks for that. And good to have you here with us today.

(WEATHER BREAK)

COLLINS: For decades, a remote Civil War-era fort off the Florida Keys has been crumbling into the Gulf of Mexico. Now, nearly 160 years after its construction began, Fort Jefferson is about to rise again, and it will be no easy task.

Here's John Zarrella.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN MIAMI BUREAU CHIEF (voice over): Standing on scaffolding that hangs from the side of a sheer brick wall, Mike Higginbotham is working to put back together a piece of history that sits surrounded by water in the middle of nowhere.

MIKE HIGGINBOTHAM, PRESERVATION MASON: If you need something, you don't just go to the hardware store and get it. You better hope you brought it out here with you.

ZARRELLA: Higginbotham, a brick mason, and a handful of co- workers are part of phase one of the restoration of one of America's most remote national treasures, Fort Jefferson. The 16 million-brick fort sits in the Gulf of Mexico 70 miles west of Key West on the Dry Tortugas Island. Built in the mid-1800s, it served as a fortress to protect shipping lanes through the Gulf of Mexico.

MIKE RYAN, NATIONAL PARK RANGER: It was designed to be a powerful deterrent. And by building it so powerfully, well, the ultimate goal that no enemy would dare attack.

ZARRELLA: But for 160 years the fort has been under attack by salt air, humidity and baking sun. Iron embedded around brick canon portals called embrasures is rusting. As it does, it expands and displaces the brick, which collapses into the sea.

Because the fort is so remote and accommodations basically nonexistent, 15 to 20 workers at a time, no more, will spend up to a year on the job.

ROSS HUNT, RESTORATION PROJECT MANAGER: We have to capture all of our own drinking water and bathing water, water for doing the construction work itself.

ZARRELLA (on camera): At its peak in 1864, 2,000 people lived here -- military personnel, their families and prisoners. So, just how big is this fort? Well, you could fit two Roman coliseums inside or Yankee Stadium.

(voice over): At one point, the massive prison wing held 900 men. Its most famous guest lived in this room. Dr. Samuel Mudd, sentenced to hard labor for his role in Lincoln's assassination spent four years here. It will take six years and 18 million government dollars to restore the fort to the way it was when Mudd paced the floor in shackles and irons.

John Zarrella, CNN, Fort Jefferson, in the Dry Tortugas.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Wow! Beautiful.

Day trips to Fort Jefferson and Dry Tortugas National Park are available by ferry and seaplane. You can get more information at FortJefferson.com.

HEMMER: In a moment, how would you like to win your wife's weight in beer? Jack Cafferty...

COLLINS: I'm not so sure about that.

HEMMER: Jack Cafferty is on that story this morning.

COLLINS: He always has the good ones, doesn't he?

COLLINS: Also, he's not a superhero or a big green ogre, but Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11" is a box office behemoth nonetheless. A look at the phenomenon coming up.

HEMMER: Also, a big party for a country that doesn't look a day over 227 years old. Ahead this morning here on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Always spectacular, aren't they? That's pretty good. Fireworks at New York Harbor last night. The annual Fourth of July celebration is billed as the largest pyrotechnics display in the country. Security was pretty heavy, but there were no incidents, and people said they felt safe. That's a good thing.

HEMMER: They brought in an extra barge this year down by the Statue of Liberty.

COLLINS: Oh, really?

HEMMER: To give the folks a Jersey a chance to see them as well, not just on the East River. I was asleep.

COLLINS: From what I saw.

HEMMER: Did you see it?

COLLINS: Well, I was showing Jack a diagram here just for the fireworks. The big building in front of where we were, we saw about maybe a 16th of each firework off the side.

CAFFERTY: That's enough. I mean, if you've seen one firecracker, you've seen them all, you know?

HEMMER: Did you hear them?

COLLINS: Oh, yes, we heard them, yes.

CAFFERTY: You can imagine what the rest of it looked like.

COLLINS: Right.

CAFFERTY: Gee, it must be pretty.

COLLINS: Oh, beautiful.

CAFFERTY: All right. The "File" on what will become very obvious to you as a holiday weekend as we move forward here. A long overdue clarification for a Kentucky newspaper. Yesterday's edition of the Lexington "Herald Leader" had a front-page article apologizing for to newspaper's readers that the publication failed to cover the civil rights movement in the 1960s. This is serious stuff.

They wrote -- quote: "It has come to the editor's attention 'The Herald Leader' neglected to cover the civil rights movement. We regret the omission."

COLLINS: All right.

