Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Live At Daybreak
Underground Railroad Freedom Center Opens Today; Weight Loss Alternative
Aired August 23, 2004 - 06:30 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.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: A major monument to freedom opens today. It's the national Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati, Ohio, and we want to take you live to Cincinnati now. The center's outreach director, Susan Finster, joins us.
Good morning.
SUSAN FINSTER, UNDERGROUND RAILROAD FREEDOM CENTER: Good morning, Carol.
COSTELLO: Tell us what's going to happen this morning.
FINSTER: Well, we've got a very exciting day planned. It starts at noon. We have a Festival of Freedom, and our most prominent feature is a children's village. And we have over 100 activities and performances that are going to take on until 9:00 tonight.
COSTELLO: And Laura Bush is going to be there as well, right?
FINSTER: Laura Bush will be here tonight to deliver a dialogue with Dr. Spencer Crew (ph), our CEO.
COSTELLO: Tell us about some of the darker exhibits on display.
FINSTER: Well, of course, slavery did exist around the world, and still exists around the world. We have some slavery freedom that really depicts the darkest period in America with slavery. And, of course, one of our keynote exhibits is our historic slave pen that resided in nearby Kentucky, where it was a home for slaves being transported from the North to the South until they were sold.
COSTELLO: Describe that for us. What was that like?
FINSTER: Well, it has to do with the movement of slaves across the country from North to South during the rise of cotton. And actually it is a log cabin. And many years, many of these dotted the landscape. Slaves were held in reserve here until they got enough to float down the river and to take to the slave market. So, really they were holding pens for slaves.
COSTELLO: What do you hope that people will get from this as they move through the exhibits?
FINSTER: Well, one of the things that we know that they will understand is that the cooperation and courage that came from the slavery movement will inspire people today to act in their own communities and to take a step forward and stand up for what's right. So, we hope to inspire people through the exhibits and to teach them the true history of slavery.
COSTELLO: There is going to be some controversy. There will be protests held outside of the museum today, basically because those people will say that within the city of Cincinnati, not enough has been done to end discrimination the way they see it. How will you handle that?
FINSTER: Well, we had protesters last night as our gala. And, of course, the Freedom Center stands for free speech. So, we'll welcome them and give them their space. And they'll be able to have their protest.
COSTELLO: And there are those who would like to go and see the museum. Where in Cincinnati is it? And how much does it cost to get in?
FINSTER: Well, the average price is $12.00 for adults and $5.00 for children. Of course, we have senior discounts. It's located on the banks of the Ohio River between the two stadiums -- our football and baseball stadiums.
COSTELLO: And it's located there for another reason as well, because Kentucky was a slave state, and they went across the river to freedom to Ohio, which was not a slave state.
FINSTER: That's correct. Kentucky was a slave state, and many slaves escaped right through this very spot up and down the Ohio River within 40 miles of Cincinnati. And so, when they reached Ohio, it was a free state, but not all -- it was a fugitive act. Not all slaves were free once they got here. And they went out on to Canada into the Northwest and on down into Mexico and the Southwest of the United States.
COSTELLO: Well, it sounds fascinating. Susan Finster joining us live from Cincinnati this morning, thank you.
FINSTER: Thank you, Carol.
COSTELLO: Are you fed up with trying every possible way to lose weight and still not getting the results you want? Just ahead, we'll tell you about one method you probably have not tried. How about acupuncture? How it may help you shed those unwanted pounds at 40 minutes past the hour.
And in just two minutes, the new overtime rules, how they affect you.
But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Monday morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: On Wall Street this morning, it's a little bit on the smiling side. I just like say that. Anyway, they open on the smiling side after a welcome slide of oil prices. The Dow begins today up 69 points, the Nasdaq is up 18 points, and the S&P 500 up 7 points.
New overtime rules go into effect today. And, man, are they confusing!
Carrie Lee tries to sort it out for us.
I mean, I have -- this is just the first chapter, right here.
CARRIE LEE, CNN FINANCIAL NEWS CORRESPONDENT: I know. It is...
COSTELLO: It's 159 pages, and that's just part one.
LEE: Well, in fairness, Carol, the presidents since Jimmy Carter have been trying to simplify overtime rules. So, this is nothing new. But the new rules are slated to go into effect today.
Here's the bottom line. If you make under $23,000 a year you can qualify for overtime. If you make over $100,000 a year, you can't qualify.
Now, the people that are in the middle of those ranges, this is where it can get a little complicated. Basically, there are three tests. No. 1, if you're paid a set salary, not an hourly wage, you don't qualify. Also, if your job qualifies as administrative, professional or executive, then you do not get overtime pay.
