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CNN Live At Daybreak
Hard Times in Ohio; False HIV Positive; The Golden Swimmers
Aired August 31, 2004 - 05:30 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: He says the legislation will go before his cabinet two weeks from today.
To the Forecast Center now and, Chad, good morning.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Carol.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: And there's a lot of people there to enjoy it.
MYERS: Still stormy this morning. But by the time they get up, it'll be fine.
COSTELLO: I know Bob Franken just messaged us. He says it's raining there now but not hard.
MYERS: Yes, right.
COSTELLO: All right. Thank you -- Chad.
MYERS: All right.
COSTELLO: Republicans hear more about George W. Bush tonight from the woman who knows him best. First Lady Laura Bush addresses the Republican National Convention tonight. She's been stumping for her husband regularly this year, even though he once promised her she would never have to make political speeches.
Also tonight, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger takes center stage. The former star of action movies won his state's first ever recall election last year.
The first day of the convention saw some heat over "Fahrenheit 9/11." Senator John McCain took a jab at the Michael Moore documentary, which criticizes the Iraq war. As more watched from the media gallery, McCain told the delegates don't believe what you see.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: Our choice wasn't between a benign status quo and the bloodshed of war. It was between war and a graver threat. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.
(APPLAUSE)
MCCAIN: Not our political opponents, not, and certainly not, and certainly not a disingenuous filmmaker who would have us believe...
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: And that certainly was one of the bigger moments of the night.
Michael Moore, by the way, is working for "USA Today." You can read his column in this morning's newspaper. That's in "USA Today" in case you're interested.
Ohio, as we have been telling you, is a key battleground state this election year. It's always on the candidates' radar. President Bush and John Kerry are fighting for the state's 20 electoral votes. In 2000, President Bush won the state by 3.6 percentage points. The state is made up of 85 percent whites, 11.5 percent blacks and nearly 2 percent Latinos. It has a large union vote and times are tough. People are concerned about the bare essentials, like jobs and food.
CNN's Richard Quest reports from northeast Ohio.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICHARD QUEST, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the land of plenty, these are the people without. Those who have to line up at the Canton Food Bank and throw themselves upon charity for food and shelter. The number of people seeking this help has risen for three straight years.
Those like Michelle McAlister (ph), who lost her job when the company downsized. Her husband is also out of work.
MICHELLE MCALISTER, UNEMPLOYED: We had savings and now we're just down to the bottom of it. So once that's gone and the unemployment runs out, I'm not sure.
QUEST: The problem is in Ohio the number of families, like the McAlisters, has grown as the number of good paying jobs, disappeared, many of them overseas.
LISA HAMLER-PODALSKI, FOOD AID BANK DIRECTOR: We are seeing unprecedented increase in demand for emergency food assistance in the state of Ohio. We've experienced over a 40 percent increase in demand for assistance. What we're seeing now is the total loss of a manufacturing base. Those factories are gone and they are never coming back.
QUEST: When financial disaster hits, it forces those least able to fall back on the most meager of resources.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You get to choose two items off of the top shelf.
QUEST: Often nothing more than hand downs, as Tammy Hedge (ph) found out when she lost her job. It was outsourced to China. Her new job pays nowhere near as much.
TAMMY HEDGE, NEEDS FOOD BANK: Seven dollars an hour and 40 hours a week and they take the taxes and what they do out of it. It's not enough to live on. Somebody has got to change what's happening to us people here. Do we just not exist anymore just because the company has moved to Mexico and China and all them? We're still here and we still have got groceries to buy and kids to raise.
QUEST: Everyone knows someone like Tammy Hedge. And as voters make up their mind, here the thought is often there but for the grace.
RICK FARMER, PROFESSOR: It's literally going to depend on how they feel about can I pay the bills, what's the price of gasoline, what's the price of milk, how's my rent coming?
QUEST: Questions already facing those at the food bank who are being called America's new poor.