CAFFERTY: This comes as the nation marked the 40th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act in 1964. Women are having almost as many extramarital affairs as men, according to "Newsweek" magazine. This week's cover story reports married women are having affairs at work and meeting men on the Internet at a record pace. And although it's hard to know exactly how many women are cheating, therapists estimate that 40 percent of women that they have counseled have had affairs. That compares to 50 percent of men.

If you do the math, there's a lot of action out there, if you just know where to look.

And the 13th annual wife carrying world championships in Finland over the weekend, Inga Clowso (ph) and Maddis Yusorn (ph) used the famous Estonian carry to snag the gold. Instead of riding traditional piggy-back style, as you can see here, the woman clamps her thighs to the sides of the man's face while hanging upside down on his back. Despite the name of the contest, the couple does not have to be married. The winner gets his wife's weight in beer, which he immediately drinks in order to forget.

HEMMER: That was the Estonian carry, not to be confused with the Latvian carry, which is done in...

CAFFERTY: You know, I don't know about the Latvian carry. How is that done?

HEMMER: I'm not quite sure, but I know it's done somewhere.

COLLINS: I'm sure it exists, yes.

CAFFERTY: That's all I have at the this time.

HEMMER: Well done.

CAFFERTY: We've seen enough of that. Thank you.

HEMMER: Let's go.

Let's get a break here. In a moment here, experts are telling us one of the biggest health risks of the summer is on the rise this year. Sanjay stops by and tells us what we need to know in a moment.

Also, "Fahrenheit 9/11," another strong showing at the box office over the weekend. Meet a woman featured in that film in a scene that some say is the most powerful scene in the movie. Back in a moment here after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: Welcome back, everybody. Kind of feels like July 5th on a Monday morning. Hope you had a good holiday weekend as the holiday continues for most Americans today.

Heidi Collins working for Soledad today.

COLLINS: What does July 5th feel like? Kind of uneventful? HEMMER: Feels like a holiday. Feels like a rainy Monday morning in New York City, doesn't it?

COLLINS: It does, sadly.

HEMMER: We're not far from it.

Top of the news this half hour -- does senator John Kerry have reason to celebrate? A party official telling CNN he's made his decision on a VP running mate.

Now the campaign not disclosing the name, saying Kerry will announce that choice on his own terms. Much more on this as the morning goes along -- Heidi.

COLLINS: Also in a few minutes, an interview with Lila Lipscomb -- actually, you spoke with her, and she's become very well known after being featured in Michael Moore's documentary "Fahrenheit 9/11" -- what she shared with Bill about losing her son in Iraq and the message of the film in her mind.

HEMMER: We'll hear from her in a matter of moments here.

Also this half hour -- Sanjay is back to talk about a scourge of summer, Lyme disease, nasty little bugs that cause it. Why is the problem worse this year than in years past? What you need to know from the good doctor in a moment, so we'll get to that.

In the meantime though -- at the box office, Michael Moore's controversial documentary film "Fahrenheit 9/11" packing movie theaters across the country where it plays. The film not without its controversy -- from both sides, in fact. Entertainment correspondent Sibila Vargas now has more this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAEL MOORE, FILMMAKER: I'm stunned by the response to this. It's absolutely incredible.

SIBILA VARGAS, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The box office success of "Fahrenheit 9/11" not only shocked the filmmaker himself. It sent ripples across the country from Hollywood to Washington.

MOORE: Members of Congress, this is Michael Moore.

TOM O'NEIL, "IN-TOUCH WEEKLY": People don't like to pay money to see something about politics, and they don't pay money to see documentaries. So, the success of this movie is all the more remarkable because of that.

VARGAS: The film's distributor says Michael Moore's scathing documentary about President Bush brought in more money in its opening weekend than any other documentary ever.

From big cities to small towns, the film has become a magnet for the anti-Bush crowd. Though some conservatives have been reluctant to address the issue, counter efforts have been waged. Organizations hoping to discredit Moore claim he manipulates facts and stretches artistic license.

One group, Citizens United, has filed a claim with the Federal Election Commission charging the film's TV ads violate campaign laws.

DAVID BOSSIE, PRES. CITIZENS UNITED: The movie, which I have seen, is full, start to finish, with lies. It's propaganda.

VARGAS: The filmmaker welcomes the criticism.

MOORE: All attempts by Republicans and right-wingers to prohibit the American public from seeing this film, they have only helped the movie. And they are all getting a Christmas card from me this year.