Now, that's where the question comes in. It's called the "duties test." And basically, it depends on type of the type of work you have. Administrative, professional, executive, you don't qualify.
The question is: Well, where do some of these duties lie? According to the Department of Labor, if you have a job that's primarily intellectual, requires discretion and judgment, things like lawyers, doctors, registered nurses, you wouldn't qualify. But technicians such as beauticians, licensed practical nurses or other skilled-trades people are owed time and a half.
The bottom line is you've got to talk to your employer about this, Carol, to really try to figure this out. But it is confusing.
COSTELLO: See, I'm struggling with the nurse thing. And, plus, can't your employer define your job any way they want to?
LEE: Well, I'm sure there are guidelines. I don't have the exact answer for you. But I think that there is probably a little bit of leeway, probably with some positions and not others.
You know, the bigger questions, too, is: Is this good for people? Is it bad for people? And, again, here it depends on who you ask. According to the Department of Labor, now 1.3 million people will qualify for overtime. But if you talk to the Economic Policy Institute, they're saying six million people are now ineligible. So, it depends on, you know, which way you look at it really.
COSTELLO: Well, we've been getting some interesting e-mail on this topic this morning. LEE: I'm sure. I'm sure.
COSTELLO: So, let me read some for our viewers now.
This is from Donald. He says: "I'm an elevator mechanic, so let me see if I got this right. An elevator breaks down on the weekend with you in it, and you call me to come and get you out. My response: sorry. According to the new federal rules on overtime, you'll just have to wait until Monday."
LEE: That's interesting, yes.
COSTELLO: This is from Jerrell (ph). She says: "This is just one more grab of the Republican Congress to help their executive contributors. Is there no shame?"
And this is from Jay (ph). He says: "I think the new overtime rules are just fine. It seems to me that if you're making $100,000 a year, you don't need overtime, whereas if you're making under that, your overtime is better secured."
Although it does affect people in that middle range from 25,000 up to 63,000. So, it's quite complicated. Hopefully you got something gout of that.
And thank you for your help, Carrie Lee.
LEE: Sure. I was just going to say one other thing. The interesting thing here is people who have been depending on overtime and now that they're not qualifying for it in some cases, there are economic repercussions to that. Those people who have less money to spend that's going to put a damper in consumer spending, which drives two-thirds of the economy. So, that's something to think about, too.
COSTELLO: Oh, absolutely. If you're making, like, $50,000 a year and you have four kids, that's difficult...
LEE: Yes.
COSTELLO: ... especially if you lose your overtime pay, right?
LEE: That's right. So, for some people (UNINTELLIGIBLE) but we have enough labor issues. We have unemployment issues here. This could make it worse for some of these folks, for sure.
COSTELLO: All right, thank you, Carrie Lee, live from the Nasdaq Marketsite.
Weight loss surgery known as gastric bypass can be effective for obese people. It can also be risky. It is expensive, about $30,000.
So, the state of Louisiana is trying this experiment. It's paying for gastric bypass surgery for 40 state employees. After five years, the state will figure out which costs more: the surgery or the medical costs of being obese; you know, the illnesses, the disability and the lost days of work. It should be interesting. Now, if gastric bypass surgery is too extreme, risky or expensive for you, how about an alternative like acupuncture?
Obesity specialists and holistic physician, Dr. Andrea Pennington of the Pennington Institute, joins us live to talk about acupuncture and weight loss.
Wow! I mean, a lot of us kind of know what acupuncture is. You know, we see the sticking needles in certain parts of the body. But explain further for us.
DR. ANDREA PENNINGTON, PENNINGTON INSTITUTE: Well, acupuncture is a therapeutic procedure that was developed in China over 4,000 years ago, and it's been used successfully to treat a number of illnesses and conditions.
With acupuncture, we place tiny, pre-sterilized needles at various points along the body for the purpose of alleviating various types of disease.
Now, these designated points correspond with the bodily functions, various internal organs and even emotional and mental functions. So, with acupuncture, we literally contact the body's energy, or chi (ph), to promote healing.
Now, acupuncture has been used worldwide for many years, but gained popularity in the U.S. in the early 1970s.
COSTELLO: Yes, I understand all of that. But what does that got to do with weight loss? And how can acupuncture help you lose weight?
PENNINGTON: Well, this is actually really cool, Carol. With acupuncture, ear acupuncture in particular called oracular therapy, we can literally decrease cravings, boost metabolism and reduce anxiety that many people feel when they're starting a new weight loss plan.
