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American Morning

Rumors of Military Draft Hang Over Elections; Afghanistan Violence Aimed at Disrupting Elections; More Vioxx Fallout; LennonOno Grant for Peace Award Winners Honored

Aired October 07, 2004 - 08:30 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.

RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: That is a beautiful picture. Welcome back, everybody. I'm Rick Sanchez here, with the pleasure of working with Ms. Heidi Collins. A pleasure it is, indeed.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Thank you.

SANCHEZ: This is AMERICAN MORNING.

Is there any chance the draft is going to come back in the United States? This is a popular question this election year, and Republicans are trying to be as definitive as they possibly can in the answer, while the Democrats are making hay of it. Barbara Starr is going to look at that.

COLLINS: And that vote taking -- we'll talk about that in just a few minutes. Also this morning, we'll talk to Yoko Ono about the two individuals who will be honored this year with a grant in her husband's memory. Also talk about the decision that kept John Lennon's killer in prison.

SANCHEZ: Let's check in right now on the stories now in the news, and for that we go over to Kelly Wallace.

KELLY WALLACE, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, again, Rick, Heidi. Good morning, everyone.

We're starting with politics. Within the half hour, Vice President Dick Cheney is expected to host a town hall meeting in Miami. The vice president and his wife Lynne began their three-day trip in Florida yesterday speaking with voters in Tallahassee. On the other side, Senator Kerry -- John Kerry's running mate, Senator John Edwards, also spent Wednesday in the Sunshine State. He will address homeland security during a stop in New Jersey today.

In Afghanistan, the period for presidential candidates to campaign for the upcoming elections officially ended just a couple of hours ago. Officials are now making final checks before the polls open on Saturday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MANUEL ALMEIDA DA SILVA, U.N. ASSISTANCE MISSION: In terms of operations, as of this morning, everything is in place.

(END VIDEO CLIP) WALLACE: Officials are also beginning to train some 25,000 people to staff the polling stations across the country. Security, a big issue. They will be protected by more than 100,000 security personnel. More on the upcoming elections coming up in just a few minutes.

And a court-martial date has reportedly been set for suspected deserter Charles Jenkins. According to military officials, his trial will begin November 3rd in Japan. Until then, Jenkins has been assigned clerical duties with a new unit. He is accused of deserting to North Korea in 1965. Japan has reportedly asked for leniency for Jenkins, who married a Japanese woman. A fascinating and complicated story.

COLLINS: Long story, too, that's for sure.

WALLACE: Yes. Yes...

SANCHEZ: Thanks, Kelly.

COLLINS: All right, Kelly, we'll check back a little bit later on.

Rumors of a military draft proposal have been circulating on the Internet for months, and Republicans blamed Democrats for fueling those rumors, which they say have no merit. CNN's Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr joining us now with more on this. Barbara, good morning.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Heidi.

Well, it was one of those enduring symbols of the Vietnam War: protesters burning their draft cards. Now the question: Could all of that happen again?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over): President Bush wouldn't even use the "D" word in the first presidential debate.

GEORGE W. BUSH (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The military will be an all-volunteer army.

STARR: Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is more blunt.

DONALD RUMSFELD, DEFENSE SECRETARY: But it is absolutely false that anyone in this administration is considering reinstating the draft.

STARR: Experts say a draft makes little economic or military sense in today's world. It's costly and inefficient to keep rotating civilians in and out of the military. Draftees never achieve long- term war-fighting skills. Precision weapons reduce the need for boots on the ground.

Experts also say there is no current enemy with a large-standing army that could require the U.S. to field a matching ground force.

Democratic Congressman Charles Rangel, who introduced legislation calling for a draft, says the country shouldn't turn its back on the concept of shared sacrifice, even though his measure was defeated in the House.

REP. CHARLES RANGEL (D), NEW YORK: But if you say it saves money to have four kids being killed rather than having the general population be involved, I think that's a pretty poor reason to be against the draft.