VARGAS: Sibila Vargas, CNN -- Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HEMMER: Let's continue our discussion on whether or not you agree or disagree with that film. It's hard not to feel the pain of one of the central figures -- a mother, Lila Lipscomb whose son died in a Black Hawk helicopter crash in April of 2003.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "FAHRENHEIT 9/11")

LILA LIPSCOMB, SON DIED IN IRAQ: I literally fell on the floor and I was alone. I didn't have anybody to pick me up.

So I literally crawled over to my desk and was hanging on, and I remember screaming -- why does it have to be Michael? Why did you have to take my son? Why is it my son you had to take? He didn't do anything. He wasn't a bad guy. He was a good guy. Why did you have to take my son?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: At the end of last week I spoke with Lila Lipscomb here in New York about how she felt about her role in "9/11."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LIPSCOMB: I was given full reign from the very beginning. Anything that I wasn't comfortable with, it was up to me if I wanted to leave it in or take it out.

HEMMER: And tell me about your son.

LIPSCOMB: Michael was a very strong, very quiet, very enthusiastic. He could be a prankster. He was just one of the blessings from God. I was given four blessings, and he happened to be one of them.

HEMMER: At the end of the film, you are seen on camera reading a letter. LIPSCOMB: Yes.

HEMMER: What was it in that letter that touched you so much?

LIPSCOMB: It was that my son had become so angry, that he was over there -- not just him, but all the people that he was serving with -- were over there for no reason that they could think of and that they could understand, other than the fact that they were over there because their commander in chief had told them that that's what they were supposed to do.

HEMMER: Is it true when you first met Michael Moore that you despised protesters from the first Persian Gulf War?

LIPSCOMB: Yes. Yes.

HEMMER: How do you now reconcile your feelings? Because now you are clearly a changed...

LIPSCOMB: Because I didn't have an understanding back then. I thought the protesters, in my mind, I thought that the protesters were actually protesting the service people because my mind goes back to Vietnam and how my brothers were treated when they came home from Vietnam. That's what I remember about protesters.

But when my -- when the administration called for war and I went to Grand Rapids, Michigan, and I got off the expressway and drove past the city hall in Grand Rapids, protesters were everywhere. And I was so appalled because I felt they were protesting my son. But then it came to me and my light finally went on -- they were not protesting my son. They were protesting the act that made the decision to go to war.

HEMMER: And there is also a scene where you made a visit to the White House.

LIPSCOMB: Yes.

HEMMER: For our viewers, let's listen and watch that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "FAHRENHEIT 9/11")

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Bush is a terrorist.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, he isn't. This is all staged.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, he is. He's a crucifier.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is all staged.

LIPSCOMB: My son...

UNIDENTIFED FEMALE: Where was he killed?

LIPSCOMB: You tell me my son...

UNIDENTIFED FEMALE: Where was he killed?

LIPSCOMB: Is not a stage.

UNIDENTIFED FEMALE: Where was he killed?

LIPSCOMB: He was killed in Karbala April 2nd. It's not a stage. My son is dead.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: Why did you feel it important to go to the White House?

LIPSCOMB: Because as a child I was always raised that if you didn't find answers then you went to the highest level to be able to find those answers. And to me, the highest level was the White House where the decision was made.

HEMMER: You describe yourself as a patriot, right?

LIPSCOMB: Yes. That's exactly right.

HEMMER: It's my understanding you still have an American flag flying every day?

LIPSCOMB: I still have my flag -- exactly right.

HEMMER: How do you then -- because you said you have supported the commander in chief in the past -- how then do you reconcile your feelings now, knowing your loss and knowing that for so long you had supported the decision to go to war.

LIPSCOMB: I didn't support the decision to go to war. I supported that my commander-in-chief had made the proper decision. And what I've come to learn is, had we been told as Americans that the decision was that Saddam was an inhumane human being and the things he were doing was improper to humans and had each of us -- each of us and the United Nations agreed with that -- that would have been different to go to war under those terms.

But that's not what we were told. We were told weapons of mass destruction. We were told a lot of other things, so that's when it changed.

HEMMER: You have said you have been in search of closure.

LIPSCOMB: Exactly, and I continue to be.

HEMMER: It's not there, is it?

LIPSCOMB: No, it's not. Not as long as there's soldiers over in Iraq.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HEMMER: Lipscomb -- Lila Lipscomb again speaking about "Fahrenheit 9/11." She said she's seen it several times and still finds it very difficult to see herself as a part of that film, on screen -- Heidi.

COLLINS: Still to come this morning -- we're paging Dr. Gupta. He's got some important safety tips on how to avoid one of summertime's biggest health risks.