Well, here's how it works. The ear is considered a micro system of the body. So, every internal organ is represented on the body. It almost looks like an upside down fetus if you look at somebody's ear.
So, what we can do is by placing these tiny, pre-sterilized needles at various points on the ear, we can contact the various internal organs to help with weight loss.
Now, my patients typically enjoy reduced stress, reduced anxiety and, of course, reduce cravings.
COSTELLO: Well, it sounds really good, but I'm just a little skeptical. Is there any scientific evidence that this works?
PENNINGTON: Actually, there is, Carol. There are a number of physicians like myself who are testing acupuncture for weight loss.
And one randomized study recently reported in the "Journal of Medical Acupuncture" had some pretty impressive results. This research team in Arizona found that people who received acupuncture while decreasing their caloric intake and exercising daily lost on average 10 pounds over eight weeks compared to the control group who had no acupuncture and only lost three pounds in eight weeks.
The people with acupuncture also had decreased appetite and decreased anxiety, which you know is a problem with people who tend to stress-eat or emotional-eat.
COSTELLO: I'd love to talk to one of those people. Dr. Andrea Pennington live for us this morning, thank you.
PENNINGTON: You're welcome.
COSTELLO: Let's head out to New York City to check in with Bill and Daryn, who is in for Soledad this morning.
Do you think acupuncture...
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, (UNINTELLIGIBLE) out here, Carol.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Trouble came to town.
COSTELLO: Do you think acupuncture can help you lose weight? Doesn't that sound strange?
KAGAN: I don't know. It can help a lot of things.
HEMMER: There is a list of, like, 100 things under acupuncture, don't you think, Carol?
KAGAN: Yes.
COSTELLO: There's -- I'm sorry, what?
HEMMER: You try it and let us know.
COSTELLO: OK.
HEMMER: We are on a Monday here going to talk a lot about what Pat Roberts had to say yesterday on those talk shows with CBS. Can the CIA be dismantled and taken apart? There is a proposal out there that may do that. We'll get a live update from D.C. on that today.
KAGAN: Also, we're talking politics and Hollywood, part one of a weeklong series. Today, blurring the line between the two.
HEMMER: Also, what does Mark Geragos do with Amber Frey on the stand?
KAGAN: We were talking about that, weren't we?
HEMMER: We are going to find out, maybe today in fact. After about a three-day break from court, Carol, they're back at it today. So, we'll talk with Dean Johnson, former San Mateo County prosecutor, about what he would ask Amber Frey at this point. Do you go delicate? Do you go hard? What do you do?
KAGAN: I don't know. But Bill might need some acupuncture after working with me for a couple of days.
HEMMER: For sure.
KAGAN: We might have to start a little fund, the Bill acupuncture fund.
COSTELLO: The calm (UNINTELLIGIBLE), I understand, can be quite the pistol. Thanks, Bill and Daryn. We'll get back to you in 10 minutes.
HEMMER: See you, Carol.
Your news, money, weather and sports. It is 6:47 Eastern. Here's what's all new this morning.
Fresh fighting around the Imam Ali Mosque in Najaf. U.S. warplanes started bombing Shiite militia positions around the key shrine last night. The bombing has continued into this morning.
Back home, another morning in makeshift shelters for many people in Florida. Hurricane Charley left them homeless when it blew through more than a week ago. Federal officials say better temporary housing is on the way.
In money news, are we going to be paying more or less for gas? The answer is: probably yes. Crude oil prices jumped almost 50 bucks a barrel on Friday. But now they've settled below the $48 mark.
In culture, a couple of uglies get whipped by the devil. "Exorcist: the Beginning" took in more than $18 million over the weekend, knocking out last week's winner, "Alien Versus Predator."
In sports, the city of Chicago is expected to decide by noon if the Cubs can play the Brewers tonight at Wrigley Field. At issue: Will netting protect fans from concrete chunks that have been falling from the 90-year-old stadium?
(WEATHER BREAK)
COSTELLO: Summer Games, weekend highlights. Chris Cotter joins us to talk about some magical moments in Athens.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Track and field takes center stage at the Olympics. So, let's see how the Americans have done.
Sports radio host Chris Cotter -- actually, he's our sports contributor now. Chris Cotter, we own you now, buddy!
CHRIS COTTER, CNN SPORTS CONTRIBUTOR: As long as I keep seeing that paycheck, that's fine.
COSTELLO: That's right.
