CNN.com - Transcripts

Transcript Providers

Return to Transcripts main page

American Morning

Philippines Troops Leave Iraq; Interview With Vanessa Kerry; Aricept Appears to Slow Alzheimer's Disease

Aired July 19, 2004 - 09:30 ET

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

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

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Starts another week of trading on a Monday morning. Dow Jones industrials starting today at 10,139, off on Friday, down about 23 points to the negative side. Same way for the Nasdaq, off about 30 points in trading on Friday -- 1,883 is your opening mark today on a Monday. Now stocks open for business here in New York City.
Welcome back.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: It is just about half past the hour now on this AMERICAN MORNING. Some stories that are making headlines today, Senator John Kerry starting his final push to the Democratic convention. We'll go inside the campaign with his daughter, Vanessa Kerry. Also, get inside the controversy about Senator Hillary Clinton's role at the convention.

HEMMER: Also, Sanjay is back, looking at results of a new study on Alzheimer's drugs. Is it the news that doctors and patients have been hoping for and waiting for? We'll get to that in a moment.

COLLINS: Also, "90-Second Pop" coming up in just a few minutes. Britney Spears a part of the conversation yet again for a decision she reportedly made about a pre-nup.

HEMMER: All right. Stay tuned for that.

In the meantime, 107 days to go in the countdown to the November 2 election. John Kerry's campaign focusing on the South, and especially Florida. VP candidate John Edwards in Florida over the weekend, promising a different outcome from the contested voting results in the year 2000.

President Bush, meanwhile, seems to be putting more effort toward the Midwest. The vice president will be in Missouri and Ohio today. The president not campaigning today, but he's planning to give up his usual August vacation for the re-election effort.

Then when the curtain rises in Boston a week from today, John Kerry eventually will take center stage next week. This morning, we were given a firsthand look at the inside of the FleetCenter in Boston, where preparations under way. Senator Kerry's daughter, Vanessa, set the stage for us, talking with her on AMERICAN MORNING, asking what her father needs to convey at the convention in his speech to reach those who still do not feel they know enough about him.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) VANESSA KERRY, JOHN KERRY'S DAUGHTER: I think that when people hear about my father's history -- having grown up as the son of someone in the Army Air Corps; having gone to Vietnam and fought in the Delta; having been a prosecutor fighting for civil liberties and rights and for Americans here in Massachusetts and going on to be a senator and fighting fights for the environment, fighting for jobs, fighting for the things he's done -- as people hear his history, they're going to get to know him.

But they're also going to get to know what he's going to fight for as president of the United States: jobs for all Americans -- 10 million; fighting for energy independence; early education; healthcare for all Americans; protecting our civil liberties; making this country safer and have more respected in the world. These are things that he's going to begin talking about.

And this country is going to see the side that is the fighter, the side that is passionate, the side that is laughing, the side that I think, you know, is able to understand what the average American is going through. And they're really, I think, going to get to know him next week in this convention hall when he accepts the nomination.

HEMMER: At the end of last week, a number of high profile women were added to the speakers list. Just to name a few: Hillary Clinton will introduce her husband; Nancy Pelosi; Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm; Madeleine Albright.

Were women not fairly represented at the convention before this announcement last week?

KERRY: Women have always been a part of this convention, always been a part of this planning. There's a huge event on Monday night with all the women senators and Mrs. -- Senator Clinton will be introducing her husband. Governor Granholm is speaking on Wednesday. My stepmother, Teresa Heinz, will be speaking.

Women have always been represented in this campaign, if you look at the levels. His campaign manager, his press -- his head of press is a woman, his national co-chair is a woman. I think that that has always been a part of the program, and I think people are going to be excited to see their involvement next week.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HEMMER: Vanessa Kerry earlier today in Boston. The Democratic convention takes place in Boston next week from Monday through Thursday, the 26th of July through the 29th. And AMERICAN MORNING will be there -- Heidi.

COLLINS: The last of the Philippines' troops leave Iraq today. It's a concession the Philippine government has made to kidnappers. Barbara Starr is live at the Pentagon.

Barbara, is this a bad side for the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq then? BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, it could be, Heidi, because, as the Philippines brings home -- brings home its troops to try to save the life of that hostage in Iraq, the question is in the air, can the international coalition really hang in there?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STARR (voice-over): The international coalition of 32 nations that sent troops to Iraq is feeling the strain. Hostage-taking, violent and political pressure on the home front are making several countries rethink their support. Some changes in troop levels were certain after the transition to Iraqi sovereignty, but experts say the coalition must remain broad-based.

GEORGE JOULWAN, FMR. NATO COMMANDER: I think it's very important that we maintain an international force in Iraq. And these pull-outs, for whatever reason, I think are not good for the -- for the perception that this is an international coalition.

STARR: Most countries have sent relatively small numbers of troops, 32 countries totaling just 23,000 troops. Now, Norway, New Zealand, Thailand and the Netherlands are either bringing some of their troops home or planning to withdraw in the months ahead. Honduras and the Dominican Republic also have brought their troops home. After the Madrid train bombings, the new Spanish government withdrew its 1,300 troops.

