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"90-Second Pop"; Rehab for Former President Bill Clinton

Aired September 13, 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.


HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: All right, it is just about half past the hour now on this AMERICAN MORNING. Hurricane Ivan has killed at least 42 people across the Caribbean, and now some reports put that number as high as 65. Cuba is the next island that will be tested by the storm, though it could be spared if Ivan stays to the west. We're of course going to check on the forecast in just a few minutes, also see what they're doing in Florida to prepare just in case.
O'BRIEN: Also on the program, what's really going on in North Korea, a tough question to answer. The government there is offering its explanation for a mysterious cloud that is raising a lot of nuclear worries this is morning. We'll get a White House reaction for you.

First, though, we want to check on the stores now in the news with Daryn Kagan at the CNN Center once again.

Daryn, good morning.

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Heidi, good morning.

Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge will testify before a Senate committee this morning. Ridge is testifying about intelligence community support for national security and military operations. That hearing is set to get under way shortly. On the campaign trail, President Bush will address healthcare in a speech in Michigan this morning. The president left for Michigan about 10 minutes ago. Meanwhile, Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry is in the nation's Capitol. At this hour, he is set to unveil his $5 billion plan to fight crime. He then heads to Wisconsin.

About a half hour from now, Amnesty International USA will release a report charging that racial profiling has increased drastically since the attacks on 9/11. The group charges that racial profiling is a distraction to law enforcement, and that it undermines national security efforts. They base the report on a year-long study.

Back to you in New York.

COLLINS: All right, Daryn, what's coming up at 10:00 for you?

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: We have a really interesting story from a woman named Scottie Barnes. She thinks it's important for kids to know their fathers, even if those fathers are in prison. She is leading 500 children on a spiritual mission to meet their fathers behind bars.

COLLINS: All right, Daryn, thanks so much for that. We'll be watching -- Miles.

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: It's now unclear whether the deadly Hurricane Ivan will clip the western tip of Cuba. The latest forecast say it could move towards Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula instead. Either way, the Category 5 storm promises to pack a powerful punch.

Susan Candiotti is live now in Panama City Beach, with more on Ivan, which might possibly be headed that way -- Susan.

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hard to tell at this point. There are about 27 miles of beaches in Panama City, and about 7,000 people who live there right along the Gulf.

Now many of those people remember what happened back in 1995. That's when Hurricane Opal streaked by about 80 miles west of here, and even though it was that far away, that put Panama City on the right side of the storm, creating serious damage here from a storage surge.

Since then, of course, you have a lot of newcomers who have moved into the area. They are especially anxious about what could happen, and they are starting to make preparations not only here, but all along the Florida Panhandle from pretty much Apalachicola all the way as far west as, at east, Mobile, Alabama. People here realize they have to be prepared because of what happened with Hurricane Charley and Frances.

Now Earlier this morning on AMERICAN MORNING, FEMA director Mike Brown warned people about what could happen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE BROWN, FEMA DIR.: People need to expect to be without power for at least several days, maybe up to a week or longer. They need to stockpile their water, their medicine, they need to have a battery- powered flashlight. They need to have all of those things to sustain themselves for maybe several days or a week while we do our life- saving and life-sustaining efforts.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CANDIOTTI: Emergency management officials from here in Bay County, where Panama City is located met Sunday afternoon, they're meeting again this afternoon, to try to figure out Ivan's track, and make a decision as early as they can about whether to order a mandatory or voluntary evacuations in some areas along the Gulf here, and they know, they better make that decision soon to give themselves at least 24 to 48 hours to move people back -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: Of course a lot of things can happen with that storm over that period of time. It must be a very difficult decision.

CANDIOTTI: It is tough, and that's why they're listening to those forecasts from the National Hurricane Center literally around the clock, because they've got a lot of decisions to make, a lot of people to move, and it is rough. O'BRIEN: All right, Susan Candiotti, in Panama City Beach, thank you very much.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COLLINS: North Korea says the huge explosion that caused so much concern about a nuclear weapons test late last week was really the demolition of a mountain for a hydroelectric project, but whatever the cause, the two-mile wide mushroom cloud in North Korea unleashed a political storm over Washington.

Dana Bash is at the White House now.

What is the reaction there?

DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Heidi, they're really saying at this point they still are not going to speculate. They're not exactly sure what caused this explosion, but what we do know, Heidi, is that we are, of course, 50 days out from an election, where leadership on national security tops the agenda, and Senator John Kerry jumped on this issue, and he called North Korea an example of massive failed Bush leadership.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BASH (voice-over): Top Bush advisors say so far, there's no evidence a mysterious explosion in North Korea was nuclear, but concede there is intelligence Pyongyang may be preparing a nuclear test.

COLIN POWELL, SECY. OF STATE: It could be that, it could be that they're doing some test preparations, or it could be that just some maintenance is going on. So it's not conclusive, and we continue to examine it and study it on a regular basis.