COTTER: Well, it was exactly the way it's supposed to be in track and field in the sprints with the United States, with an American winning in the men's event. And then the women's event, it was Lauryn Williams taking second place.
And the great news about all of this is that these are really young athletes, 22 years of age Justin Gatlin winning the gold medal for the men. And just 20 years of age, Lauren Williams winning the silver. Both are college students, Justin Gatlin at the University of Tennessee, Lauryn Williams at the University of Miami.
So, the future is bright, as it always is, for the sprinters from the United States.
COSTELLO: And these athletes are not tainted at all by the drug scandal.
COTTER: Well, you know, Justin Gatlin's coach actually submitted a needle from the designer steroid, THB.
COSTELLO: So, he got the whole Balco thing started.
COTTER: Well, he was part of the Balco thing, and Justin Gatlin, although the coach is saying Justin Gatlin is not part of this, but he did submit a needle. So, there always seems to be six degrees of separation with drugs in everybody. COSTELLO: Let's talk about the Iraqi soccer team, because that is an amazing story. They're definitely going to win a medal now, right?
COTTER: Well, it looks like they're guaranteed fourth place. So, even if they lose to Paraguay -- I think it's tomorrow night -- they'll play in the bronze medal game. No Iraqi has won a gold, or any medal, since 1960. So, this will be the first medal in Summer Olympic Games, any Olympic games, for the nation of Iraq since 1960.
Now, I mean, think about this, though. Saturday night when they beat Australia, apparently the tracer bullets were flying over Baghdad. I've got a new idea. Chad, I think you need to get in on this. Crazy Chad's barno (ph) fireworks, three locations to serve you: Baghdad, Najaf and, you know, Tikrit.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: What?
COSTELLO: I think Chris is going to get us in trouble. Are you trying to get us in trouble this morning?
COTTER: No, they celebrate by shooting up guns in the air.
COSTELLO: Oh, that's true.
MYERS: They were celebrating, right.
COTTER: Yes. When do they -- what did they do before they had guns?
MYERS: They burned...
COTTER: Did they throw knives up in air?
MYERS: I don't know.
COTTER: Seriously.
COSTELLO: Let's get back to the happy part.
COTTER: If they win a medal, they're going to be going crazy in Iraq. Open a fireworks stand up there. You've seen it when you cross into Tennessee or into South Carolina.
COSTELLO: Let's talk about swimming.
COTTER: All right, let's talk about swimming.
MYERS: Good change, Carol.
COTTER: I want to make -- scoping guns to polls. No, I want to make one point about the swimming, though. Jenny Thompson is somebody that we're familiar with, because she's been -- I think this is her third Olympics. But most people are talking about Amanda Conwin (ph) and her six medals, or they're talking about Michael Phelps and his eight medals. But Jenny Thompson has won more Olympic medals than any other athlete in U.S. history.
COSTELLO: Wow!
COTTER: Twelve medals now for her over her Olympic career. So, congratulations to Jenny Thompson as well.
A successful Olympics for the United States swim team, 28 medals, 12 of them gold, not as much as they picked up in Sidney, but still a ton.
COSTELLO: All right, thank you, Chris.
COTTER: All right.
MYERS: How about Rash (ph) racing this weekend, huh?
COSTELLO: Oh, come on. Talk about that during the break.
(CROSSTALK)
COTTER: I'm sure you're probably talking about that and not guns.
COSTELLO: We're going to announce the mug winner, but first we have to take this break. This is DAYBREAK.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: It's mug time.
MYERS: It's time to give away the mug. It's gone, but we'll fine one we can give you. Here are the questions that we asked you on Friday. In what state will all of the new school buses actually have those three-point lap and shoulder belts? The answer: California. And what celebrity items are being auctioned to raise money for the victims of Hurricane Charley? And the answer to that would be the guitars.
And you can still get in on that: StormAid.com. Those auctions are still going on.
And the winner, Lois Merritt of Perth Amboy, New Jersey. Oh, we love the Amboys here. Perth Amboy, New Jersey, the winner of today's DAYBREAK coffee mug.
Now for today and into tomorrow here are your questions. They are actually very simple. So, I hope you were paying attention.
How many versions of "The Scream" did Edvard Munch paint?
COSTELLO: Ooh, that's a good one.
MYERS: And the new overtime rules were created under what new federal agency?
E-mail your answers to Daybreak@CNN.com. Just go on the e-mail and drop it right in there.
(WEATHER BREAK)
COSTELLO: Chris, we'll expect the answers from to those DAYBREAK questions from you.
COTTER: What were the questions again?