But others are still going to Iraq. Despite a South Korean hostage being beheaded, Seoul still plans to send 3,000 fresh troops.

SCOTT MCCLELLAN, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Australia has just recently made a commitment to expand their -- the number of troops they have in Iraq. You have a commitment from El Salvador to move forward on a proposal that would extend their troop presence there for up to another year.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STARR (on camera): Now, more than 200,000 Iraqi forces are now the largest security contingent in Iraq, but experts say it's going to be very important to make sure that the coalition just doesn't become Americans and Iraqis -- Heidi.

COLLINS: All right. Barbara Starr live from the Pentagon this morning. Barbara, thank you.

HEMMER: About 24 minutes now before the hour. One of the drugs currently used to treat Alzheimer's patients appears to slow the onset of the disease. Dr. Sanjay Gupta at the CNN Center with more details on this new study that could prove promising.

Sanjay, good morning.

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

This might be the first study that actually shows any medication can actually show the onset of Alzheimer's Disease, and that's why scientists are making a big deal about this. Aricept is the medication, and it has offered moderate relief in the past for patients who already have Alzheimer's.

This study actually being done on 769 people who did not have Alzheimer's yet, but who were at high risk of developing -- developing it because they had something known as mild cognitive impairment.

Again, 769 people in the study. They were broken into three groups. One-third of the group was given Aricept, this medication, another group was given a placebo, and the third group Vitamin E. Take a look at the results here.

What they found, again, for the first time, Donepezil, that's the -- that's the name for the Aricept medication -- actually slowed the onset by six months on average. Not a lot -- not a lot if you think about it in some ways, but a lot in other ways.

No Vitamin E effect. Vitamin E has been something that's been studied quite a bit in its relationship to Alzheimer's. No -- no effect from this study.

At the end of the study, at the end of the three years, most all the patients still had Alzheimer's Disease. So, overall, it slowed down the onset, but it didn't stop it, nor did it cure it at all.

But Bill, again, this coming -- this information coming out of the ninth conference on Alzheimer's Disease, actually finding for the first time medication may slow it down a little bit, and scientists are obviously going to explore that -- Bill.

HEMMER: Let me take you back about a month, Sanjay. You were reporting a British study that talked about this same drug, Aricept, as not being effective. How do we square these two?

GUPTA: Well, now that study was an interesting study as well. And this is an important point, because when you are talking about Alzheimer's, what you are really trying to measure is how functional is somebody, how well can they actually get on with their activities of daily living.

What that study showed was, in fact, that it did increase their function while they were taking their medication. That is, they could dress themselves, they could feed themselves, they might have better memory, things like that.

But it didn't -- didn't slow down their onset of Alzheimer's Disease at all. This study is saying, yes, it improves your function, and, yes, it might slow down the rate of Alzheimer's by about six months, at least in this -- in this one study. So they are not at -- they're not at odds, but adding a little bit more information.

HEMMER: So, just listening to your answer there, based on what you can read into this study, it's worth taking, then, right?

GUPTA: You know, it's an interesting question. Again, I think it becomes a very personal decision when it comes to medications like this. For a lot of people, six months of additional function, six months of additional being able to take care of yourself, is a big deal.

For other people, they say, well, perhaps it's a very expensive medication, it may not be worth the expense. Two things, Bill. One is, based on this studies, you might see insurance companies starting to cover this medication for people who have just cognitive impairment, who don't have Alzheimer's, who are at high risk.

The second thing is that new avenues of research are going to open. We have a long ways to go with Alzheimer's. We don't -- we're not close to a cure, not by a long shot, but some of these medications may prove more valuable in the future. And they're going to be working on that.

HEMMER: All right. Thank you, Sanjay, for that interesting study. We'll see where we go from here.

GUPTA: All right.

HEMMER: Nice to see you.

COLLINS: Still to come, officials in the D.C. area are trying to solve a celebrity murder case. The problem is they have to go back in time about 2,000 years for the evidence.

HEMMER: Also, machines try to take over Will Smith, his life, anyway, in "I, Robot." Oddly enough, that -- that might hit close to home for movie-goers. We'll explain that in "90-Second Pop" on a Monday morning, still to come after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: It's "90-Second Pop" for a Monday, and the gang is all here. Toure, contributing editor for "Rolling Stone"; "New York" magazine contributing editor Sarah Bernard; and Andy Borowitz, chairman and CEO of borowitzreport.com.

OK, now we've got all of those titles out of the way. Let's talk about "I, Robot." It stepped all over Spidey, didn't it? Like 53 million this thing brought in. What's going on here?

TOURE, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR, "ROLLING STONE" MAGAZINE: Every summer Will Smith comes and saves the world. This is the fourth time. It's an American summer tradition.

COLLINS: Really?

TOURE: So, we've got to have Will come. This year, of course, it's technology anxiety that we're afraid of. Robots are going to change the world. And there's the Pinocchio myth. But ultimately, it's a smart -- well, it's Pinocchio because it's a wooden boy -- a wooden doll that wants to become real. So, the robot wants to become real, but ultimately it's just fun. It's a smart action movie. I liked it. I think Andy liked it.

ANDY BOROWITZ, HUMORIST, BOROWITZREPORT.COM: I did like it.