BASH: The U.S. does periodically receive reports North Korea wants to test its nuclear capability, but senior officials say the reclusive regime's plans are hard to decipher.

The national security advisor suggested Kim Jong-il's motive for any nuclear test could be to affect the U.S. election.

CONDOLEEZZA RICE, NATL. SECURITY ADVISER: The North Koreans would only succeed in isolating themselves further if they're somehow trying to gain negotiating leverage, or their own October surprise.

BASH: So-called October surprises have been engineered before, timed for the closing days of U.S. presidential races. The motive? Mr. Bush is holding by for verifiable dismantlement. North Korea may think John Kerry would be different.

MICHAEL O'HANLON, BROOKINGS INSTITUTION: Their immediate goal is to hope that Senator Kerry prevails, because they think he would be a more flexible negotiating partner.

BASH: In a statement late Sunday, Senator Kerry said because of the Bush North Korea policy, quote, "A potential route to a nuclear 9/11 is clearly visible. A Kerry advisor argued attacking Iraq has emboldened Pyongyang."

MADELEINE ALBRIGHT, FMR. SECY. OF STATE: They get the wrong message out of Iraq -- you know, We invade countries that don't have nuclear weapons, and we don't invade those that do.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BASH: And Senator Kerry accused the president of taking his eye off the ball when it comes to North Korea, which the CIA believes already has a handful of nuclear weapons. The White House says its strategy of six-way diplomatic talks is still the best, although they say the president still does not take military options off the table -- Heidi.

COLLINS: All right, Dana Bash, thanks so much -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: Bill Clinton is now recovering at home after last week's quadruple heart bypass operation.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta joins us once again from the CNN Center to talk about rehab for the former president, and for heart patients in general.

Sanjay, good to have you back with us.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Thanks, Miles.

Yes, first of all, it's a really good sign that he left on the fourth post-operative day, President Clinton that is, left the hospital, up walking around at his home, and the walks are going to become longer. Eventually, his doctors, his cardiologists and heart surgeons are going to want him to start walking a couple of miles a day at least, Miles. That's all important to make sure that his heart continues to rehab, as well as the rest of his body.

Now there is a thing known as formal cardiac rehabilitation therapy. There are several components of that. First of all, the exercise we just mentioned. There's also a nutritional component to it, which is obviously very important, that a lot of people ask about this.

When you talk about the nutritional component, you're talking about a diet most similar to a Mediterranean diet -- lots of whole grains, fish, foods that are low in saturated fats, nine servings of fruits and vegetables a day. And then a formal rehab program, where he slowly increases his aerobic activity.

A lot of data out there, Miles, on these programs show that people who do these programs for a couple of months tend to do better in the long run -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: All right, what about mental issues? I know a lot of people get depressed in the wake of these kinds of things. GUPTA: Yes, you know, it's really interesting. There are a lot of mental challenges after an operation like this. People are so focused on the sort of physical challenges, first of all. There are emotional challenges, there are higher incidents of frequent fatigue, for example, bad dreams, becoming easily irritated, depression. A lot of people ask about that, Miles, as well.

There's no sort of specific chemical change that they have found that occurs in the brain after an operation like this. What it tends to be instead, why people develop these sort of symptoms, I think for the first time, maybe for a lot of people, they've had a significant brush with mortality. A lot of people spend a lot of time reevaluating their lives.

The good news is -- and I talked to hi heart surgeon, Dr. Craig Smith about this, the good news is that almost always the symptoms go away by about a year's time -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: And we assume he'll be back to 100 percent. If so, how long will it take?

GUPTA: Yes, knowing President Clinton, I think he probably will be back to 100 percent nearly. Say a couple, three months. It depends. Everyone's a little bit slower, or different paces, I should say, in terms of their own recovery.

But the good news is, again, he may be better than he was, in terms of not getting chest pain when he exercises. He may be able to be more active than he was before the operation. That's probably two to three months away -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: Sanjay Gupta, thanks very much.

GUPTA: Thanks, Miles.

O'BRIEN: Yes -- Heidi.

COLLINS: Still to come this morning, a major U.S. airline is in the red, and it might not be able to climb out. This is the second time in fact. Andy Serwer is "Minding Your Business" on that.

O'BRIEN: Plus, "90-Second Pop" comes back again. CBS could have had madonna in its lineup, but decided to take a pass instead, and it has nothing to do with wardrobe malfunctions. We'll explain on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Don't you just want to dance? Hey, it's time now for "90-Second Pop."

ANDY BOROWITZ, BOROWITZREPORT.COM: No.

COLLINS: Andy says no. With us this morning, Andy Borowitz, chief, cook and bottle washer, borowitzreport.com. We are giving you far too much, I guess, before. Sarah Bernard, contributing editor for "New York" magazine. And Toure, our pop culture correspondent.

Thanks so much, you guys, for being here.