Also ahead -- already a thorn in the coalition's side, a radical cleric does a flip-flop on Iraq's new government.

Plus going for history -- how Lance Armstrong is doing at the start of the Tour de France -- an update just ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Summertime is prime time for Lyme disease. And this year could be the worst on record.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta writes about Lyme disease in this week's "Time" magazine. He also is joining us live from CNN Center. Good morning to you, Sanjay. Doesn't sound good, that's for sure.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. I mean, people sort of underestimate Lyme disease, I think, quite a bit. A lot of people don't know what it is exactly.

It's a bacterial infection and it's certainly more prevalent in the summer month. The reason we write about it in "Time" magazine, the reason why we're concerned about it is that the numbers keep going up. In fact, they went up about 40 percent over the last year or so. And most prevalent between May and August -- certainly a summertime disease, as you say.

This disease is spread by ticks, as you see there. Those ticks actually come from deer or from rodents. They tend to hang out near the ground and they can certainly infect anyone who is walking through wilderness areas, or damp, dusky areas -- things like that. That could be the biggest concern.

Now, the good news, in a way, is that it's really localized to several states. About 95 percent of the cases actually in about 12 states around the country, although 43 of the 48 states are affected.

You can see the highest risk areas there: really the northeast, a little bit in the Midwest, lighter areas in the west coast and south coast that's where you're going to get your minimal or no risk. But again, 43 of the 48 states now have it.

The numbers is most likely to continue to go up, Heidi. A lot of people paying attention to this, so it's a concern that we talk about every summer, Heidi.

COLLINS: Two things that are tough, though, Sanjay -- I found, anyway, coming from the Midwest -- hard to know whether or not it's a deer tick that you are dealing with; and number two, how to find out and figure out if you really do have Lyme disease. It's not easy to diagnose, right? GUPTA: Very good points, both of them. And here's the good news on that. Most people who get bitten by a tick will never even know that they had Lyme disease. It may just go and pass through their body without them really having too much illness.

COLLINS: Yes?

GUPTA: But take a look at this characteristic rash.

COLLINS: Yuck.

GUPTA: They call this the bull's-eye rash. It is a very characteristic rash of Lyme disease. Now, if you have that, there's a chance you've been bitten by the tick that causes Lyme disease.

You also oftentimes get a series of other symptoms, which can be concerning symptoms, such as muscle pain -- that can be, obviously, a little bit vague -- you can get headaches, swollen glands, fever, joint aches, all that sort of stuff. If you have that rash and these sorts of symptoms, there's a good chance that you may develop Lyme disease.

Now, having said all that, it's very easily treatable. You can treat it with an oral antibiotic. If you see these symptoms, go see your doctor. It's just an antibiotic you take by mouth for a few days and that almost always gets rid of the symptoms, Heidi.

COLLINS: So quickly, Sanjay before we let you go, should you be concerned if you live outside of the geographical risky area?

GUPTA: If you've been hiking through woods, if you have that characteristic rash, you maybe need to be a little more concerned, a little bit more vigilant. The tick needs to be on your body for 36 hours for it to cause Lyme disease. I tell you that so that you actually make sure to do a tick check on your body if you have been hiking.

Also wear light-colored clothing that'll make it easier to see the ticks. Insect repellents work well for mosquitoes as well as ticks. Avoid the moist, shady areas -- that's where they like to hang out. And again, that tick check -- so important, Heidi, especially if you've been doing some hiking.

COLLINS: And stay away from your dogs if they have been out there, too, I bet you.

GUPTA: Make sure they don't get it either. Pets can get it as well.

COLLINS: All right. Dr. Sanjay Gupta this morning, we'll look for your article in "Time" magazine.

GUPTA: Thank you.

COLLINS: Thanks so much, Sanjay.

GUPTA: Stay healthy.

COLLINS: Still to come this morning -- John Kerry may have already made up his mind on the biggest decision of his campaign so far. That's just ahead.

And before the break -- a look at July 4th celebrations coming out of Atlanta.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: Forty-six minutes past the hour. Back to Carol Costello looking at other news and starting with politics. Carol, good morning.

COSTELLO: My favorite subject. Thank you, Bill. We do start with politics this morning.

The Kerry campaign set to fill in the vice presidential slot on the Democratic ticket. Sources telling CNN that Democratic front- runner John Kerry has chosen a running mate. No word yet on who it is. An announcement is expected as early as this week.

On the Republican side, President Bush stumping the campaign trail in West Virginia. The president appearing at the state capital yesterday praising the military and veterans and saying the country's founders would be proud of America today.