TOURE: Everyone else that I was with in the theater, my crew, didn't like it.

COLLINS: Really?

TOURE: But I loved it. I liked it.

BOROWITZ: So, you went with robots.

TOURE: Right.

BOROWITZ: Robots will hate this film.

COLLINS: They're so hard to please.

BOROWITZ: Robots will hate this film. It doesn't end well for robots.

SARAH BERNARD, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR, "NEW YORK" MAGAZINE: Did you read into it -- all the metaphors?

TOURE: Yes.

BERNARD: ... all of the reviews said? The races metaphors going on. All of the...

TOURE: Well, yes. There's an interesting, like, robot prejudice thing. Like Will Smith doesn't like robots. And he's like the only Archie Bunker of the robot world.

COLLINS: So, you're supposed to take it to a higher level.

TOURE: And it is.

BERNARD: And there's one thing where he's like robot profiling, right?

TOURE: Right, right, right.

BERNARD: Because he thinks the robot did something that it might not have done just because it's a robot.

TOURE: Right.

BERNARD: So, it's got all of these other levels.

COLLINS: Oh. So, it's kind of sad.

BERNARD: Well, yes.

TOURE: Because Will Smith doesn't do brooding very well.

COLLINS: OK. TOURE: So, you know, that sort of element of it is a little slow, but it's fun to have.

COLLINS: All right. Andy, let's get to this next one now. Britney Spears...

BOROWITZ: Right.

COLLINS: ... and Kevin Federline are all over the place these days on the cover of "People" magazine. If you read the tabloids, like I know you guys do, details are now coming out about Britney's nuptials.

BOROWITZ: Right. Are we allowed to say that on TV?

COLLINS: I think so, if you say it carefully.

BOROWITZ: OK. Well, I'm very proud to be on the national Britney Spears desk. I'm thrilled that you approached me with that stuff. Yes, well she is -- I guess this is her second marriage. And she's marrying the dancer, which I guess is the traditional second marriage. That's like J.Lo also did that.

BERNARD: Right.

BOROWITZ: It's very exciting. She's marrying him. And the nuptials, I guess, are budgeted at $1.8 million.

COLLINS: Good lord!

BOROWITZ: Britney has ordered 300 cases of Cristal Champagne, plus she has to get something for the guests to drink. So, it's just a budgetary problem.

BERNARD: I think ginseng for them.

BOROWITZ: Ginseng for them.

TOURE: You know, I mean, there is no pre-nuptial agreement here...

COLLINS: Right.

TOURE: ... which is my favorite part of the story. I want to fast-forward ahead, like, nine, 10 years, to the "Behind the Music," like how Britney lost it all. I mean, this is going to be the most exciting...

BOROWITZ: Britney should be in a movie called "I, Idiot," I think.

BERNARD: Oh, no!

BOROWITZ: The pre-nuptial thing...

BERNARD: No! COLLINS: Yikes!

BERNARD: I think this is the most rebellious thing she can do, right?

She's rebelled in every other way. She's like, mom, I'm not going to have a pre-nup. That's like the ultimate...

TOURE: Right.

COLLINS: So, it doesn't have anything to do with, like, really loving the guy and just not feeling like that's necessary, right?

BOROWITZ: Well, maybe she does. I don't know.

BERNARD: We're like, no. No way!

COLLINS: And you can't go that far, can you? All right.

BOROWITZ: She's got 55 hours of marriage experience under her belt.

BERNARD: That's right. She's...

BOROWITZ: This one is going to work. Take that to the bank.

COLLINS: All right, you guys, thanks so much for being with us as always. Andy, Sarah and Toure, thanks again -- Bill.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HEMMER: All right, Heidi.

Forty-five minutes past the hour. Authorities taking the fight against terrorism to small-town America. We'll explain that after the break. Back in a moment after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: About 48 minutes past the hour. Back to Daryn Kagan and a check of the headlines this morning.

Daryn, good morning to you.

DARYN KAGAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill.

Let's start in Iraq. That is where the defense ministry is confirming one of its top officials has been assassinated in Baghdad. The announcement comes just hours after a truck bomb killed at least nine people near a police station. About 60 others were injured.

Meanwhile, an Islamic Web site says that insurgents are promising $280,000 to anyone who kills interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi.

Here in the U.S., officials are taking the fight against terrorism on the road. The CIA and the FBI have been sending experts to small towns across the U.S. to brief authorities on the terror threat. An official tells CNN the project began several weeks ago.

And a reported fuss over what actually killed Alexander the Great. The Macedonian king ruled over most of the known world at the time of his death, more than 2,300 years ago. Now, according to "The Washington Post," medical teams in Virginia and Maryland are at odds over the reason for his death. There's competing diagnoses typhoid and a brain inflammation caused by the West Nile virus.

It sounds like a case for Dr. Gupta.

HEMMER: That's right.

KAGAN: Bill -- yes, I've got to tell you, I've very excited about a guest I have coming up in the next hour.

HEMMER: Go right ahead.

KAGAN: We have Governor Mike Huckabee of Arkansas. In the last year, he has lost 105 pounds, and now he is leading the entire state of Arkansas to become healthier and has some different takes on how that should happen. One hundred and five pounds.