OK. So, let's first get to Gwyneth Paltrow, if we may, Toure.

TOURE, CNN POPULAR CULTURE CORRESPONDENT: This is good news.

COLLINS: Yes. She says she's quitting acting. She wants more time to raise her daughter, Apple. And...

TOURE: Be nice.

COLLINS: This is all good, or is this kind of another publicity maybe stunt?

TOURE: Well, she says in "Entertainment Weekly" that she can't see going back to doing another movie in a year, maybe a little more, maybe a little less.

COLLINS: But is that quitting?

TOURE: She -- I think we're going to see her again. But she's going to take a long break and be a mom. And she's had a hard last couple of years, her dad, and then getting married is a big change in your life, and now she's got a baby. And it's good to see personally somebody focused on their personal life.

COLLINS: Yes, but why say you're quitting?

TOURE: But...

SARAH BERNARD, "NEW YORK" MAGAZINE: But she didn't really say she was quitting.

TOURE: Yes, it's not a great artistic loss. I mean, you know, there's "The Royal Tenenbaums," which is great. But there is a bunch of films like "Bounce."

BERNARD: Oh, come on!

TOURE: I mean, like, I dragged my girlfriend to see "Bounce." I lost movie-choosing privileges for six months!

BOROWITZ: You know, coincidentally, Ben Affleck said that he quit acting in movies four movies ago.

BERNARD: Oh! You know, this isn't that unusual. I mean, if she were a regular 9:00 to 5:00, she would still be coming back from maternity leave, like, right now. It's not that much time.

COLLINS: That's true.

BERNARD: I think we'll see her again.

COLLINS: All right.

BERNARD: I don't think it's a publicity stunt.

COLLINS: OK. But somebody that we're probably not going to see, at least on CBS, is Madonna.

TOURE: Right.

COLLINS: She wanted this to be -- she was going to do this concert, right? And she wanted it to be two hours commercial-free.

TOURE: Right.

COLLINS: What's so big demand of a, you know, about that?

BOROWITZ: Well, CBS (INAUDIBLE) response, because she wanted a two-hour Madonna concert with no interruption. And CBS said that's actually in violation of the Geneva Convention. So, they had no choice really.

COLLINS: So, what's the deal? Why didn't they want to put her on?

BERNARD: How did Madonna and the Tiffany Network get paired up together at all?

BOROWITZ: I don't know. I just think...

BERNARD: It doesn't seem right.

BOROWITZ: They usually, like, when there's, like, a two-hour thing, no commercial interruptions, it's, like, "Schindler's List," you know. I think, you know, the Reagan funeral. I don't think Madonna is concert is really out there.

TOURE: This is a continuing wardrobe malfunction shadow over America. Just like...

COLLINS: They are afraid.

TOURE: Yes, more P.C. and more puritan than we have ever been. It's bizarre.

COLLINS: Andy, Sarah and Toure, you guys, thanks so much -- Miles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: Thanks, Heidi.

Still to come on the program, AMERICAN MORNING spends an evening on the catwalk at "Fashion Week," getting a sneak peek at next spring's fashions. Stay with us for more on AMERICAN MORNING.

Do I see Bill Hemmer there?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: All right, the markets are open, which means the future is now. Hail to the Serwer. Fight for all...

ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Boy, what are we going to do, Miles, when you're not here anymore.

O'BRIEN: I don't know.

SERWER: It's going to be rough.

O'BRIEN: I'm here to pump you up.

SERWER: You really are, and we appreciate that.

O'BRIEN: Knock it out of here, will you?

SERWER: Stocks were up briefly this morning. The Dow is not up anymore, though. Let's check it out. Down two, slipping-and-a- sliding a little bit here, even with the futures rolling.

Nasdaq still up; techs are strong. US Air, as you might expect, down nearly 50 percent. The stock is down 70 cents to 76 cents, that's because the company declared bankruptcy on Sunday. That'll happen when you go bankrupt. The second time in 25 months the seventh largest carrier in the United States.

What does that mean for everyone? Well, it means if you're flying US Air, you're probably OK for the balance of the year. After that, who knows? Frequent flier miles, you're probably OK.

When they went bankrupt in 2002, they only cut service in one city -- that would be Saginaw, Michigan. Remember that song, Jack?

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Yes.

SERWER: Merle Haggard -- Merle Haggard...

CAFFERTY: Lefty Frizzell also recorded it.

SERWER: That's correct.

Interesting, in 2000, the Department of Justice rejected an attempt by United Airlines and US Air to merge. Do you remember that? They're now both bankrupt. Interesting, isn't it?

Continental Airlines, by the way, went bankrupt twice and came back. US Air has 282 planes, hubs in Charlotte and Philly, operations in Pittsburgh, Boston, and LaGuardia.

It's a big story, and it's part of a larger story, and we're going to be following it.