Richard Quest, CNN, northeastern Ohio.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: All this week during the Republican National Convention, if you are away from your television set, tune us in on the radio or on the Web. CNN "LIVE FROM..." anchor Kyra Phillips and I will be broadcasting live every night starting at 8:00 p.m. Eastern. We'll have complete coverage of everything going on in the Big Apple. That's on CNN Radio or you can click it on the Web site. That's all this week from 8:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. Eastern.
And get a bird's eye view of all the activities at the Republican National Convention right here on CNN on your television. Our prime time coverage begins tonight at 7:00 Eastern with Anderson Cooper and that is Wolf Blitzer and Larry King. At 10:00 Eastern, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger takes the stage followed by "NEWSNIGHT WITH AARON BROWN," and then Larry King will wrap it up live at midnight.
Imagine being wrongly diagnosed with a life-threatening illness. It happened to one California man. What his doctor says happened that led to this mistake.
Plus the Republicans have taken center stage this week. What you missed on day one.
And our DAYBREAK e-mail "Question of the Morning," are the prime time convention speakers representative of the Republican Party? Let us know what you think, e-mail us at DAYBREAK@CNN.com. That's DAYBREAK@CNN.com.
But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Tuesday morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Political conventions have a certain flare to them. The flags, the bunting, the music all are aimed at pumping up the candidate's foot soldiers. Here's a look at some of last night's action.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(SINGING)
DORA BUSH COOK, MARYLAND DELEGATE: Madam Secretary, it is with great honor that I, Dora Bush Cook, representing the great state of Maryland, nominate a man of great character, with unwavering conviction, who has liberated millions of people around the world, my brother, George W. Bush, for his second term as president of the United States.
(APPLAUSE)
MCCAIN: While this war has many components, we can't make victory on the battlefield harder to achieve so that our diplomacy is easier to conduct. This is not just an expression of strength, it is a measure of our wisdom, that's why I commend to my country the reelection of President Bush.
(APPLAUSE)
RUDY GIULIANI (R), FORMER NEW YORK MAYOR: And since September 11, President Bush has remained rock solid. It doesn't matter to him how he's demonized. It doesn't matter to him what the media does to ridicule him or misinterpret him or defeated him. They ridiculed Winston Churchill, they belittled Ronald Reagan, but like President Bush, they were optimists.
(SINGING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Sights and sounds of the Republican National Convention.
Despite their support, there are some big differences between the convention speakers and President Bush. For example, President Bush opposes abortion, except in cases of rape, while Arnold Schwarzenegger, who speaks tonight, supports a woman's right to choose.
Rifts also pop up when it comes to gay marriage. Bush has been calling for a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage, but Rudy Giuliani opposes such a measure.
And when it comes to Bush and John McCain, President Bush supports reauthorizing a ban on assault weapons, while the senator from Arizona opposes such a reorganization.
Which brings us to our e-mail "Question of the Day," do the speakers in prime time at the RNC represent the Republican platform? We've gotten some already. This is from Maggie (ph) from Downy, California. She says, yes, the prime time speakers are representative of the Republican Party because our party is inclusive. As President Reagan said if you agree with 80 percent of what we believe in, come on in.
This is from Phil (ph) from Oklahoma. He says the speakers at the convention represent the Republican Party much better than do Ted Kennedy and his cronies represent the Democrats.
And I have one up on my computer. This is from Sarah (ph). She says as a registered Republican, I can tell you today's Republican Party does not respect conservative values. The religious extremists of the Republican Party have lost sight of the Constitution's basic freedoms and protections for its citizens.
Keep the e-mail coming, DAYBREAK@CNN.com. That's DAYBREAK@CNN.com.
Your news, money, weather and sports. It is 5:43 Eastern. Here is what's all new this morning.
The Florida Supreme Court will hear arguments today that may ultimately determine if Terri Schiavo will live or die. Schiavo is the 40-year-old brain-damaged woman at the center of a legal battle between her husband and Governor Jeb Bush. The governor signed a law that keeps her alive against her husband's wishes.
Plastic toys showing Osama bin Laden standing between the World Trade Center towers have popped up in bags of Mexican candy in Florida. The distributor says they bought the toys in bulk and didn't notice what they depicted. The candy is now being recalled.