HEMMER: He has been an inspiration for the people back in his state, yes, you're right. Thanks, Daryn. We'll look for that, OK?

KAGAN: All right. OK.

HEMMER: All right -- Heidi.

COLLINS: The Iraqi Stock Exchange is now open for business. And with that, and a check on Wall Street, Christine Romans here, "Minding Your Business."

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there.

COLLINS: Andy Serwer is off, but wow, that's a very interesting story.

ROMANS: It is. It is. And before I get to the Iraqi Stock Exchange, which is very small, let's go to the biggest stock exchange, that's the New York Stock Exchange, and see what's happening this morning.

You can see the Dow industrials up just a shy six points. We're watching Boeing here today, because Boeing late Friday settled a sex discrimination lawsuit. It will pay out between $41 and $73 million, and it will change the way that it decides starting salaries, evaluations, and overtime. So, watch that one. Also, watch some of these earnings reports we've been telling you about, Kraft and 3M among them.

And then, the Iraq stock market. The Iraq Stock Exchange...

COLLINS: Business is good, too.

ROMANS: Yes. Well, it opened yesterday on a Sunday. It's done about $10 million worth of business.

The pictures are great. That's inside an old restaurant, and you can sort of look in through the windows -- it used to be the courtyard of the restaurant -- and see the floor of the Iraq Stock Exchange. It used to be called the Baghdad Stock Exchange, but it was notoriously corrupt and used by the Saddam Hussein family. They would sort of just reissue stock when they felt like it.

But back in business. And it's interesting. The folks who are tied to that exchange say that the blue chips in the Iraq stock market will likely be tourism and hotel-type stocks and companies, which I think is...

COLLINS: Wow.

ROMANS: ... is very interesting. Ten million dollars worth of business. To put that into perspective, on Friday, the New York Stock Exchange did $46 billion on a very, very slow day.

COLLINS: Yes. That's nice. All right. Makes sense.

ROMANS: That also a nice little start, though.

COLLINS: All right. Thanks so much, Christine Romans.

ROMANS: Sure.

COLLINS: Still to come this morning -- one programming note first, though. Tonight on CNN Martha Stewart joins Larry King for her only live prime-time interview. She will also be taking your phone calls. That's tonight at 9:00 on "LARRY KING LIVE."

HEMMER: Let's get a break here. In a moment, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger lifted a joke from "Saturday Night Live" over the weekend. Democrats and some activists not laughing, though. What they have to say about what he said ahead after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: Welcome back, everyone. "Question of the Day" and our friend, Jack.

CAFFERTY: How you doing?

Governor Schwarzenegger, should he apologize for calling some Democratic members of the legislature "girlie-men?" He said that they are holding up passage of the budget and they are "girlie-men" for not admitting to the voting public that they are being held hostage by the special interests.

Bill in Fair Lawn, New Jersey writes this: "Absolutely not. Enough with this politically correct nonsense. Arnold says it like he sees it. Bravo."

Joe in Pittsburgh writes: "Dick Cheney drops the 'F' bomb on the Senate floor and it's therapeutic. Arnold hurls blanket invectives at those who disagree and it's humor. OK, fair enough. In that spirit, all I can offer is, Herr Gropinfuhrer (ph) can go Cheney himself."

(LAUGHTER)

CAFFERTY: And David -- I really like that one. And David in Chicago writes: "Jack, of course Governor Schwarzenegger should apologize. I am sure 'girlie-men' everywhere are insulted being compared to politicians."

Thank you for making my return to work a pleasant one.

HEMMER: And welcome back.

CAFFERTY: They done good the writers this morning.

HEMMER: You're right.

Coming up on CNN next hour, more on that scary moment over the weekend for Dale Earnhardt Jr. Daryn has more on that and the -- the close call there, and his condition also, as well, as we track that down, that story in California.

We are back in a moment on AMERICAN MORNING with Jack and Heidi after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: Before we get out of here, we should explain this. Across the street at Radio City Music Hall, the Republicans are coming to town in about a month for their convention. And to retrofit Madison Square Garden, the liberty -- the New York Liberty, the women's basketball team in the WNBA...

COLLINS: They kicked them out.

HEMMER: ... will play half a dozen games inside Radio City Music Hall.

CAFFERTY: There you go.

HEMMER: Now, where do you fit that inside there, Jack?

CAFFERTY: I don't know. I guess on the stage. It's got a very big stage. They'll -- they'll -- you know, they'll figure it out.

COLLINS: Yes. The Rockettes have been doing it.

(CROSSTALK)

CAFFERTY: The Rockettes are available.

HEMMER: A big stage is one thing.

CAFFERTY: They need extra substitutes. I believe it will be fun.

HEMMER: All right. Well, we tip off tomorrow morning at 7:00 a.m. Eastern Time.

CAFFERTY: How nice. Very good.

HEMMER: We'll see you all tomorrow. Christine, don't be late.

CAFFERTY: That's that?

HEMMER: Here's Daryn Kagan at the CNN Center.

Good morning, Daryn.

(CROSSTALK)

KAGAN: I can't figure out how they're going to do that, but I guess if they fit camels and elephants and all that stuff during the Christmas show, they can figure out how to fit in a bunch of NB -- WNBA players.