O'BRIEN: It's a problem. It's a big problem. SERWER: It is.

O'BRIEN: All right, thank you, sir.

COLLINS: Andy, thanks.

SERWER: You're welcome.

COLLINS: We're going to check in now with Jack and the "Question of the Day." Once again, people responding about North Korea here.

CAFFERTY: Yes. "What should the United States do," Heidi, "with the potential nuclear threat from North Korea," is the question du jour.

Paul in Wallingford, Connecticut, writes: "China is more at risk proximity-wise than the United States. Rest assured China will not take lightly North Korea playing with nukes near their border and will deal with North Korea swiftly without a bunch of political red tape to cut through."

Charles in Campbellville, Canada: "Get out the checkbook. You don't need inspectors or spy satellites. You need to spread some money around and find out what's going on."

And Patricia in Garden Grove, California: "When the administration stated our intelligence can't tell if the recently spotted large mushroom cloud over North Korea was a forest fire or nuclear test, it is time to be very afraid." I think Patricia is absolutely right.

O'BRIEN: I agree with that point. I mean, that's nonsense.

SERWER: Don't they really know? I mean, can't they find out if there's radioactivity up there?

CAFFERTY: My great fear is that they do know and maybe they're not telling. And if it -- and if there would have been, if it is a nuclear test, and they say we know that you've conducted a nuclear test, then that would require that something be done. And if you say, well, it's just a demolition thing, then you can go blindly along and pretend it's not a problem.

O'BRIEN: Only you can prevent forest fires, just remember that.

CAFFERTY: Smokey the Bear.

COLLINS: Right.

All right, Jack. This one now is for you, definitely. Time for our daily look at the newest designs taking center stage here in New York at Spring Fashion Week today: eveningwear.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ZAC POSEN, DESIGNER: The Trinity Collection is a collection about fusion into simplicity. So, it goes through super luxury detailing in whites. And then, it moves into sanity (ph) of prints, and then into simplicity of black.

DEREK LAM, DESIGNER: (INAUDIBLE) biography. He falls in love with a beautiful French woman in Singapore. And they have this torrid, scandalous affair. So, it's my imagination of this woman, of how she would dress, what her style and what her power as a woman would be.

BRYAN BRADLEY, DESIGNER, TULEH: Romantic. It's so romantic, but it's a little bit more complicated. And it's not so one note.

KATE BETTS, EDITOR, "TIME STYLE & DESIGN": I think the whole vibe of this newer generation of designers is really about the sort of soft, romanticism. It's a very grownup, very mature look at fashion.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Well?

SERWER: What's your take, Jack? We're really interested, here.

COLLINS: Bada-bing, baby!

CAFFERTY: I actually read a piece in one of the papers in New York this morning. They said there's 168 shows in eight days, which means it's impossible, even if you're a fashion critic for "Vogue" magazine, you're not going to see them all.

And the other thing they said was some of the great designers, like de la Renta and de la Hoya and that's...

O'BRIEN: ... boxers.

CAFFERTY: No, but they said they've been relegated kind of to the second tier, because this year it's all about these unknown kids that everybody who knows how to sew a seam, even if it's not very straight, has got a show down there. So, they've got all these unknown designers competing with, you know, the big guys.

SERWER: I can't believe you know that much about this, Jack. When did you get into fashion?

CAFFERTY: I mean, look at me, Andy. I mean, can't you see? Sort of comes naturally.

O'BRIEN: He's in touch with his inner fashion.

CAFFERTY: When I leave this, I'm going to become a fashion designer. That'll be my next career.

SERWER: I can see that -- sort of.

COLLINS: I think you look fetching.

CAFFERTY: Fetching? What do that mean? SERWER: Fetch what?

COLLINS: Get us out of here, Miles.

O'BRIEN: Fetch this, will you?

All right, coming up on CNN -- Senator Kerry is in D.C. this morning for an anti-crime event -- looking fetching. He's expected to talk about tonight's exploration of a ban on some kinds of assault weapons. That's coming up in the next hour with Daryn Kagan on "CNN LIVE TODAY."

AMERICAN MORNING will be back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Well, that is all for us here on AMERICAN MORNING today. Jack Cafferty, Miles O'Brien -- we're going to miss you, Miles. You and your Broncos tie.

Did you know you were wearing a Broncos tie?

O'BRIEN: No, I didn't. I didn't think of that, but there you have it. Broncos -- I don't know the Broncos song. I know the Redskins song, but...

SERWER: Want to do it again? Hail to the -- no.

O'BRIEN: No, let's not.

COLLINS: All right. Hey, on that note, Andy, nice to see you, too.

We will be back here tomorrow on AMERICAN MORNING. For now, though, Daryn Kagan, once again, at the CNN Center, to take you through the next few hours.

Hi, Daryn.

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Hi to all of you in New York City. Have a great day. We'll get started. A lot to cover here.