STARR: Democratic presidential contender Senator John Kerry thinks the war in Iraq has opened the door into compulsory service.

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We've got a back-door draft taking place in America today. People with stop-loss programs, where they're told you can't get out of the military.

RUMSFELD: We are having no trouble attracting and retaining the people we need.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STARR (on camera): But Heidi, the question remains: Will that voluntary call to duty last, or someday will young Americans again be required to fight the nation's wars? Heidi?

COLLINS: Barbara Starr at the Pentagon this morning. Barbara, thank you.

SANCHEZ: Violence in Afghanistan aimed at trying to disrupt Saturday's presidential election. We're going "On Terror's Trail" now to Afghanistan. Interim leader Hamid Karzai's running mate survived an assassination attempt yesterday at the hands of Taliban rebels.

Our guest, Larry Goodson with the U.S. Army War College. He's in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Mr. Goodson, thanks so much for joining us.

LARRY GOODSON, U.S. ARMY WAR COLLEGE: You're welcome.

SANCHEZ: How do you see the possibility that in the end this will all shake out well over there in Afghanistan? Many of us who examine this worry that while all things look good around Kabul, maybe not so good outside the capital area.

GOODSON: Well, I expect this election will shake out fairly well in terms of Karzai probably being elected fairly easily, but there certainly are concerted efforts by the Taliban, retro-Taliban, neo- Taliban, a whole range of Islamist actors in the south and the eastern part of the country to disrupt this election.

SANCHEZ: Since you mention that, why don't we talk about that a little bit? What's left of the Taliban? And how are they being taken by the populous there in Afghanistan?

GOODSON: Well, a number of the senior leaders, Mullah Omar and some of his inner circle, are still out there. They still have influence, both intimidation sort of influence -- going around telling people don't vote; if we see an indelible stamp on you, we'll come back and kill you and that sort of thing -- as well as some ability to generate support, because they complain about the failure of the Karzai administration to really bring reconstruction into that part of the country, which they, of course, are helping to keep out.

SANCHEZ: Does Karzai have the people?

GOODSON: According to public opinion polls and the common man on the street over there, he is quite popular. But his effort to take on some of the warlords, many of whom have different ethnic bases, has led some of his own cabinet ministers now to run against him in this election and to appeal to their ethnic base.

So, it's not clear how well he'll poll among the Tajik or the Uzbek or some of the Hazara voters. But generally speaking, he is popular.

SANCHEZ: You mention the Taliban. We should probably talk about al Qaeda, because remember al Qaeda used to have a formidable presence there in Afghanistan. They basically pretty much have been controlled, haven't they?

GOODSON: They have, but they've also been able to migrate into the border areas of Pakistan. This traditionally very porous border also on the Pakistani side of the border, very anti-American political parties, Islamist parties that have been in power in the provincial governments have provided a nesting place, if you will, for some of the Taliban sympathizers and al Qaeda sympathizers and supporters.

And so, I think in many respects probably some of the senior al Qaeda have been able to slip away into Pakistan.

SANCHEZ: It's great to talk to somebody who really knows that region so well. Thanks for sharing your insight with us. Larry Goodson, with the U.S. Army War College, thank you, sir.

GOODSON: You're welcome. You're welcome. Good morning.

SANCHEZ: We certainly appreciate it. We're going to be watching this story as it unfolds. Of course, this election -- historic election in Afghanistan.

Heidi, over to you.

COLLINS: Yeah, that's true -- very much. All right, Rick, thank you.

Well, we want to check on the weather now. Chad Myers is standing by at the CNN Center with the very latest forecast. Good morning once again, Chad.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COLLINS: OK, Chad. Thanks a lot for that. SANCHEZ: Still to come right here on AMERICAN MORNING, easing the wait in the airport security checkpoint lines with a little comedy. Why not, we say? That's ahead.