COLLINS: There you go.

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

Aired July 19, 2004 - 09:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Starts another week of trading on a Monday morning. Dow Jones industrials starting today at 10,139, off on Friday, down about 23 points to the negative side. Same way for the Nasdaq, off about 30 points in trading on Friday -- 1,883 is your opening mark today on a Monday. Now stocks open for business here in New York City.
Welcome back.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: It is just about half past the hour now on this AMERICAN MORNING. Some stories that are making headlines today, Senator John Kerry starting his final push to the Democratic convention. We'll go inside the campaign with his daughter, Vanessa Kerry. Also, get inside the controversy about Senator Hillary Clinton's role at the convention.

HEMMER: Also, Sanjay is back, looking at results of a new study on Alzheimer's drugs. Is it the news that doctors and patients have been hoping for and waiting for? We'll get to that in a moment.

COLLINS: Also, "90-Second Pop" coming up in just a few minutes. Britney Spears a part of the conversation yet again for a decision she reportedly made about a pre-nup.

HEMMER: All right. Stay tuned for that.

In the meantime, 107 days to go in the countdown to the November 2 election. John Kerry's campaign focusing on the South, and especially Florida. VP candidate John Edwards in Florida over the weekend, promising a different outcome from the contested voting results in the year 2000.

President Bush, meanwhile, seems to be putting more effort toward the Midwest. The vice president will be in Missouri and Ohio today. The president not campaigning today, but he's planning to give up his usual August vacation for the re-election effort.

Then when the curtain rises in Boston a week from today, John Kerry eventually will take center stage next week. This morning, we were given a firsthand look at the inside of the FleetCenter in Boston, where preparations under way. Senator Kerry's daughter, Vanessa, set the stage for us, talking with her on AMERICAN MORNING, asking what her father needs to convey at the convention in his speech to reach those who still do not feel they know enough about him.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) VANESSA KERRY, JOHN KERRY'S DAUGHTER: I think that when people hear about my father's history -- having grown up as the son of someone in the Army Air Corps; having gone to Vietnam and fought in the Delta; having been a prosecutor fighting for civil liberties and rights and for Americans here in Massachusetts and going on to be a senator and fighting fights for the environment, fighting for jobs, fighting for the things he's done -- as people hear his history, they're going to get to know him.

But they're also going to get to know what he's going to fight for as president of the United States: jobs for all Americans -- 10 million; fighting for energy independence; early education; healthcare for all Americans; protecting our civil liberties; making this country safer and have more respected in the world. These are things that he's going to begin talking about.

And this country is going to see the side that is the fighter, the side that is passionate, the side that is laughing, the side that I think, you know, is able to understand what the average American is going through. And they're really, I think, going to get to know him next week in this convention hall when he accepts the nomination.

HEMMER: At the end of last week, a number of high profile women were added to the speakers list. Just to name a few: Hillary Clinton will introduce her husband; Nancy Pelosi; Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm; Madeleine Albright.

Were women not fairly represented at the convention before this announcement last week?

KERRY: Women have always been a part of this convention, always been a part of this planning. There's a huge event on Monday night with all the women senators and Mrs. -- Senator Clinton will be introducing her husband. Governor Granholm is speaking on Wednesday. My stepmother, Teresa Heinz, will be speaking.

Women have always been represented in this campaign, if you look at the levels. His campaign manager, his press -- his head of press is a woman, his national co-chair is a woman. I think that that has always been a part of the program, and I think people are going to be excited to see their involvement next week.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HEMMER: Vanessa Kerry earlier today in Boston. The Democratic convention takes place in Boston next week from Monday through Thursday, the 26th of July through the 29th. And AMERICAN MORNING will be there -- Heidi.

COLLINS: The last of the Philippines' troops leave Iraq today. It's a concession the Philippine government has made to kidnappers. Barbara Starr is live at the Pentagon.

Barbara, is this a bad side for the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq then? BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, it could be, Heidi, because, as the Philippines brings home -- brings home its troops to try to save the life of that hostage in Iraq, the question is in the air, can the international coalition really hang in there?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STARR (voice-over): The international coalition of 32 nations that sent troops to Iraq is feeling the strain. Hostage-taking, violent and political pressure on the home front are making several countries rethink their support. Some changes in troop levels were certain after the transition to Iraqi sovereignty, but experts say the coalition must remain broad-based.

GEORGE JOULWAN, FMR. NATO COMMANDER: I think it's very important that we maintain an international force in Iraq. And these pull-outs, for whatever reason, I think are not good for the -- for the perception that this is an international coalition.

STARR: Most countries have sent relatively small numbers of troops, 32 countries totaling just 23,000 troops. Now, Norway, New Zealand, Thailand and the Netherlands are either bringing some of their troops home or planning to withdraw in the months ahead. Honduras and the Dominican Republic also have brought their troops home. After the Madrid train bombings, the new Spanish government withdrew its 1,300 troops.

But others are still going to Iraq. Despite a South Korean hostage being beheaded, Seoul still plans to send 3,000 fresh troops.