Good morning from CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta. I'm Daryn Kagan.

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 September 13, 2004 - 09:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: All right, it is just about half past the hour now on this AMERICAN MORNING. Hurricane Ivan has killed at least 42 people across the Caribbean, and now some reports put that number as high as 65. Cuba is the next island that will be tested by the storm, though it could be spared if Ivan stays to the west. We're of course going to check on the forecast in just a few minutes, also see what they're doing in Florida to prepare just in case.
O'BRIEN: Also on the program, what's really going on in North Korea, a tough question to answer. The government there is offering its explanation for a mysterious cloud that is raising a lot of nuclear worries this is morning. We'll get a White House reaction for you.

First, though, we want to check on the stores now in the news with Daryn Kagan at the CNN Center once again.

Daryn, good morning.

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Heidi, good morning.

Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge will testify before a Senate committee this morning. Ridge is testifying about intelligence community support for national security and military operations. That hearing is set to get under way shortly. On the campaign trail, President Bush will address healthcare in a speech in Michigan this morning. The president left for Michigan about 10 minutes ago. Meanwhile, Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry is in the nation's Capitol. At this hour, he is set to unveil his $5 billion plan to fight crime. He then heads to Wisconsin.

About a half hour from now, Amnesty International USA will release a report charging that racial profiling has increased drastically since the attacks on 9/11. The group charges that racial profiling is a distraction to law enforcement, and that it undermines national security efforts. They base the report on a year-long study.

Back to you in New York.

COLLINS: All right, Daryn, what's coming up at 10:00 for you?

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: We have a really interesting story from a woman named Scottie Barnes. She thinks it's important for kids to know their fathers, even if those fathers are in prison. She is leading 500 children on a spiritual mission to meet their fathers behind bars.

COLLINS: All right, Daryn, thanks so much for that. We'll be watching -- Miles.

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: It's now unclear whether the deadly Hurricane Ivan will clip the western tip of Cuba. The latest forecast say it could move towards Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula instead. Either way, the Category 5 storm promises to pack a powerful punch.

Susan Candiotti is live now in Panama City Beach, with more on Ivan, which might possibly be headed that way -- Susan.

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hard to tell at this point. There are about 27 miles of beaches in Panama City, and about 7,000 people who live there right along the Gulf.

Now many of those people remember what happened back in 1995. That's when Hurricane Opal streaked by about 80 miles west of here, and even though it was that far away, that put Panama City on the right side of the storm, creating serious damage here from a storage surge.

Since then, of course, you have a lot of newcomers who have moved into the area. They are especially anxious about what could happen, and they are starting to make preparations not only here, but all along the Florida Panhandle from pretty much Apalachicola all the way as far west as, at east, Mobile, Alabama. People here realize they have to be prepared because of what happened with Hurricane Charley and Frances.

Now Earlier this morning on AMERICAN MORNING, FEMA director Mike Brown warned people about what could happen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE BROWN, FEMA DIR.: People need to expect to be without power for at least several days, maybe up to a week or longer. They need to stockpile their water, their medicine, they need to have a battery- powered flashlight. They need to have all of those things to sustain themselves for maybe several days or a week while we do our life- saving and life-sustaining efforts.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CANDIOTTI: Emergency management officials from here in Bay County, where Panama City is located met Sunday afternoon, they're meeting again this afternoon, to try to figure out Ivan's track, and make a decision as early as they can about whether to order a mandatory or voluntary evacuations in some areas along the Gulf here, and they know, they better make that decision soon to give themselves at least 24 to 48 hours to move people back -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: Of course a lot of things can happen with that storm over that period of time. It must be a very difficult decision.

CANDIOTTI: It is tough, and that's why they're listening to those forecasts from the National Hurricane Center literally around the clock, because they've got a lot of decisions to make, a lot of people to move, and it is rough. O'BRIEN: All right, Susan Candiotti, in Panama City Beach, thank you very much.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COLLINS: North Korea says the huge explosion that caused so much concern about a nuclear weapons test late last week was really the demolition of a mountain for a hydroelectric project, but whatever the cause, the two-mile wide mushroom cloud in North Korea unleashed a political storm over Washington.

Dana Bash is at the White House now.

What is the reaction there?

DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Heidi, they're really saying at this point they still are not going to speculate. They're not exactly sure what caused this explosion, but what we do know, Heidi, is that we are, of course, 50 days out from an election, where leadership on national security tops the agenda, and Senator John Kerry jumped on this issue, and he called North Korea an example of massive failed Bush leadership.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BASH (voice-over): Top Bush advisors say so far, there's no evidence a mysterious explosion in North Korea was nuclear, but concede there is intelligence Pyongyang may be preparing a nuclear test.

COLIN POWELL, SECY. OF STATE: It could be that, it could be that they're doing some test preparations, or it could be that just some maintenance is going on. So it's not conclusive, and we continue to examine it and study it on a regular basis.