COLLINS: And Yoko Ono is joining us live next. We're going to talk about how she's keeping John Lennon's memory alive, and the recent decision to keep her husband's killer behind bars.

Stay with us on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: More painful news about the arthritis drug Vioxx, which was voluntarily recalled last week due to risk of heart attack and stroke. Dr. Sanjay Gupta is joining us now from the CNN Center with more details on this.

Just when we thought we had the whole story.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: I know. And this is really a remarkable story. One of the most popular drugs of all time, as you remember now, voluntarily recalled just a couple of weeks ago.

Listen, the concern -- we've been talking about the heart risk for tens of millions of patients potentially who have been taking this drug the last five-and-a-half years since it was approved in '99. Also, strong indications of both the FDA and the makers of Vioxx, the company Merck, should have probably recalled this drug a lot sooner.

There was a study that's not been published yet coming from the FDA and HMO Kaiser Permanente. There was a report in "The Wall Street Journal" that said that nearly 28,000 unnecessary heart attacks and deaths have occurred among Vioxx users and that those deaths could have been avoided if patients had rather taken Celebrex or another anti-inflammatory drug.

Heidi, let me just give you a little bit of a timeline here, how things progressed with regards to Vioxx. You remember it was in 1999 that this drug was originally approved. It was approved under the -- a lot of enthusiasm about the fact that it wouldn't affect your stomach as much, but still provide an anti-inflammatory effect.

Next year, the following year, a study by the drug company itself showed that there was a five times greater risk for heart attack or stroke. This is a study done by the company. It wasn't until two years after that that the FDA mandated a labeling change saying those who had a concern about heart disease or stroke shouldn't be taking the drug.

August of -- this whole summer, really, April to August of this year, at least three independent studies showed that there was an increased heart attack risk. And then, of course, September, just last month, a voluntary recall.

So, you can see, Heidi, there was mounting evidence for quite some time. There is probably some evidence there, at least looking at that timeline, that there may have been some delays, both by Merck as well as the FDA, Heidi.

COLLINS: Well, so, how did that happen? I mean, when you look at that timeline you just showed, it's amazing that it wasn't taken off the market sooner.

GUPTA: Yeah, I mean, it is amazing. I think that's why a lot of people are up in arms about this. Eric Topol, for example, is the head of cardiology at Cleveland Clinic. We spoke with him yesterday. He's saying that both the FDA and Merck should probably have done clinical trials much sooner, use the data from those clinical trials to make a decision about whether or not to recall the drug. Right now, he's demanding a Congressional investigation to actually look into this situation.

The manufacturer Merck has had this to say specifically about it, "We had conducted controlled clinical trials in over 28,000 patients and promptly disclosed the results to the FDA."

We repeatedly asked the FDA what happened after that? What happened to that information? Why wasn't a decision made? We have not gotten a response from them, Heidi.

COLLINS: All right. So then, what is the bottom line with all this, Sanjay?

GUPTA: You know, I think there's a few bottom lines here. First of all, we are living in an age of incredible direct-to-consumer advertising. Tens of millions of dollars are spent on this drug after there was some evidence that it may cause heart attacks and strokes. That's a remarkable thing.

But I think the bottom line for people watching at home is that just because it's newer, just because you see a lot of advertising for it doesn't always make it a better drug. There are lots of alternatives out there for anti-inflammatories for patients who no longer will take Vioxx, including medications -- Celebrex is one that we talk about a lot. There's also good old fashioned Naprosyn that you maybe take with a stomach protective sort of drug like Prilosec.

There's all sorts of different alternatives out there. Talk to your doctor about it, Heidi.

COLLINS: Yeah. Great advice, as always. Dr. Sanjay Gupta, thanks for putting it in perspective for us.