In money news, U.S. light crude is trading at $42.30 a barrel. That's well below the record high of nearly $50 earlier this month. So you can expect gas prices at the pump to drop next.
In culture, a possible new venue for Donald Trump. The real estate mogul turned TV star may now have his sights set on higher education. Trump has filed trademark the name Trump University for a possible online business school.
And in sports, Greg Maddux stopped the skid for the Chicago Cubs with a masterful performance in Montreal. The Cubs beat the Expos five to two to take the lead in the National League wildcard race -- Chad.
MYERS: Good morning, Carol.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: Thank you, Chad.
Those are the latest headlines for you.
A shocking medical mistake. A California man tries to get his life back on track after finding out he isn't HIV positive after all. The story when DAYBREAK returns.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Happy birthday.
"Health Headlines" for you this morning.
What is the best place for anyone over 50 to work? Well the AARP says America's hospitals. The group found that hospitals dominated its list of the 35 best U.S. employers for older Americans. Hospitals led the AARP list last year as well.
A bit of irony here, if you're thinking about going through a whole body X-ray scan in hopes of finding any tumors in the early stages, think again. Researchers warn that radiation from the X-ray could raise your overall risk of getting cancer.
And the London-based Royal Society wants to stop an attempt to ban stem cell research. The ban is included in a global treaty banning human cloning. The Royal Society is Britain's leading scientific institution. The United Nations is expected to consider the matter in October.
For more on this or any other health story, head to our Web site. The address, CNN.com/health.
Imagine being told by your doctor that you have AIDS, only to find out years later that it's simply not true, a misdiagnosis. One California man does not have to imagine that, it's his reality.
Reporter Amber Lee of CNN affiliate KTVU has more on his story from Oakland, California.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JIM MALONE, MISDIAGNOSED PATIENT: I am extremely happy that I am not infected. On the other hand, I keep going back and I keep thinking about the fact that I have lost friends, I have lost family.
AMBER LEE, KTVU-TV REPORTER (voice-over): Malone showed us documents he says he received from V.A. Dr. Richard Carp (ph), including a letter dated last week.
MALONE: Mr. James Michael Malone has been followed by me at the Oakland V.A. Clinic since 1996.
LEE: The letter says -- quote -- "for reasons that are unclear, the diagnosis was not confirmed here, and Mr. Malone was presumed HIV positive." The letter goes on to say -- quote -- "as his primary care provider, I take full responsibility for this error."
We contacted the VA Clinic. A spokeswoman provided a statement over the phone, which appears to contradict the doctor's statement about not having confirmed Malone's original HIV diagnosis from another hospital. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: From 1996 to 2004, the physician continued to evaluate the patient for HIV by routinely ordering specific blood tests. Because these tests were all normal, the patient was never given any medications for HIV infection. We empathize with him and are committed to continuing to assist him in any way that we can.
MALONE: For them to say we do everything that we can, bologna. They don't do everything that they can. If they did, we wouldn't have this mess that we've got right now.
LEE: Malone says the misdiagnosis has cost him dearly. He says it put a strain on his relationship with family members. He said his father just passed away in late June and had refused to speak or see Malone since his diagnosis. Malone says his father thought he was being punished for being gay.
MALONE: And I can't tell him I'm sorry, the doctors made a mistake. That's devastating.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: That was Amber Lee reporting from CNN affiliate KTVU.
Still to come this morning, he swam his way to gold at the Summer Games. Just ahead, we'll take you live to Florida and talk with Michael Phelps and his fellow gold medal winners.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Thousands of kids across the country are jumping into swimming pools with dreams of becoming the next Michael Phelps. But Phelps wasn't the only American swimmer to capture gold at Athens. The U.S. team won a total of 12 gold medals, not to mention plenty of other precious medals.
Joining us live from Disney World are three members of that team who just happen to all be golden. Ian Crocker, Lenny Krayzelburg and of course multiple gold medalist Michael Phelps.
Welcome to all of you.
MICHAEL PHELPS, MULTIPLE OLYMPIC MEDALIST: Thank you. Thank you.