BASH: The U.S. does periodically receive reports North Korea wants to test its nuclear capability, but senior officials say the reclusive regime's plans are hard to decipher.

The national security advisor suggested Kim Jong-il's motive for any nuclear test could be to affect the U.S. election.

CONDOLEEZZA RICE, NATL. SECURITY ADVISER: The North Koreans would only succeed in isolating themselves further if they're somehow trying to gain negotiating leverage, or their own October surprise.

BASH: So-called October surprises have been engineered before, timed for the closing days of U.S. presidential races. The motive? Mr. Bush is holding by for verifiable dismantlement. North Korea may think John Kerry would be different.

MICHAEL O'HANLON, BROOKINGS INSTITUTION: Their immediate goal is to hope that Senator Kerry prevails, because they think he would be a more flexible negotiating partner.

BASH: In a statement late Sunday, Senator Kerry said because of the Bush North Korea policy, quote, "A potential route to a nuclear 9/11 is clearly visible. A Kerry advisor argued attacking Iraq has emboldened Pyongyang."

MADELEINE ALBRIGHT, FMR. SECY. OF STATE: They get the wrong message out of Iraq -- you know, We invade countries that don't have nuclear weapons, and we don't invade those that do.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BASH: And Senator Kerry accused the president of taking his eye off the ball when it comes to North Korea, which the CIA believes already has a handful of nuclear weapons. The White House says its strategy of six-way diplomatic talks is still the best, although they say the president still does not take military options off the table -- Heidi.

COLLINS: All right, Dana Bash, thanks so much -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: Bill Clinton is now recovering at home after last week's quadruple heart bypass operation.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta joins us once again from the CNN Center to talk about rehab for the former president, and for heart patients in general.

Sanjay, good to have you back with us.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Thanks, Miles.

Yes, first of all, it's a really good sign that he left on the fourth post-operative day, President Clinton that is, left the hospital, up walking around at his home, and the walks are going to become longer. Eventually, his doctors, his cardiologists and heart surgeons are going to want him to start walking a couple of miles a day at least, Miles. That's all important to make sure that his heart continues to rehab, as well as the rest of his body.

Now there is a thing known as formal cardiac rehabilitation therapy. There are several components of that. First of all, the exercise we just mentioned. There's also a nutritional component to it, which is obviously very important, that a lot of people ask about this.

When you talk about the nutritional component, you're talking about a diet most similar to a Mediterranean diet -- lots of whole grains, fish, foods that are low in saturated fats, nine servings of fruits and vegetables a day. And then a formal rehab program, where he slowly increases his aerobic activity.

A lot of data out there, Miles, on these programs show that people who do these programs for a couple of months tend to do better in the long run -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: All right, what about mental issues? I know a lot of people get depressed in the wake of these kinds of things. GUPTA: Yes, you know, it's really interesting. There are a lot of mental challenges after an operation like this. People are so focused on the sort of physical challenges, first of all. There are emotional challenges, there are higher incidents of frequent fatigue, for example, bad dreams, becoming easily irritated, depression. A lot of people ask about that, Miles, as well.

There's no sort of specific chemical change that they have found that occurs in the brain after an operation like this. What it tends to be instead, why people develop these sort of symptoms, I think for the first time, maybe for a lot of people, they've had a significant brush with mortality. A lot of people spend a lot of time reevaluating their lives.

The good news is -- and I talked to hi heart surgeon, Dr. Craig Smith about this, the good news is that almost always the symptoms go away by about a year's time -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: And we assume he'll be back to 100 percent. If so, how long will it take?

GUPTA: Yes, knowing President Clinton, I think he probably will be back to 100 percent nearly. Say a couple, three months. It depends. Everyone's a little bit slower, or different paces, I should say, in terms of their own recovery.

But the good news is, again, he may be better than he was, in terms of not getting chest pain when he exercises. He may be able to be more active than he was before the operation. That's probably two to three months away -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: Sanjay Gupta, thanks very much.

GUPTA: Thanks, Miles.

O'BRIEN: Yes -- Heidi.

COLLINS: Still to come this morning, a major U.S. airline is in the red, and it might not be able to climb out. This is the second time in fact. Andy Serwer is "Minding Your Business" on that.

O'BRIEN: Plus, "90-Second Pop" comes back again. CBS could have had madonna in its lineup, but decided to take a pass instead, and it has nothing to do with wardrobe malfunctions. We'll explain on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Don't you just want to dance? Hey, it's time now for "90-Second Pop."

ANDY BOROWITZ, BOROWITZREPORT.COM: No.

COLLINS: Andy says no. With us this morning, Andy Borowitz, chief, cook and bottle washer, borowitzreport.com. We are giving you far too much, I guess, before. Sarah Bernard, contributing editor for "New York" magazine. And Toure, our pop culture correspondent.

Thanks so much, you guys, for being here.