COSTELLO: "AMERICAN MORNING" starts right now. Have a great day.
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 August 23, 2004 - 06:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: A major monument to freedom opens today. It's the national Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati, Ohio, and we want to take you live to Cincinnati now. The center's outreach director, Susan Finster, joins us.
Good morning.
SUSAN FINSTER, UNDERGROUND RAILROAD FREEDOM CENTER: Good morning, Carol.
COSTELLO: Tell us what's going to happen this morning.
FINSTER: Well, we've got a very exciting day planned. It starts at noon. We have a Festival of Freedom, and our most prominent feature is a children's village. And we have over 100 activities and performances that are going to take on until 9:00 tonight.
COSTELLO: And Laura Bush is going to be there as well, right?
FINSTER: Laura Bush will be here tonight to deliver a dialogue with Dr. Spencer Crew (ph), our CEO.
COSTELLO: Tell us about some of the darker exhibits on display.
FINSTER: Well, of course, slavery did exist around the world, and still exists around the world. We have some slavery freedom that really depicts the darkest period in America with slavery. And, of course, one of our keynote exhibits is our historic slave pen that resided in nearby Kentucky, where it was a home for slaves being transported from the North to the South until they were sold.
COSTELLO: Describe that for us. What was that like?
FINSTER: Well, it has to do with the movement of slaves across the country from North to South during the rise of cotton. And actually it is a log cabin. And many years, many of these dotted the landscape. Slaves were held in reserve here until they got enough to float down the river and to take to the slave market. So, really they were holding pens for slaves.
COSTELLO: What do you hope that people will get from this as they move through the exhibits?
FINSTER: Well, one of the things that we know that they will understand is that the cooperation and courage that came from the slavery movement will inspire people today to act in their own communities and to take a step forward and stand up for what's right. So, we hope to inspire people through the exhibits and to teach them the true history of slavery.
COSTELLO: There is going to be some controversy. There will be protests held outside of the museum today, basically because those people will say that within the city of Cincinnati, not enough has been done to end discrimination the way they see it. How will you handle that?
FINSTER: Well, we had protesters last night as our gala. And, of course, the Freedom Center stands for free speech. So, we'll welcome them and give them their space. And they'll be able to have their protest.
COSTELLO: And there are those who would like to go and see the museum. Where in Cincinnati is it? And how much does it cost to get in?
FINSTER: Well, the average price is $12.00 for adults and $5.00 for children. Of course, we have senior discounts. It's located on the banks of the Ohio River between the two stadiums -- our football and baseball stadiums.
COSTELLO: And it's located there for another reason as well, because Kentucky was a slave state, and they went across the river to freedom to Ohio, which was not a slave state.
FINSTER: That's correct. Kentucky was a slave state, and many slaves escaped right through this very spot up and down the Ohio River within 40 miles of Cincinnati. And so, when they reached Ohio, it was a free state, but not all -- it was a fugitive act. Not all slaves were free once they got here. And they went out on to Canada into the Northwest and on down into Mexico and the Southwest of the United States.
COSTELLO: Well, it sounds fascinating. Susan Finster joining us live from Cincinnati this morning, thank you.
FINSTER: Thank you, Carol.
COSTELLO: Are you fed up with trying every possible way to lose weight and still not getting the results you want? Just ahead, we'll tell you about one method you probably have not tried. How about acupuncture? How it may help you shed those unwanted pounds at 40 minutes past the hour.
And in just two minutes, the new overtime rules, how they affect you.
But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Monday morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: On Wall Street this morning, it's a little bit on the smiling side. I just like say that. Anyway, they open on the smiling side after a welcome slide of oil prices. The Dow begins today up 69 points, the Nasdaq is up 18 points, and the S&P 500 up 7 points.
New overtime rules go into effect today. And, man, are they confusing!
Carrie Lee tries to sort it out for us.
I mean, I have -- this is just the first chapter, right here.
CARRIE LEE, CNN FINANCIAL NEWS CORRESPONDENT: I know. It is...
COSTELLO: It's 159 pages, and that's just part one.
LEE: Well, in fairness, Carol, the presidents since Jimmy Carter have been trying to simplify overtime rules. So, this is nothing new. But the new rules are slated to go into effect today.
Here's the bottom line. If you make under $23,000 a year you can qualify for overtime. If you make over $100,000 a year, you can't qualify.
Now, the people that are in the middle of those ranges, this is where it can get a little complicated. Basically, there are three tests. No. 1, if you're paid a set salary, not an hourly wage, you don't qualify. Also, if your job qualifies as administrative, professional or executive, then you do not get overtime pay.