IAN CROCKER, WON 3 MEDALS IN ATHENS: Thank you.
LENNY KRAYZELBURG, WON GOLD MEDAL IN ATHENS: Thank you.
COSTELLO: Michael, let's start with you, how does it feel to come back and be a celebrity?
PHELPS: It's really -- the best thing is to be back in the U.S. You know we've -- I've missed the States a lot. And it's just that's the most exciting part for me right now.
COSTELLO: And what did you miss? PHELPS: I missed just everything about it. You know I missed, especially I missed Baltimore. I missed just the whole U.S., I guess, soil. I mean everything about it. Like last night I came in and I was so pumped to watch football. So it's a little bit of everything that I missed.
COSTELLO: I'm pumped to watch football myself.
Ian, what's your best memory from the Olympics, besides the obvious?
CROCKER: My best memory I think was being able to be on that relay and swim for the U.S. and get a gold finally after a long week.
COSTELLO: Lenny, how about you?
KRAYZELBURG: I think for me being a team captain of this U.S. Olympic swim team was a great honor. And I think the most memorable moment, because you know we had such an incredible Olympics, and seeing our team perform so well, it was the most special thing for me, the thing that I will remember for the rest of my life.
COSTELLO: So we have to explain to viewers why exactly you're at Disney World and why you're wearing those T-shirts. So, Michael, you want to take that question?
PHELPS: We're all at Disney World here.
It just went out. We lost her.
COSTELLO: I'm sorry, can you still hear me, Michael? Ian, can you hear me?
IAN: Really faintly.
PHELPS: I don't hear anything.
COSTELLO: All right. We've lost our audio feed to the Olympians, and hopefully we'll get them back, but at least we got to see them for a short time.
Looks like there will be no Hamm with your morning Wheaties. The cereal company has decided to leave controversial gold medal gymnast Paul Hamm out of its planned Olympic champion series. Our new friend, Michael Phelps, who you heard from, 100-meter champ Justin Gatlin and all-around gymnast Carly Patterson all were chosen to appear on the Wheaties boxes.
Next hour of DAYBREAK begins right now.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired August 31, 2004 - 05:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: He says the legislation will go before his cabinet two weeks from today.
To the Forecast Center now and, Chad, good morning.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Carol.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: And there's a lot of people there to enjoy it.
MYERS: Still stormy this morning. But by the time they get up, it'll be fine.
COSTELLO: I know Bob Franken just messaged us. He says it's raining there now but not hard.
MYERS: Yes, right.
COSTELLO: All right. Thank you -- Chad.
MYERS: All right.
COSTELLO: Republicans hear more about George W. Bush tonight from the woman who knows him best. First Lady Laura Bush addresses the Republican National Convention tonight. She's been stumping for her husband regularly this year, even though he once promised her she would never have to make political speeches.
Also tonight, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger takes center stage. The former star of action movies won his state's first ever recall election last year.
The first day of the convention saw some heat over "Fahrenheit 9/11." Senator John McCain took a jab at the Michael Moore documentary, which criticizes the Iraq war. As more watched from the media gallery, McCain told the delegates don't believe what you see.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: Our choice wasn't between a benign status quo and the bloodshed of war. It was between war and a graver threat. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.
(APPLAUSE)
MCCAIN: Not our political opponents, not, and certainly not, and certainly not a disingenuous filmmaker who would have us believe...
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: And that certainly was one of the bigger moments of the night.
Michael Moore, by the way, is working for "USA Today." You can read his column in this morning's newspaper. That's in "USA Today" in case you're interested.
Ohio, as we have been telling you, is a key battleground state this election year. It's always on the candidates' radar. President Bush and John Kerry are fighting for the state's 20 electoral votes. In 2000, President Bush won the state by 3.6 percentage points. The state is made up of 85 percent whites, 11.5 percent blacks and nearly 2 percent Latinos. It has a large union vote and times are tough. People are concerned about the bare essentials, like jobs and food.
CNN's Richard Quest reports from northeast Ohio.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICHARD QUEST, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the land of plenty, these are the people without. Those who have to line up at the Canton Food Bank and throw themselves upon charity for food and shelter. The number of people seeking this help has risen for three straight years.