OK. So, let's first get to Gwyneth Paltrow, if we may, Toure.

TOURE, CNN POPULAR CULTURE CORRESPONDENT: This is good news.

COLLINS: Yes. She says she's quitting acting. She wants more time to raise her daughter, Apple. And...

TOURE: Be nice.

COLLINS: This is all good, or is this kind of another publicity maybe stunt?

TOURE: Well, she says in "Entertainment Weekly" that she can't see going back to doing another movie in a year, maybe a little more, maybe a little less.

COLLINS: But is that quitting?

TOURE: She -- I think we're going to see her again. But she's going to take a long break and be a mom. And she's had a hard last couple of years, her dad, and then getting married is a big change in your life, and now she's got a baby. And it's good to see personally somebody focused on their personal life.

COLLINS: Yes, but why say you're quitting?

TOURE: But...

SARAH BERNARD, "NEW YORK" MAGAZINE: But she didn't really say she was quitting.

TOURE: Yes, it's not a great artistic loss. I mean, you know, there's "The Royal Tenenbaums," which is great. But there is a bunch of films like "Bounce."

BERNARD: Oh, come on!

TOURE: I mean, like, I dragged my girlfriend to see "Bounce." I lost movie-choosing privileges for six months!

BOROWITZ: You know, coincidentally, Ben Affleck said that he quit acting in movies four movies ago.

BERNARD: Oh! You know, this isn't that unusual. I mean, if she were a regular 9:00 to 5:00, she would still be coming back from maternity leave, like, right now. It's not that much time.

COLLINS: That's true.

BERNARD: I think we'll see her again.

COLLINS: All right.

BERNARD: I don't think it's a publicity stunt.

COLLINS: OK. But somebody that we're probably not going to see, at least on CBS, is Madonna.

TOURE: Right.

COLLINS: She wanted this to be -- she was going to do this concert, right? And she wanted it to be two hours commercial-free.

TOURE: Right.

COLLINS: What's so big demand of a, you know, about that?

BOROWITZ: Well, CBS (INAUDIBLE) response, because she wanted a two-hour Madonna concert with no interruption. And CBS said that's actually in violation of the Geneva Convention. So, they had no choice really.

COLLINS: So, what's the deal? Why didn't they want to put her on?

BERNARD: How did Madonna and the Tiffany Network get paired up together at all?

BOROWITZ: I don't know. I just think...

BERNARD: It doesn't seem right.

BOROWITZ: They usually, like, when there's, like, a two-hour thing, no commercial interruptions, it's, like, "Schindler's List," you know. I think, you know, the Reagan funeral. I don't think Madonna is concert is really out there.

TOURE: This is a continuing wardrobe malfunction shadow over America. Just like...

COLLINS: They are afraid.

TOURE: Yes, more P.C. and more puritan than we have ever been. It's bizarre.

COLLINS: Andy, Sarah and Toure, you guys, thanks so much -- Miles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: Thanks, Heidi.

Still to come on the program, AMERICAN MORNING spends an evening on the catwalk at "Fashion Week," getting a sneak peek at next spring's fashions. Stay with us for more on AMERICAN MORNING.

Do I see Bill Hemmer there?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: All right, the markets are open, which means the future is now. Hail to the Serwer. Fight for all...

ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Boy, what are we going to do, Miles, when you're not here anymore.

O'BRIEN: I don't know.

SERWER: It's going to be rough.

O'BRIEN: I'm here to pump you up.

SERWER: You really are, and we appreciate that.

O'BRIEN: Knock it out of here, will you?

SERWER: Stocks were up briefly this morning. The Dow is not up anymore, though. Let's check it out. Down two, slipping-and-a- sliding a little bit here, even with the futures rolling.

Nasdaq still up; techs are strong. US Air, as you might expect, down nearly 50 percent. The stock is down 70 cents to 76 cents, that's because the company declared bankruptcy on Sunday. That'll happen when you go bankrupt. The second time in 25 months the seventh largest carrier in the United States.

What does that mean for everyone? Well, it means if you're flying US Air, you're probably OK for the balance of the year. After that, who knows? Frequent flier miles, you're probably OK.

When they went bankrupt in 2002, they only cut service in one city -- that would be Saginaw, Michigan. Remember that song, Jack?

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Yes.

SERWER: Merle Haggard -- Merle Haggard...

CAFFERTY: Lefty Frizzell also recorded it.

SERWER: That's correct.

Interesting, in 2000, the Department of Justice rejected an attempt by United Airlines and US Air to merge. Do you remember that? They're now both bankrupt. Interesting, isn't it?

Continental Airlines, by the way, went bankrupt twice and came back. US Air has 282 planes, hubs in Charlotte and Philly, operations in Pittsburgh, Boston, and LaGuardia.

It's a big story, and it's part of a larger story, and we're going to be following it.

O'BRIEN: It's a problem. It's a big problem. SERWER: It is.