Still to come this morning, Yoko Ono's way to give peace a chance. We're going to speak with her, coming up in just a few minutes right here on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: John Lennon would have turned 64 this week. Ever since his death in 1980, Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono, has tried to keep many of the dreams they shared alive. To that end, she created the LennonOno Grant for Peace Awards. This year's winners are being honored tonight in New York, and Yoko Ono is joining us now.

A pleasure to have you with us. Thanks so much.

YOKO ONO, LENNONONO GRANT FOR PEACE AWARDS: Hi, Heidi.

COLLINS: This year, you are honoring two investigative journalists. Their names: Seymour Hersh, and Israeli activist Mordechai Vanunu. Was it a difficult choice this year?

ONO: Not really, because of the times -- that it's very intense and people being extremely frightened and confused. I thought it's very good to show that there's some people who are very creative to speak up and because of them that they're benefiting.

COLLINS: What in particular about them drew you to them and made them the winner?

ONO: Well, first of all, Mordechai Vanunu, he's an internationally famous activist and has been for the past 20 years. And he's really a very courageous person. And he spoke out about the nuclear situation in Israel. And because of that, he was in jail for 18 months -- 18 years. Eighteen months!

COLLINS: Eighteen years, a long, long time. How about Seymour Hersh?

ONO: Seymour Hersh, I'm sure that you're aware of him, he's a very, very articulate investigative journalist. And he has been doing his work for about -- well, how long, I don't know -- but he received the Pulitzer Prize...

COLLINS: Right.

ONO: ... for speaking out about the Vietnam War and what's actually happening there.

COLLINS: Is this something -- this grant, is this something that you and John Lennon spoke about and had planned to do, obviously before his death?

ONO: Well, this is the type of thing that John would have had approved, and he would have loved to see happen. And I thought it was very important that this award was created so that we just give encouragement to people who really are courageous enough to get to speak out and, also, gamble on the fact that -- to speaking out at this time is rather dangerous or maybe it may be dangerous to their private lives, and they have to do that anyway.

COLLINS: Amazing thing to do. But also not a very easy time for you and the family. It's not only John Lennon's 64th birthday, or the eve of, but also his killer, Mark David Chapman, was just denied parole.

Now, this happens -- he comes up for parole every couple of years. Tell me a little about what you and your family go through? I mean, every time you have to go through this process. ONO: I know. I know. But I am -- have total trust in the board's decision. I respect that. And it's really up to them. And so, I just try to look at it from that point of view.

COLLINS: You wrote a letter to the parole board?

ONO: Yes.

COLLINS: What did it say?

ONO: Well, I think that's kind of more public now and I don't have to go into it really in details, but basically to ask them to exercise justice and wisdom in their judging.

COLLINS: Some better news for you, on a personal note, you have a new song out. It's called "Every Man/Every Woman." Billboard's Top 15, so congratulations to you on that. What compelled you to write this song?

ONO: Well, because of 9/11, and I was totally in shock -- as most of us in New York City, I'm sure. I was here in New York, and my body was starting to shake and everything. And I said this is terrible. And that's when I got inspired to write this song.

And I thought, well, you know, when John and I did it first in the '60s, we felt that "Give Peace a Chance" was a repeat that was very important. Strong repeat that just keep on going. But the body of the song was just so, like a newspaper article. It was that is was a current affair. So, now I thought with current affairs, 9/11, and I just wanted to express that.

COLLINS: Once again, Billboard Top 15. Yoko Ono, thanks so much for being here. We appreciate your time this morning.

ONO: It was nice talking to you, Heidi.

COLLINS: All right, thank you. Rick, back over to you.

SANCHEZ: Still to come, more fallout from the vice presidential debate. Today shockers from The Borowitz Report ahead. This is AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: In case you watch CNN from time to time, you've noticed that I've been on a lot of different shows and I've been flying between a lot of cities. And that means that I get to fly one way.

You know what happens when you fly one way? Can you get a wide shot here? This is what happens when you fly one way. You have to stand there for about a half hour. It's a little frustrating. It's a little anxiety riddled. So, apparently there's one airport that's come up with a way of dealing with this anxiety.