Those like Michelle McAlister (ph), who lost her job when the company downsized. Her husband is also out of work.
MICHELLE MCALISTER, UNEMPLOYED: We had savings and now we're just down to the bottom of it. So once that's gone and the unemployment runs out, I'm not sure.
QUEST: The problem is in Ohio the number of families, like the McAlisters, has grown as the number of good paying jobs, disappeared, many of them overseas.
LISA HAMLER-PODALSKI, FOOD AID BANK DIRECTOR: We are seeing unprecedented increase in demand for emergency food assistance in the state of Ohio. We've experienced over a 40 percent increase in demand for assistance. What we're seeing now is the total loss of a manufacturing base. Those factories are gone and they are never coming back.
QUEST: When financial disaster hits, it forces those least able to fall back on the most meager of resources.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You get to choose two items off of the top shelf.
QUEST: Often nothing more than hand downs, as Tammy Hedge (ph) found out when she lost her job. It was outsourced to China. Her new job pays nowhere near as much.
TAMMY HEDGE, NEEDS FOOD BANK: Seven dollars an hour and 40 hours a week and they take the taxes and what they do out of it. It's not enough to live on. Somebody has got to change what's happening to us people here. Do we just not exist anymore just because the company has moved to Mexico and China and all them? We're still here and we still have got groceries to buy and kids to raise.
QUEST: Everyone knows someone like Tammy Hedge. And as voters make up their mind, here the thought is often there but for the grace.
RICK FARMER, PROFESSOR: It's literally going to depend on how they feel about can I pay the bills, what's the price of gasoline, what's the price of milk, how's my rent coming?
QUEST: Questions already facing those at the food bank who are being called America's new poor.
Richard Quest, CNN, northeastern Ohio.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: All this week during the Republican National Convention, if you are away from your television set, tune us in on the radio or on the Web. CNN "LIVE FROM..." anchor Kyra Phillips and I will be broadcasting live every night starting at 8:00 p.m. Eastern. We'll have complete coverage of everything going on in the Big Apple. That's on CNN Radio or you can click it on the Web site. That's all this week from 8:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. Eastern.
And get a bird's eye view of all the activities at the Republican National Convention right here on CNN on your television. Our prime time coverage begins tonight at 7:00 Eastern with Anderson Cooper and that is Wolf Blitzer and Larry King. At 10:00 Eastern, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger takes the stage followed by "NEWSNIGHT WITH AARON BROWN," and then Larry King will wrap it up live at midnight.
Imagine being wrongly diagnosed with a life-threatening illness. It happened to one California man. What his doctor says happened that led to this mistake.
Plus the Republicans have taken center stage this week. What you missed on day one.
And our DAYBREAK e-mail "Question of the Morning," are the prime time convention speakers representative of the Republican Party? Let us know what you think, e-mail us at DAYBREAK@CNN.com. That's DAYBREAK@CNN.com.
But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Tuesday morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Political conventions have a certain flare to them. The flags, the bunting, the music all are aimed at pumping up the candidate's foot soldiers. Here's a look at some of last night's action.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(SINGING)
DORA BUSH COOK, MARYLAND DELEGATE: Madam Secretary, it is with great honor that I, Dora Bush Cook, representing the great state of Maryland, nominate a man of great character, with unwavering conviction, who has liberated millions of people around the world, my brother, George W. Bush, for his second term as president of the United States.
(APPLAUSE)
MCCAIN: While this war has many components, we can't make victory on the battlefield harder to achieve so that our diplomacy is easier to conduct. This is not just an expression of strength, it is a measure of our wisdom, that's why I commend to my country the reelection of President Bush.
(APPLAUSE)
RUDY GIULIANI (R), FORMER NEW YORK MAYOR: And since September 11, President Bush has remained rock solid. It doesn't matter to him how he's demonized. It doesn't matter to him what the media does to ridicule him or misinterpret him or defeated him. They ridiculed Winston Churchill, they belittled Ronald Reagan, but like President Bush, they were optimists.