SCOTT MCCLELLAN, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Australia has just recently made a commitment to expand their -- the number of troops they have in Iraq. You have a commitment from El Salvador to move forward on a proposal that would extend their troop presence there for up to another year.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STARR (on camera): Now, more than 200,000 Iraqi forces are now the largest security contingent in Iraq, but experts say it's going to be very important to make sure that the coalition just doesn't become Americans and Iraqis -- Heidi.

COLLINS: All right. Barbara Starr live from the Pentagon this morning. Barbara, thank you.

HEMMER: About 24 minutes now before the hour. One of the drugs currently used to treat Alzheimer's patients appears to slow the onset of the disease. Dr. Sanjay Gupta at the CNN Center with more details on this new study that could prove promising.

Sanjay, good morning.

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

This might be the first study that actually shows any medication can actually show the onset of Alzheimer's Disease, and that's why scientists are making a big deal about this. Aricept is the medication, and it has offered moderate relief in the past for patients who already have Alzheimer's.

This study actually being done on 769 people who did not have Alzheimer's yet, but who were at high risk of developing -- developing it because they had something known as mild cognitive impairment.

Again, 769 people in the study. They were broken into three groups. One-third of the group was given Aricept, this medication, another group was given a placebo, and the third group Vitamin E. Take a look at the results here.

What they found, again, for the first time, Donepezil, that's the -- that's the name for the Aricept medication -- actually slowed the onset by six months on average. Not a lot -- not a lot if you think about it in some ways, but a lot in other ways.

No Vitamin E effect. Vitamin E has been something that's been studied quite a bit in its relationship to Alzheimer's. No -- no effect from this study.

At the end of the study, at the end of the three years, most all the patients still had Alzheimer's Disease. So, overall, it slowed down the onset, but it didn't stop it, nor did it cure it at all.

But Bill, again, this coming -- this information coming out of the ninth conference on Alzheimer's Disease, actually finding for the first time medication may slow it down a little bit, and scientists are obviously going to explore that -- Bill.

HEMMER: Let me take you back about a month, Sanjay. You were reporting a British study that talked about this same drug, Aricept, as not being effective. How do we square these two?

GUPTA: Well, now that study was an interesting study as well. And this is an important point, because when you are talking about Alzheimer's, what you are really trying to measure is how functional is somebody, how well can they actually get on with their activities of daily living.

What that study showed was, in fact, that it did increase their function while they were taking their medication. That is, they could dress themselves, they could feed themselves, they might have better memory, things like that.

But it didn't -- didn't slow down their onset of Alzheimer's Disease at all. This study is saying, yes, it improves your function, and, yes, it might slow down the rate of Alzheimer's by about six months, at least in this -- in this one study. So they are not at -- they're not at odds, but adding a little bit more information.

HEMMER: So, just listening to your answer there, based on what you can read into this study, it's worth taking, then, right?

GUPTA: You know, it's an interesting question. Again, I think it becomes a very personal decision when it comes to medications like this. For a lot of people, six months of additional function, six months of additional being able to take care of yourself, is a big deal.

For other people, they say, well, perhaps it's a very expensive medication, it may not be worth the expense. Two things, Bill. One is, based on this studies, you might see insurance companies starting to cover this medication for people who have just cognitive impairment, who don't have Alzheimer's, who are at high risk.

The second thing is that new avenues of research are going to open. We have a long ways to go with Alzheimer's. We don't -- we're not close to a cure, not by a long shot, but some of these medications may prove more valuable in the future. And they're going to be working on that.

HEMMER: All right. Thank you, Sanjay, for that interesting study. We'll see where we go from here.

GUPTA: All right.

HEMMER: Nice to see you.

COLLINS: Still to come, officials in the D.C. area are trying to solve a celebrity murder case. The problem is they have to go back in time about 2,000 years for the evidence.

HEMMER: Also, machines try to take over Will Smith, his life, anyway, in "I, Robot." Oddly enough, that -- that might hit close to home for movie-goers. We'll explain that in "90-Second Pop" on a Monday morning, still to come after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: It's "90-Second Pop" for a Monday, and the gang is all here. Toure, contributing editor for "Rolling Stone"; "New York" magazine contributing editor Sarah Bernard; and Andy Borowitz, chairman and CEO of borowitzreport.com.

OK, now we've got all of those titles out of the way. Let's talk about "I, Robot." It stepped all over Spidey, didn't it? Like 53 million this thing brought in. What's going on here?

TOURE, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR, "ROLLING STONE" MAGAZINE: Every summer Will Smith comes and saves the world. This is the fourth time. It's an American summer tradition.

COLLINS: Really?

TOURE: So, we've got to have Will come. This year, of course, it's technology anxiety that we're afraid of. Robots are going to change the world. And there's the Pinocchio myth. But ultimately, it's a smart -- well, it's Pinocchio because it's a wooden boy -- a wooden doll that wants to become real. So, the robot wants to become real, but ultimately it's just fun. It's a smart action movie. I liked it. I think Andy liked it.

ANDY BOROWITZ, HUMORIST, BOROWITZREPORT.COM: I did like it.

TOURE: Everyone else that I was with in the theater, my crew, didn't like it.

COLLINS: Really?