Andy, what is it? Comedy? ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: It is comedy. I mean, first of all, you don't look that suspicious. I want to say that, Rick. You really don't. I wouldn't pull you out of a line.

ANDY BOROWITZ, BOROWITZREPORT.COM: There are a lot of cameras on him, though.

SERWER: That's true. Let's do a little recap of the market action yesterday. Good one on Wall Street. The Dow is up 62 points. Nasdaq up seven to 1971 -- hey, I wasn't even born then. That's not true. I only wish that were true. Caught!

This morning what's going on, retailers coming in with their September numbers -- sluggish, no bombshells. Wal-Mart saying sales were up 2.4 percent. It's about what is expected. Futures are weak this morning.

Get into this airport story, though, Rick -- this is kind of neat. This has to do with Las Vegas McCarran Airport. If you've ever been there before, you know that they have slots, which is a whole lot of fun. But now they have a new system, video cameras with informational and comedic videos playing to inform and entertain people waiting in those long lines in the checkpoints.

We have one here featuring a great American. Let's check it out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: This just won't go. Please, only one personal item and one carry-on per person.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SERWER: Carrot Top -- a great American. Not exactly an A-list they've put together here -- Rita Rudner, a couple "Star Trek" guys -- but I guess it's just better than just standing there.

BOROWITZ: Yeah, well, that's debatable.

SERWER: It really is.

BOROWITZ: I'm voting for standing there.

SERWER: I knew you were going to.

COLLINS: Time to check in now with Andy and The Borowitz Report. New book released; I just got my copy this morning. Very exited about it Here it is, "The Borowitz Report: The Big Book of Shockers," just released this man. And here's the man who wrote it.

BOROWITZ: Well, thanks, Heidi. And here are today's shockers from borowitzreport.com, where you'll find news you won't find anywhere else because I make it up.

Now, more fallout -- more fallout from the vice presidential debate. A new poll of likely voters shows that a majority thought that Senator John Edwards was, quote, "even hotter than they remembered." Forty-seven percent called Mr. Edwards the sexiest man alive, putting the nominee in a statistical dead heat with actor George Clooney.

When asked whether Edwards or Vice President Cheney was better qualified to step into the role of president, 51 percent said, "John Edwards had me at hello."

For his part, Vice President Cheney cautioned the American people not to fall for Senator Edwards' seductive charms. "Don't be fooled by Senator Edwards," he warned the electorate, "he's not that into you."

SANCHEZ: Very good.

COLLINS: Very good.

BOROWITZ: Production problems -- OK -- production problems at a key Botox plant in Beverly Hills have resulted in a severe shortage of Botox injections, causing some plastic surgery professionals to fear a significant increase in the number of furrowed foreheads and unsightly crow's feet at next year's Academy Awards.

"Many of my customers are worried to death about this," said a leading plastic surgeon. "Of course, they don't look worried, but in a few weeks, they will."

And finally, scientists said today they will give up waiting for Mount St. Helens to erupt and will instead keep an eye on Elton John.

And that's it! That's all we got.

COLLINS: He's had at least two eruptions that we've seen on television.

BOROWITZ: I know. I know.

SERWER: Or a Nobel Peace Prize.

BOROWITZ: Exactly, exactly.

COLLINS: Yeah, probably not. Good jokes, though, guys.

All right. Still to come this morning, a new CIA report says there were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq at the time of the U.S.-led invasion. We'll hear from former Chief U.S. Weapons Inspector David Kay and look at the potential political fallout ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(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 October 7, 2004 - 08:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: That is a beautiful picture. Welcome back, everybody. I'm Rick Sanchez here, with the pleasure of working with Ms. Heidi Collins. A pleasure it is, indeed.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Thank you.

SANCHEZ: This is AMERICAN MORNING.