(SINGING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Sights and sounds of the Republican National Convention.
Despite their support, there are some big differences between the convention speakers and President Bush. For example, President Bush opposes abortion, except in cases of rape, while Arnold Schwarzenegger, who speaks tonight, supports a woman's right to choose.
Rifts also pop up when it comes to gay marriage. Bush has been calling for a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage, but Rudy Giuliani opposes such a measure.
And when it comes to Bush and John McCain, President Bush supports reauthorizing a ban on assault weapons, while the senator from Arizona opposes such a reorganization.
Which brings us to our e-mail "Question of the Day," do the speakers in prime time at the RNC represent the Republican platform? We've gotten some already. This is from Maggie (ph) from Downy, California. She says, yes, the prime time speakers are representative of the Republican Party because our party is inclusive. As President Reagan said if you agree with 80 percent of what we believe in, come on in.
This is from Phil (ph) from Oklahoma. He says the speakers at the convention represent the Republican Party much better than do Ted Kennedy and his cronies represent the Democrats.
And I have one up on my computer. This is from Sarah (ph). She says as a registered Republican, I can tell you today's Republican Party does not respect conservative values. The religious extremists of the Republican Party have lost sight of the Constitution's basic freedoms and protections for its citizens.
Keep the e-mail coming, DAYBREAK@CNN.com. That's DAYBREAK@CNN.com.
Your news, money, weather and sports. It is 5:43 Eastern. Here is what's all new this morning.
The Florida Supreme Court will hear arguments today that may ultimately determine if Terri Schiavo will live or die. Schiavo is the 40-year-old brain-damaged woman at the center of a legal battle between her husband and Governor Jeb Bush. The governor signed a law that keeps her alive against her husband's wishes.
Plastic toys showing Osama bin Laden standing between the World Trade Center towers have popped up in bags of Mexican candy in Florida. The distributor says they bought the toys in bulk and didn't notice what they depicted. The candy is now being recalled.
In money news, U.S. light crude is trading at $42.30 a barrel. That's well below the record high of nearly $50 earlier this month. So you can expect gas prices at the pump to drop next.
In culture, a possible new venue for Donald Trump. The real estate mogul turned TV star may now have his sights set on higher education. Trump has filed trademark the name Trump University for a possible online business school.
And in sports, Greg Maddux stopped the skid for the Chicago Cubs with a masterful performance in Montreal. The Cubs beat the Expos five to two to take the lead in the National League wildcard race -- Chad.
MYERS: Good morning, Carol.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: Thank you, Chad.
Those are the latest headlines for you.
A shocking medical mistake. A California man tries to get his life back on track after finding out he isn't HIV positive after all. The story when DAYBREAK returns.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Happy birthday.
"Health Headlines" for you this morning.
What is the best place for anyone over 50 to work? Well the AARP says America's hospitals. The group found that hospitals dominated its list of the 35 best U.S. employers for older Americans. Hospitals led the AARP list last year as well.
A bit of irony here, if you're thinking about going through a whole body X-ray scan in hopes of finding any tumors in the early stages, think again. Researchers warn that radiation from the X-ray could raise your overall risk of getting cancer.
And the London-based Royal Society wants to stop an attempt to ban stem cell research. The ban is included in a global treaty banning human cloning. The Royal Society is Britain's leading scientific institution. The United Nations is expected to consider the matter in October.
For more on this or any other health story, head to our Web site. The address, CNN.com/health.
Imagine being told by your doctor that you have AIDS, only to find out years later that it's simply not true, a misdiagnosis. One California man does not have to imagine that, it's his reality.
Reporter Amber Lee of CNN affiliate KTVU has more on his story from Oakland, California.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JIM MALONE, MISDIAGNOSED PATIENT: I am extremely happy that I am not infected. On the other hand, I keep going back and I keep thinking about the fact that I have lost friends, I have lost family.
AMBER LEE, KTVU-TV REPORTER (voice-over): Malone showed us documents he says he received from V.A. Dr. Richard Carp (ph), including a letter dated last week.