TOURE: But I loved it. I liked it.

BOROWITZ: So, you went with robots.

TOURE: Right.

BOROWITZ: Robots will hate this film.

COLLINS: They're so hard to please.

BOROWITZ: Robots will hate this film. It doesn't end well for robots.

SARAH BERNARD, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR, "NEW YORK" MAGAZINE: Did you read into it -- all the metaphors?

TOURE: Yes.

BERNARD: ... all of the reviews said? The races metaphors going on. All of the...

TOURE: Well, yes. There's an interesting, like, robot prejudice thing. Like Will Smith doesn't like robots. And he's like the only Archie Bunker of the robot world.

COLLINS: So, you're supposed to take it to a higher level.

TOURE: And it is.

BERNARD: And there's one thing where he's like robot profiling, right?

TOURE: Right, right, right.

BERNARD: Because he thinks the robot did something that it might not have done just because it's a robot.

TOURE: Right.

BERNARD: So, it's got all of these other levels.

COLLINS: Oh. So, it's kind of sad.

BERNARD: Well, yes.

TOURE: Because Will Smith doesn't do brooding very well.

COLLINS: OK. TOURE: So, you know, that sort of element of it is a little slow, but it's fun to have.

COLLINS: All right. Andy, let's get to this next one now. Britney Spears...

BOROWITZ: Right.

COLLINS: ... and Kevin Federline are all over the place these days on the cover of "People" magazine. If you read the tabloids, like I know you guys do, details are now coming out about Britney's nuptials.

BOROWITZ: Right. Are we allowed to say that on TV?

COLLINS: I think so, if you say it carefully.

BOROWITZ: OK. Well, I'm very proud to be on the national Britney Spears desk. I'm thrilled that you approached me with that stuff. Yes, well she is -- I guess this is her second marriage. And she's marrying the dancer, which I guess is the traditional second marriage. That's like J.Lo also did that.

BERNARD: Right.

BOROWITZ: It's very exciting. She's marrying him. And the nuptials, I guess, are budgeted at $1.8 million.

COLLINS: Good lord!

BOROWITZ: Britney has ordered 300 cases of Cristal Champagne, plus she has to get something for the guests to drink. So, it's just a budgetary problem.

BERNARD: I think ginseng for them.

BOROWITZ: Ginseng for them.

TOURE: You know, I mean, there is no pre-nuptial agreement here...

COLLINS: Right.

TOURE: ... which is my favorite part of the story. I want to fast-forward ahead, like, nine, 10 years, to the "Behind the Music," like how Britney lost it all. I mean, this is going to be the most exciting...

BOROWITZ: Britney should be in a movie called "I, Idiot," I think.

BERNARD: Oh, no!

BOROWITZ: The pre-nuptial thing...

BERNARD: No! COLLINS: Yikes!

BERNARD: I think this is the most rebellious thing she can do, right?

She's rebelled in every other way. She's like, mom, I'm not going to have a pre-nup. That's like the ultimate...

TOURE: Right.

COLLINS: So, it doesn't have anything to do with, like, really loving the guy and just not feeling like that's necessary, right?

BOROWITZ: Well, maybe she does. I don't know.

BERNARD: We're like, no. No way!

COLLINS: And you can't go that far, can you? All right.

BOROWITZ: She's got 55 hours of marriage experience under her belt.

BERNARD: That's right. She's...

BOROWITZ: This one is going to work. Take that to the bank.

COLLINS: All right, you guys, thanks so much for being with us as always. Andy, Sarah and Toure, thanks again -- Bill.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HEMMER: All right, Heidi.

Forty-five minutes past the hour. Authorities taking the fight against terrorism to small-town America. We'll explain that after the break. Back in a moment after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: About 48 minutes past the hour. Back to Daryn Kagan and a check of the headlines this morning.

Daryn, good morning to you.

DARYN KAGAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill.

Let's start in Iraq. That is where the defense ministry is confirming one of its top officials has been assassinated in Baghdad. The announcement comes just hours after a truck bomb killed at least nine people near a police station. About 60 others were injured.

Meanwhile, an Islamic Web site says that insurgents are promising $280,000 to anyone who kills interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi.

Here in the U.S., officials are taking the fight against terrorism on the road. The CIA and the FBI have been sending experts to small towns across the U.S. to brief authorities on the terror threat. An official tells CNN the project began several weeks ago.

And a reported fuss over what actually killed Alexander the Great. The Macedonian king ruled over most of the known world at the time of his death, more than 2,300 years ago. Now, according to "The Washington Post," medical teams in Virginia and Maryland are at odds over the reason for his death. There's competing diagnoses typhoid and a brain inflammation caused by the West Nile virus.

It sounds like a case for Dr. Gupta.

HEMMER: That's right.

KAGAN: Bill -- yes, I've got to tell you, I've very excited about a guest I have coming up in the next hour.

HEMMER: Go right ahead.

KAGAN: We have Governor Mike Huckabee of Arkansas. In the last year, he has lost 105 pounds, and now he is leading the entire state of Arkansas to become healthier and has some different takes on how that should happen. One hundred and five pounds.

HEMMER: He has been an inspiration for the people back in his state, yes, you're right. Thanks, Daryn. We'll look for that, OK?