Is there any chance the draft is going to come back in the United States? This is a popular question this election year, and Republicans are trying to be as definitive as they possibly can in the answer, while the Democrats are making hay of it. Barbara Starr is going to look at that.

COLLINS: And that vote taking -- we'll talk about that in just a few minutes. Also this morning, we'll talk to Yoko Ono about the two individuals who will be honored this year with a grant in her husband's memory. Also talk about the decision that kept John Lennon's killer in prison.

SANCHEZ: Let's check in right now on the stories now in the news, and for that we go over to Kelly Wallace.

KELLY WALLACE, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, again, Rick, Heidi. Good morning, everyone.

We're starting with politics. Within the half hour, Vice President Dick Cheney is expected to host a town hall meeting in Miami. The vice president and his wife Lynne began their three-day trip in Florida yesterday speaking with voters in Tallahassee. On the other side, Senator Kerry -- John Kerry's running mate, Senator John Edwards, also spent Wednesday in the Sunshine State. He will address homeland security during a stop in New Jersey today.

In Afghanistan, the period for presidential candidates to campaign for the upcoming elections officially ended just a couple of hours ago. Officials are now making final checks before the polls open on Saturday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MANUEL ALMEIDA DA SILVA, U.N. ASSISTANCE MISSION: In terms of operations, as of this morning, everything is in place.

(END VIDEO CLIP) WALLACE: Officials are also beginning to train some 25,000 people to staff the polling stations across the country. Security, a big issue. They will be protected by more than 100,000 security personnel. More on the upcoming elections coming up in just a few minutes.

And a court-martial date has reportedly been set for suspected deserter Charles Jenkins. According to military officials, his trial will begin November 3rd in Japan. Until then, Jenkins has been assigned clerical duties with a new unit. He is accused of deserting to North Korea in 1965. Japan has reportedly asked for leniency for Jenkins, who married a Japanese woman. A fascinating and complicated story.

COLLINS: Long story, too, that's for sure.

WALLACE: Yes. Yes...

SANCHEZ: Thanks, Kelly.

COLLINS: All right, Kelly, we'll check back a little bit later on.

Rumors of a military draft proposal have been circulating on the Internet for months, and Republicans blamed Democrats for fueling those rumors, which they say have no merit. CNN's Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr joining us now with more on this. Barbara, good morning.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Heidi.

Well, it was one of those enduring symbols of the Vietnam War: protesters burning their draft cards. Now the question: Could all of that happen again?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over): President Bush wouldn't even use the "D" word in the first presidential debate.

GEORGE W. BUSH (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The military will be an all-volunteer army.

STARR: Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is more blunt.

DONALD RUMSFELD, DEFENSE SECRETARY: But it is absolutely false that anyone in this administration is considering reinstating the draft.

STARR: Experts say a draft makes little economic or military sense in today's world. It's costly and inefficient to keep rotating civilians in and out of the military. Draftees never achieve long- term war-fighting skills. Precision weapons reduce the need for boots on the ground.

Experts also say there is no current enemy with a large-standing army that could require the U.S. to field a matching ground force.

Democratic Congressman Charles Rangel, who introduced legislation calling for a draft, says the country shouldn't turn its back on the concept of shared sacrifice, even though his measure was defeated in the House.

REP. CHARLES RANGEL (D), NEW YORK: But if you say it saves money to have four kids being killed rather than having the general population be involved, I think that's a pretty poor reason to be against the draft.

STARR: Democratic presidential contender Senator John Kerry thinks the war in Iraq has opened the door into compulsory service.

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We've got a back-door draft taking place in America today. People with stop-loss programs, where they're told you can't get out of the military.

RUMSFELD: We are having no trouble attracting and retaining the people we need.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STARR (on camera): But Heidi, the question remains: Will that voluntary call to duty last, or someday will young Americans again be required to fight the nation's wars? Heidi?