O'BRIEN: All right, thank you, sir.

COLLINS: Andy, thanks.

SERWER: You're welcome.

COLLINS: We're going to check in now with Jack and the "Question of the Day." Once again, people responding about North Korea here.

CAFFERTY: Yes. "What should the United States do," Heidi, "with the potential nuclear threat from North Korea," is the question du jour.

Paul in Wallingford, Connecticut, writes: "China is more at risk proximity-wise than the United States. Rest assured China will not take lightly North Korea playing with nukes near their border and will deal with North Korea swiftly without a bunch of political red tape to cut through."

Charles in Campbellville, Canada: "Get out the checkbook. You don't need inspectors or spy satellites. You need to spread some money around and find out what's going on."

And Patricia in Garden Grove, California: "When the administration stated our intelligence can't tell if the recently spotted large mushroom cloud over North Korea was a forest fire or nuclear test, it is time to be very afraid." I think Patricia is absolutely right.

O'BRIEN: I agree with that point. I mean, that's nonsense.

SERWER: Don't they really know? I mean, can't they find out if there's radioactivity up there?

CAFFERTY: My great fear is that they do know and maybe they're not telling. And if it -- and if there would have been, if it is a nuclear test, and they say we know that you've conducted a nuclear test, then that would require that something be done. And if you say, well, it's just a demolition thing, then you can go blindly along and pretend it's not a problem.

O'BRIEN: Only you can prevent forest fires, just remember that.

CAFFERTY: Smokey the Bear.

COLLINS: Right.

All right, Jack. This one now is for you, definitely. Time for our daily look at the newest designs taking center stage here in New York at Spring Fashion Week today: eveningwear.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ZAC POSEN, DESIGNER: The Trinity Collection is a collection about fusion into simplicity. So, it goes through super luxury detailing in whites. And then, it moves into sanity (ph) of prints, and then into simplicity of black.

DEREK LAM, DESIGNER: (INAUDIBLE) biography. He falls in love with a beautiful French woman in Singapore. And they have this torrid, scandalous affair. So, it's my imagination of this woman, of how she would dress, what her style and what her power as a woman would be.

BRYAN BRADLEY, DESIGNER, TULEH: Romantic. It's so romantic, but it's a little bit more complicated. And it's not so one note.

KATE BETTS, EDITOR, "TIME STYLE & DESIGN": I think the whole vibe of this newer generation of designers is really about the sort of soft, romanticism. It's a very grownup, very mature look at fashion.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Well?

SERWER: What's your take, Jack? We're really interested, here.

COLLINS: Bada-bing, baby!

CAFFERTY: I actually read a piece in one of the papers in New York this morning. They said there's 168 shows in eight days, which means it's impossible, even if you're a fashion critic for "Vogue" magazine, you're not going to see them all.

And the other thing they said was some of the great designers, like de la Renta and de la Hoya and that's...

O'BRIEN: ... boxers.

CAFFERTY: No, but they said they've been relegated kind of to the second tier, because this year it's all about these unknown kids that everybody who knows how to sew a seam, even if it's not very straight, has got a show down there. So, they've got all these unknown designers competing with, you know, the big guys.

SERWER: I can't believe you know that much about this, Jack. When did you get into fashion?

CAFFERTY: I mean, look at me, Andy. I mean, can't you see? Sort of comes naturally.

O'BRIEN: He's in touch with his inner fashion.

CAFFERTY: When I leave this, I'm going to become a fashion designer. That'll be my next career.

SERWER: I can see that -- sort of.

COLLINS: I think you look fetching.

CAFFERTY: Fetching? What do that mean? SERWER: Fetch what?

COLLINS: Get us out of here, Miles.

O'BRIEN: Fetch this, will you?

All right, coming up on CNN -- Senator Kerry is in D.C. this morning for an anti-crime event -- looking fetching. He's expected to talk about tonight's exploration of a ban on some kinds of assault weapons. That's coming up in the next hour with Daryn Kagan on "CNN LIVE TODAY."

AMERICAN MORNING will be back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Well, that is all for us here on AMERICAN MORNING today. Jack Cafferty, Miles O'Brien -- we're going to miss you, Miles. You and your Broncos tie.

Did you know you were wearing a Broncos tie?

O'BRIEN: No, I didn't. I didn't think of that, but there you have it. Broncos -- I don't know the Broncos song. I know the Redskins song, but...

SERWER: Want to do it again? Hail to the -- no.

O'BRIEN: No, let's not.

COLLINS: All right. Hey, on that note, Andy, nice to see you, too.

We will be back here tomorrow on AMERICAN MORNING. For now, though, Daryn Kagan, once again, at the CNN Center, to take you through the next few hours.

Hi, Daryn.

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Hi to all of you in New York City. Have a great day. We'll get started. A lot to cover here.

Good morning from CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta. I'm Daryn Kagan.

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