The president's trip was slowed by a mechanical glitch with Air Force One. A second jet was sent. West Virginia expected to be a key battleground state come November.

Iraq's interim government delaying indefinitely an announcement on a possible amnesty deal with insurgents. The delay comes as radical cleric Muqtada Al-Sadr vows to continue his fight against U.S.-led forces. Al-Sadr calling the new Iraqi government illegitimate and retracting an earlier offer under which Al-Sadr had suggested his men would lay down arms if offered amnesty.

At the Tour de France, defending champion Lance Armstrong is hoping for a record sixth win. Armstrong made a strong showing at the start of the race. He's in third place now as the race heads into its second stage today in Belgium.

And a mega win on the links for Meg Mallon who took home the trophy and a half million dollars at the U.S. Women's Open. Mallon had the lowest final round in the 59-year history of the tournament to beat Annika Sorenstam, who came in second.

In the meantime, Michelle Wie, just 14 years old and 17-year-old Paula Kramer tied for low amateur. They finished in a tie for 13th place. Not bad.

They are having fun across the newsroom, Bill. I don't know what they are laughing at, but I got to go check that out.

HEMMER: Sounds like a holiday down there. COSTELLO: They were messing me up.

HEMMER: You look great in red, so you're wearing the colors today. We'll talk to you again next hour. Thank you, Carol.

Back to Jack. "Question of the Day" here in New York. Good morning.

CAFFERTY: Thank you, Bill.

The Iraqi interim government is thinking about offering amnesty to the insurgents, even the ones responsible for killing American soldiers. Although there's no time-table for a formal announcement, the prime minister Ayad Allawi said yesterday that he's already negotiating with representatives of the radical Muslim cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.

Supporters of this idea say the former insurgents should get a chance to have a fresh start. But U.S. officials have said insurgents who attack coalition forces will face charges in an Iraqi courtroom.

The question this morning is: "Is granting amnesty to insurgents in Iraq the right approach?"

Annette (ph) in Irving, Texas, writes: "Amnesty makes about as much sense as allowing Iraqi troops to just lay down their weapons and walk home. How dumb was that? And probably, half of those are the ones we are now offering amnesty to. If they want amnesty, let them earn it by giving names and locations of those who don't plan to stop the killing."

Mark (ph) in Northridgeville (ph), Ohio: "I don't like the idea, but sometimes the solution to problem is to choose between the lesser of two evils. In this case, let the murderers walk and end the bloodshed, or suffer continued bloodshed and try to hunt them down?"

Dave (ph) in Nevada writes: "We in America have nothing to say about this now, remember? If we were to back off on our handover after one week and intervene now, we would be the laughing stock of the world."

And Reg (ph) in Thunder Bay writes: "If amnesty were not an option for people to make mistakes, there would be only four people left watching Jack."

COLLINS: Whoa.

CAFFERTY: Zero if you don't count his daughters. Thank you, Reg. And happy Fourth of July to you.

HEMMER: Reg is watching, huh? North of the border?

CAFFERTY: Up there in Ontario.

HEMMER: Thanks, Jack.

CAFFERTY: Sure.

COLLINS: Thank you, Jack.

Still to come this morning -- a birthday card for America. We'll show you some of the sights and sounds of Independence Day next on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Revelers in red, white and blue celebrated Independence Day all across the country yesterday. Here's a look at some of the sights and sounds of July 4th.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Today is a day we gather with our friends and family and give thanks to the United States of America, give thanks to the fact that we are citizens in a free land.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And there's our lady liberty who welcomes all.

THOMAS HAMILL, FORMER IRAQI HOSTAGE: We have a mighty country, one nation under God. It looks divided sometimes, but we must stand strong.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Ooh, ah. We had to do it, right?

HEMMER: Cue the soundtrack.

COLLINS: It's so beautiful.

HEMMER: Really good looking stuff.

COLLINS: Too bad we were in bed.

HEMMER: That's all right. Good looking stuff.

Chad Myers is watching the weather outside, too. Tough going in D.C. yesterday, Chad, huh?

CHAD MYERS, CNN WEATHER CORRESPONDENT: It was, and in Baltimore as well. The storm rolled right up I-95 from Richmond and then in Petersburg and just kept right on going right into D.C. And obviously, we had about a million people on the mall all scattering for their cars or for the metro trying to get away from that lightning.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HEMMER: All right, Chad, thanks for that. See you next hour.

Also, next hour here on AMERICAN MORNING, revisiting the case of Sam Shepherd --why some experts talk about it in the same breath as another high-profile case today. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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