COLLINS: Barbara Starr at the Pentagon this morning. Barbara, thank you.

SANCHEZ: Violence in Afghanistan aimed at trying to disrupt Saturday's presidential election. We're going "On Terror's Trail" now to Afghanistan. Interim leader Hamid Karzai's running mate survived an assassination attempt yesterday at the hands of Taliban rebels.

Our guest, Larry Goodson with the U.S. Army War College. He's in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Mr. Goodson, thanks so much for joining us.

LARRY GOODSON, U.S. ARMY WAR COLLEGE: You're welcome.

SANCHEZ: How do you see the possibility that in the end this will all shake out well over there in Afghanistan? Many of us who examine this worry that while all things look good around Kabul, maybe not so good outside the capital area.

GOODSON: Well, I expect this election will shake out fairly well in terms of Karzai probably being elected fairly easily, but there certainly are concerted efforts by the Taliban, retro-Taliban, neo- Taliban, a whole range of Islamist actors in the south and the eastern part of the country to disrupt this election.

SANCHEZ: Since you mention that, why don't we talk about that a little bit? What's left of the Taliban? And how are they being taken by the populous there in Afghanistan?

GOODSON: Well, a number of the senior leaders, Mullah Omar and some of his inner circle, are still out there. They still have influence, both intimidation sort of influence -- going around telling people don't vote; if we see an indelible stamp on you, we'll come back and kill you and that sort of thing -- as well as some ability to generate support, because they complain about the failure of the Karzai administration to really bring reconstruction into that part of the country, which they, of course, are helping to keep out.

SANCHEZ: Does Karzai have the people?

GOODSON: According to public opinion polls and the common man on the street over there, he is quite popular. But his effort to take on some of the warlords, many of whom have different ethnic bases, has led some of his own cabinet ministers now to run against him in this election and to appeal to their ethnic base.

So, it's not clear how well he'll poll among the Tajik or the Uzbek or some of the Hazara voters. But generally speaking, he is popular.

SANCHEZ: You mention the Taliban. We should probably talk about al Qaeda, because remember al Qaeda used to have a formidable presence there in Afghanistan. They basically pretty much have been controlled, haven't they?

GOODSON: They have, but they've also been able to migrate into the border areas of Pakistan. This traditionally very porous border also on the Pakistani side of the border, very anti-American political parties, Islamist parties that have been in power in the provincial governments have provided a nesting place, if you will, for some of the Taliban sympathizers and al Qaeda sympathizers and supporters.

And so, I think in many respects probably some of the senior al Qaeda have been able to slip away into Pakistan.

SANCHEZ: It's great to talk to somebody who really knows that region so well. Thanks for sharing your insight with us. Larry Goodson, with the U.S. Army War College, thank you, sir.

GOODSON: You're welcome. You're welcome. Good morning.

SANCHEZ: We certainly appreciate it. We're going to be watching this story as it unfolds. Of course, this election -- historic election in Afghanistan.

Heidi, over to you.

COLLINS: Yeah, that's true -- very much. All right, Rick, thank you.

Well, we want to check on the weather now. Chad Myers is standing by at the CNN Center with the very latest forecast. Good morning once again, Chad.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COLLINS: OK, Chad. Thanks a lot for that. SANCHEZ: Still to come right here on AMERICAN MORNING, easing the wait in the airport security checkpoint lines with a little comedy. Why not, we say? That's ahead.

COLLINS: And Yoko Ono is joining us live next. We're going to talk about how she's keeping John Lennon's memory alive, and the recent decision to keep her husband's killer behind bars.

Stay with us on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: More painful news about the arthritis drug Vioxx, which was voluntarily recalled last week due to risk of heart attack and stroke. Dr. Sanjay Gupta is joining us now from the CNN Center with more details on this.

Just when we thought we had the whole story.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: I know. And this is really a remarkable story. One of the most popular drugs of all time, as you remember now, voluntarily recalled just a couple of weeks ago.