Now, that's where the question comes in. It's called the "duties test." And basically, it depends on type of the type of work you have. Administrative, professional, executive, you don't qualify.
The question is: Well, where do some of these duties lie? According to the Department of Labor, if you have a job that's primarily intellectual, requires discretion and judgment, things like lawyers, doctors, registered nurses, you wouldn't qualify. But technicians such as beauticians, licensed practical nurses or other skilled-trades people are owed time and a half.
The bottom line is you've got to talk to your employer about this, Carol, to really try to figure this out. But it is confusing.
COSTELLO: See, I'm struggling with the nurse thing. And, plus, can't your employer define your job any way they want to?
LEE: Well, I'm sure there are guidelines. I don't have the exact answer for you. But I think that there is probably a little bit of leeway, probably with some positions and not others.
You know, the bigger questions, too, is: Is this good for people? Is it bad for people? And, again, here it depends on who you ask. According to the Department of Labor, now 1.3 million people will qualify for overtime. But if you talk to the Economic Policy Institute, they're saying six million people are now ineligible. So, it depends on, you know, which way you look at it really.
COSTELLO: Well, we've been getting some interesting e-mail on this topic this morning. LEE: I'm sure. I'm sure.
COSTELLO: So, let me read some for our viewers now.
This is from Donald. He says: "I'm an elevator mechanic, so let me see if I got this right. An elevator breaks down on the weekend with you in it, and you call me to come and get you out. My response: sorry. According to the new federal rules on overtime, you'll just have to wait until Monday."
LEE: That's interesting, yes.
COSTELLO: This is from Jerrell (ph). She says: "This is just one more grab of the Republican Congress to help their executive contributors. Is there no shame?"
And this is from Jay (ph). He says: "I think the new overtime rules are just fine. It seems to me that if you're making $100,000 a year, you don't need overtime, whereas if you're making under that, your overtime is better secured."
Although it does affect people in that middle range from 25,000 up to 63,000. So, it's quite complicated. Hopefully you got something gout of that.
And thank you for your help, Carrie Lee.
LEE: Sure. I was just going to say one other thing. The interesting thing here is people who have been depending on overtime and now that they're not qualifying for it in some cases, there are economic repercussions to that. Those people who have less money to spend that's going to put a damper in consumer spending, which drives two-thirds of the economy. So, that's something to think about, too.
COSTELLO: Oh, absolutely. If you're making, like, $50,000 a year and you have four kids, that's difficult...
LEE: Yes.
COSTELLO: ... especially if you lose your overtime pay, right?
LEE: That's right. So, for some people (UNINTELLIGIBLE) but we have enough labor issues. We have unemployment issues here. This could make it worse for some of these folks, for sure.
COSTELLO: All right, thank you, Carrie Lee, live from the Nasdaq Marketsite.
Weight loss surgery known as gastric bypass can be effective for obese people. It can also be risky. It is expensive, about $30,000.
So, the state of Louisiana is trying this experiment. It's paying for gastric bypass surgery for 40 state employees. After five years, the state will figure out which costs more: the surgery or the medical costs of being obese; you know, the illnesses, the disability and the lost days of work. It should be interesting. Now, if gastric bypass surgery is too extreme, risky or expensive for you, how about an alternative like acupuncture?
Obesity specialists and holistic physician, Dr. Andrea Pennington of the Pennington Institute, joins us live to talk about acupuncture and weight loss.
Wow! I mean, a lot of us kind of know what acupuncture is. You know, we see the sticking needles in certain parts of the body. But explain further for us.
DR. ANDREA PENNINGTON, PENNINGTON INSTITUTE: Well, acupuncture is a therapeutic procedure that was developed in China over 4,000 years ago, and it's been used successfully to treat a number of illnesses and conditions.
With acupuncture, we place tiny, pre-sterilized needles at various points along the body for the purpose of alleviating various types of disease.
Now, these designated points correspond with the bodily functions, various internal organs and even emotional and mental functions. So, with acupuncture, we literally contact the body's energy, or chi (ph), to promote healing.
Now, acupuncture has been used worldwide for many years, but gained popularity in the U.S. in the early 1970s.
COSTELLO: Yes, I understand all of that. But what does that got to do with weight loss? And how can acupuncture help you lose weight?
PENNINGTON: Well, this is actually really cool, Carol. With acupuncture, ear acupuncture in particular called oracular therapy, we can literally decrease cravings, boost metabolism and reduce anxiety that many people feel when they're starting a new weight loss plan.