KAGAN: All right. OK.

HEMMER: All right -- Heidi.

COLLINS: The Iraqi Stock Exchange is now open for business. And with that, and a check on Wall Street, Christine Romans here, "Minding Your Business."

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there.

COLLINS: Andy Serwer is off, but wow, that's a very interesting story.

ROMANS: It is. It is. And before I get to the Iraqi Stock Exchange, which is very small, let's go to the biggest stock exchange, that's the New York Stock Exchange, and see what's happening this morning.

You can see the Dow industrials up just a shy six points. We're watching Boeing here today, because Boeing late Friday settled a sex discrimination lawsuit. It will pay out between $41 and $73 million, and it will change the way that it decides starting salaries, evaluations, and overtime. So, watch that one. Also, watch some of these earnings reports we've been telling you about, Kraft and 3M among them.

And then, the Iraq stock market. The Iraq Stock Exchange...

COLLINS: Business is good, too.

ROMANS: Yes. Well, it opened yesterday on a Sunday. It's done about $10 million worth of business.

The pictures are great. That's inside an old restaurant, and you can sort of look in through the windows -- it used to be the courtyard of the restaurant -- and see the floor of the Iraq Stock Exchange. It used to be called the Baghdad Stock Exchange, but it was notoriously corrupt and used by the Saddam Hussein family. They would sort of just reissue stock when they felt like it.

But back in business. And it's interesting. The folks who are tied to that exchange say that the blue chips in the Iraq stock market will likely be tourism and hotel-type stocks and companies, which I think is...

COLLINS: Wow.

ROMANS: ... is very interesting. Ten million dollars worth of business. To put that into perspective, on Friday, the New York Stock Exchange did $46 billion on a very, very slow day.

COLLINS: Yes. That's nice. All right. Makes sense.

ROMANS: That also a nice little start, though.

COLLINS: All right. Thanks so much, Christine Romans.

ROMANS: Sure.

COLLINS: Still to come this morning -- one programming note first, though. Tonight on CNN Martha Stewart joins Larry King for her only live prime-time interview. She will also be taking your phone calls. That's tonight at 9:00 on "LARRY KING LIVE."

HEMMER: Let's get a break here. In a moment, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger lifted a joke from "Saturday Night Live" over the weekend. Democrats and some activists not laughing, though. What they have to say about what he said ahead after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: Welcome back, everyone. "Question of the Day" and our friend, Jack.

CAFFERTY: How you doing?

Governor Schwarzenegger, should he apologize for calling some Democratic members of the legislature "girlie-men?" He said that they are holding up passage of the budget and they are "girlie-men" for not admitting to the voting public that they are being held hostage by the special interests.

Bill in Fair Lawn, New Jersey writes this: "Absolutely not. Enough with this politically correct nonsense. Arnold says it like he sees it. Bravo."

Joe in Pittsburgh writes: "Dick Cheney drops the 'F' bomb on the Senate floor and it's therapeutic. Arnold hurls blanket invectives at those who disagree and it's humor. OK, fair enough. In that spirit, all I can offer is, Herr Gropinfuhrer (ph) can go Cheney himself."

(LAUGHTER)

CAFFERTY: And David -- I really like that one. And David in Chicago writes: "Jack, of course Governor Schwarzenegger should apologize. I am sure 'girlie-men' everywhere are insulted being compared to politicians."

Thank you for making my return to work a pleasant one.

HEMMER: And welcome back.

CAFFERTY: They done good the writers this morning.

HEMMER: You're right.

Coming up on CNN next hour, more on that scary moment over the weekend for Dale Earnhardt Jr. Daryn has more on that and the -- the close call there, and his condition also, as well, as we track that down, that story in California.

We are back in a moment on AMERICAN MORNING with Jack and Heidi after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: Before we get out of here, we should explain this. Across the street at Radio City Music Hall, the Republicans are coming to town in about a month for their convention. And to retrofit Madison Square Garden, the liberty -- the New York Liberty, the women's basketball team in the WNBA...

COLLINS: They kicked them out.

HEMMER: ... will play half a dozen games inside Radio City Music Hall.

CAFFERTY: There you go.

HEMMER: Now, where do you fit that inside there, Jack?

CAFFERTY: I don't know. I guess on the stage. It's got a very big stage. They'll -- they'll -- you know, they'll figure it out.

COLLINS: Yes. The Rockettes have been doing it.

(CROSSTALK)

CAFFERTY: The Rockettes are available.

HEMMER: A big stage is one thing.

CAFFERTY: They need extra substitutes. I believe it will be fun.

HEMMER: All right. Well, we tip off tomorrow morning at 7:00 a.m. Eastern Time.

CAFFERTY: How nice. Very good.

HEMMER: We'll see you all tomorrow. Christine, don't be late.

CAFFERTY: That's that?

HEMMER: Here's Daryn Kagan at the CNN Center.

Good morning, Daryn.

(CROSSTALK)

KAGAN: I can't figure out how they're going to do that, but I guess if they fit camels and elephants and all that stuff during the Christmas show, they can figure out how to fit in a bunch of NB -- WNBA players.

COLLINS: There you go.

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