MALONE: Mr. James Michael Malone has been followed by me at the Oakland V.A. Clinic since 1996.
LEE: The letter says -- quote -- "for reasons that are unclear, the diagnosis was not confirmed here, and Mr. Malone was presumed HIV positive." The letter goes on to say -- quote -- "as his primary care provider, I take full responsibility for this error."
We contacted the VA Clinic. A spokeswoman provided a statement over the phone, which appears to contradict the doctor's statement about not having confirmed Malone's original HIV diagnosis from another hospital. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: From 1996 to 2004, the physician continued to evaluate the patient for HIV by routinely ordering specific blood tests. Because these tests were all normal, the patient was never given any medications for HIV infection. We empathize with him and are committed to continuing to assist him in any way that we can.
MALONE: For them to say we do everything that we can, bologna. They don't do everything that they can. If they did, we wouldn't have this mess that we've got right now.
LEE: Malone says the misdiagnosis has cost him dearly. He says it put a strain on his relationship with family members. He said his father just passed away in late June and had refused to speak or see Malone since his diagnosis. Malone says his father thought he was being punished for being gay.
MALONE: And I can't tell him I'm sorry, the doctors made a mistake. That's devastating.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: That was Amber Lee reporting from CNN affiliate KTVU.
Still to come this morning, he swam his way to gold at the Summer Games. Just ahead, we'll take you live to Florida and talk with Michael Phelps and his fellow gold medal winners.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Thousands of kids across the country are jumping into swimming pools with dreams of becoming the next Michael Phelps. But Phelps wasn't the only American swimmer to capture gold at Athens. The U.S. team won a total of 12 gold medals, not to mention plenty of other precious medals.
Joining us live from Disney World are three members of that team who just happen to all be golden. Ian Crocker, Lenny Krayzelburg and of course multiple gold medalist Michael Phelps.
Welcome to all of you.
MICHAEL PHELPS, MULTIPLE OLYMPIC MEDALIST: Thank you. Thank you.
IAN CROCKER, WON 3 MEDALS IN ATHENS: Thank you.
LENNY KRAYZELBURG, WON GOLD MEDAL IN ATHENS: Thank you.
COSTELLO: Michael, let's start with you, how does it feel to come back and be a celebrity?
PHELPS: It's really -- the best thing is to be back in the U.S. You know we've -- I've missed the States a lot. And it's just that's the most exciting part for me right now.
COSTELLO: And what did you miss? PHELPS: I missed just everything about it. You know I missed, especially I missed Baltimore. I missed just the whole U.S., I guess, soil. I mean everything about it. Like last night I came in and I was so pumped to watch football. So it's a little bit of everything that I missed.
COSTELLO: I'm pumped to watch football myself.
Ian, what's your best memory from the Olympics, besides the obvious?
CROCKER: My best memory I think was being able to be on that relay and swim for the U.S. and get a gold finally after a long week.
COSTELLO: Lenny, how about you?
KRAYZELBURG: I think for me being a team captain of this U.S. Olympic swim team was a great honor. And I think the most memorable moment, because you know we had such an incredible Olympics, and seeing our team perform so well, it was the most special thing for me, the thing that I will remember for the rest of my life.
COSTELLO: So we have to explain to viewers why exactly you're at Disney World and why you're wearing those T-shirts. So, Michael, you want to take that question?
PHELPS: We're all at Disney World here.
It just went out. We lost her.
COSTELLO: I'm sorry, can you still hear me, Michael? Ian, can you hear me?
IAN: Really faintly.
PHELPS: I don't hear anything.
COSTELLO: All right. We've lost our audio feed to the Olympians, and hopefully we'll get them back, but at least we got to see them for a short time.
Looks like there will be no Hamm with your morning Wheaties. The cereal company has decided to leave controversial gold medal gymnast Paul Hamm out of its planned Olympic champion series. Our new friend, Michael Phelps, who you heard from, 100-meter champ Justin Gatlin and all-around gymnast Carly Patterson all were chosen to appear on the Wheaties boxes.
Next hour of DAYBREAK begins right now.
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