Well, here's how it works. The ear is considered a micro system of the body. So, every internal organ is represented on the body. It almost looks like an upside down fetus if you look at somebody's ear.
So, what we can do is by placing these tiny, pre-sterilized needles at various points on the ear, we can contact the various internal organs to help with weight loss.
Now, my patients typically enjoy reduced stress, reduced anxiety and, of course, reduce cravings.
COSTELLO: Well, it sounds really good, but I'm just a little skeptical. Is there any scientific evidence that this works?
PENNINGTON: Actually, there is, Carol. There are a number of physicians like myself who are testing acupuncture for weight loss.
And one randomized study recently reported in the "Journal of Medical Acupuncture" had some pretty impressive results. This research team in Arizona found that people who received acupuncture while decreasing their caloric intake and exercising daily lost on average 10 pounds over eight weeks compared to the control group who had no acupuncture and only lost three pounds in eight weeks.
The people with acupuncture also had decreased appetite and decreased anxiety, which you know is a problem with people who tend to stress-eat or emotional-eat.
COSTELLO: I'd love to talk to one of those people. Dr. Andrea Pennington live for us this morning, thank you.
PENNINGTON: You're welcome.
COSTELLO: Let's head out to New York City to check in with Bill and Daryn, who is in for Soledad this morning.
Do you think acupuncture...
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, (UNINTELLIGIBLE) out here, Carol.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Trouble came to town.
COSTELLO: Do you think acupuncture can help you lose weight? Doesn't that sound strange?
KAGAN: I don't know. It can help a lot of things.
HEMMER: There is a list of, like, 100 things under acupuncture, don't you think, Carol?
KAGAN: Yes.
COSTELLO: There's -- I'm sorry, what?
HEMMER: You try it and let us know.
COSTELLO: OK.
HEMMER: We are on a Monday here going to talk a lot about what Pat Roberts had to say yesterday on those talk shows with CBS. Can the CIA be dismantled and taken apart? There is a proposal out there that may do that. We'll get a live update from D.C. on that today.
KAGAN: Also, we're talking politics and Hollywood, part one of a weeklong series. Today, blurring the line between the two.
HEMMER: Also, what does Mark Geragos do with Amber Frey on the stand?
KAGAN: We were talking about that, weren't we?
HEMMER: We are going to find out, maybe today in fact. After about a three-day break from court, Carol, they're back at it today. So, we'll talk with Dean Johnson, former San Mateo County prosecutor, about what he would ask Amber Frey at this point. Do you go delicate? Do you go hard? What do you do?
KAGAN: I don't know. But Bill might need some acupuncture after working with me for a couple of days.
HEMMER: For sure.
KAGAN: We might have to start a little fund, the Bill acupuncture fund.
COSTELLO: The calm (UNINTELLIGIBLE), I understand, can be quite the pistol. Thanks, Bill and Daryn. We'll get back to you in 10 minutes.
HEMMER: See you, Carol.
Your news, money, weather and sports. It is 6:47 Eastern. Here's what's all new this morning.
Fresh fighting around the Imam Ali Mosque in Najaf. U.S. warplanes started bombing Shiite militia positions around the key shrine last night. The bombing has continued into this morning.
Back home, another morning in makeshift shelters for many people in Florida. Hurricane Charley left them homeless when it blew through more than a week ago. Federal officials say better temporary housing is on the way.
In money news, are we going to be paying more or less for gas? The answer is: probably yes. Crude oil prices jumped almost 50 bucks a barrel on Friday. But now they've settled below the $48 mark.
In culture, a couple of uglies get whipped by the devil. "Exorcist: the Beginning" took in more than $18 million over the weekend, knocking out last week's winner, "Alien Versus Predator."
In sports, the city of Chicago is expected to decide by noon if the Cubs can play the Brewers tonight at Wrigley Field. At issue: Will netting protect fans from concrete chunks that have been falling from the 90-year-old stadium?
(WEATHER BREAK)
COSTELLO: Summer Games, weekend highlights. Chris Cotter joins us to talk about some magical moments in Athens.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Track and field takes center stage at the Olympics. So, let's see how the Americans have done.
Sports radio host Chris Cotter -- actually, he's our sports contributor now. Chris Cotter, we own you now, buddy!
CHRIS COTTER, CNN SPORTS CONTRIBUTOR: As long as I keep seeing that paycheck, that's fine.
COSTELLO: That's right.
COTTER: Well, it was exactly the way it's supposed to be in track and field in the sprints with the United States, with an American winning in the men's event. And then the women's event, it was Lauryn Williams taking second place.
And the great news about all of this is that these are really young athletes, 22 years of age Justin Gatlin winning the gold medal for the men. And just 20 years of age, Lauren Williams winning the silver. Both are college students, Justin Gatlin at the University of Tennessee, Lauryn Williams at the University of Miami.
So, the future is bright, as it always is, for the sprinters from the United States.
COSTELLO: And these athletes are not tainted at all by the drug scandal.
COTTER: Well, you know, Justin Gatlin's coach actually submitted a needle from the designer steroid, THB.
COSTELLO: So, he got the whole Balco thing started.
COTTER: Well, he was part of the Balco thing, and Justin Gatlin, although the coach is saying Justin Gatlin is not part of this, but he did submit a needle. So, there always seems to be six degrees of separation with drugs in everybody. COSTELLO: Let's talk about the Iraqi soccer team, because that is an amazing story. They're definitely going to win a medal now, right?
COTTER: Well, it looks like they're guaranteed fourth place. So, even if they lose to Paraguay -- I think it's tomorrow night -- they'll play in the bronze medal game. No Iraqi has won a gold, or any medal, since 1960. So, this will be the first medal in Summer Olympic Games, any Olympic games, for the nation of Iraq since 1960.
Now, I mean, think about this, though. Saturday night when they beat Australia, apparently the tracer bullets were flying over Baghdad. I've got a new idea. Chad, I think you need to get in on this. Crazy Chad's barno (ph) fireworks, three locations to serve you: Baghdad, Najaf and, you know, Tikrit.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: What?
COSTELLO: I think Chris is going to get us in trouble. Are you trying to get us in trouble this morning?
COTTER: No, they celebrate by shooting up guns in the air.
COSTELLO: Oh, that's true.
MYERS: They were celebrating, right.
COTTER: Yes. When do they -- what did they do before they had guns?
MYERS: They burned...
COTTER: Did they throw knives up in air?
MYERS: I don't know.
COTTER: Seriously.
COSTELLO: Let's get back to the happy part.
COTTER: If they win a medal, they're going to be going crazy in Iraq. Open a fireworks stand up there. You've seen it when you cross into Tennessee or into South Carolina.
COSTELLO: Let's talk about swimming.
COTTER: All right, let's talk about swimming.
MYERS: Good change, Carol.
COTTER: I want to make -- scoping guns to polls. No, I want to make one point about the swimming, though. Jenny Thompson is somebody that we're familiar with, because she's been -- I think this is her third Olympics. But most people are talking about Amanda Conwin (ph) and her six medals, or they're talking about Michael Phelps and his eight medals. But Jenny Thompson has won more Olympic medals than any other athlete in U.S. history.
COSTELLO: Wow!
COTTER: Twelve medals now for her over her Olympic career. So, congratulations to Jenny Thompson as well.
A successful Olympics for the United States swim team, 28 medals, 12 of them gold, not as much as they picked up in Sidney, but still a ton.
COSTELLO: All right, thank you, Chris.
COTTER: All right.
MYERS: How about Rash (ph) racing this weekend, huh?
COSTELLO: Oh, come on. Talk about that during the break.
(CROSSTALK)
COTTER: I'm sure you're probably talking about that and not guns.
COSTELLO: We're going to announce the mug winner, but first we have to take this break. This is DAYBREAK.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: It's mug time.
MYERS: It's time to give away the mug. It's gone, but we'll fine one we can give you. Here are the questions that we asked you on Friday. In what state will all of the new school buses actually have those three-point lap and shoulder belts? The answer: California. And what celebrity items are being auctioned to raise money for the victims of Hurricane Charley? And the answer to that would be the guitars.
And you can still get in on that: StormAid.com. Those auctions are still going on.
And the winner, Lois Merritt of Perth Amboy, New Jersey. Oh, we love the Amboys here. Perth Amboy, New Jersey, the winner of today's DAYBREAK coffee mug.
Now for today and into tomorrow here are your questions. They are actually very simple. So, I hope you were paying attention.
How many versions of "The Scream" did Edvard Munch paint?
COSTELLO: Ooh, that's a good one.
MYERS: And the new overtime rules were created under what new federal agency?
E-mail your answers to Daybreak@CNN.com. Just go on the e-mail and drop it right in there.
(WEATHER BREAK)
COSTELLO: Chris, we'll expect the answers from to those DAYBREAK questions from you.
COTTER: What were the questions again?
COSTELLO: "AMERICAN MORNING" starts right now. Have a great day.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.