Listen, the concern -- we've been talking about the heart risk for tens of millions of patients potentially who have been taking this drug the last five-and-a-half years since it was approved in '99. Also, strong indications of both the FDA and the makers of Vioxx, the company Merck, should have probably recalled this drug a lot sooner.

There was a study that's not been published yet coming from the FDA and HMO Kaiser Permanente. There was a report in "The Wall Street Journal" that said that nearly 28,000 unnecessary heart attacks and deaths have occurred among Vioxx users and that those deaths could have been avoided if patients had rather taken Celebrex or another anti-inflammatory drug.

Heidi, let me just give you a little bit of a timeline here, how things progressed with regards to Vioxx. You remember it was in 1999 that this drug was originally approved. It was approved under the -- a lot of enthusiasm about the fact that it wouldn't affect your stomach as much, but still provide an anti-inflammatory effect.

Next year, the following year, a study by the drug company itself showed that there was a five times greater risk for heart attack or stroke. This is a study done by the company. It wasn't until two years after that that the FDA mandated a labeling change saying those who had a concern about heart disease or stroke shouldn't be taking the drug.

August of -- this whole summer, really, April to August of this year, at least three independent studies showed that there was an increased heart attack risk. And then, of course, September, just last month, a voluntary recall.

So, you can see, Heidi, there was mounting evidence for quite some time. There is probably some evidence there, at least looking at that timeline, that there may have been some delays, both by Merck as well as the FDA, Heidi.

COLLINS: Well, so, how did that happen? I mean, when you look at that timeline you just showed, it's amazing that it wasn't taken off the market sooner.

GUPTA: Yeah, I mean, it is amazing. I think that's why a lot of people are up in arms about this. Eric Topol, for example, is the head of cardiology at Cleveland Clinic. We spoke with him yesterday. He's saying that both the FDA and Merck should probably have done clinical trials much sooner, use the data from those clinical trials to make a decision about whether or not to recall the drug. Right now, he's demanding a Congressional investigation to actually look into this situation.

The manufacturer Merck has had this to say specifically about it, "We had conducted controlled clinical trials in over 28,000 patients and promptly disclosed the results to the FDA."

We repeatedly asked the FDA what happened after that? What happened to that information? Why wasn't a decision made? We have not gotten a response from them, Heidi.

COLLINS: All right. So then, what is the bottom line with all this, Sanjay?

GUPTA: You know, I think there's a few bottom lines here. First of all, we are living in an age of incredible direct-to-consumer advertising. Tens of millions of dollars are spent on this drug after there was some evidence that it may cause heart attacks and strokes. That's a remarkable thing.

But I think the bottom line for people watching at home is that just because it's newer, just because you see a lot of advertising for it doesn't always make it a better drug. There are lots of alternatives out there for anti-inflammatories for patients who no longer will take Vioxx, including medications -- Celebrex is one that we talk about a lot. There's also good old fashioned Naprosyn that you maybe take with a stomach protective sort of drug like Prilosec.

There's all sorts of different alternatives out there. Talk to your doctor about it, Heidi.

COLLINS: Yeah. Great advice, as always. Dr. Sanjay Gupta, thanks for putting it in perspective for us.

Still to come this morning, Yoko Ono's way to give peace a chance. We're going to speak with her, coming up in just a few minutes right here on AMERICAN MORNING.

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COLLINS: John Lennon would have turned 64 this week. Ever since his death in 1980, Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono, has tried to keep many of the dreams they shared alive. To that end, she created the LennonOno Grant for Peace Awards. This year's winners are being honored tonight in New York, and Yoko Ono is joining us now.

A pleasure to have you with us. Thanks so much.

YOKO ONO, LENNONONO GRANT FOR PEACE AWARDS: Hi, Heidi.

COLLINS: This year, you are honoring two investigative journalists. Their names: Seymour Hersh, and Israeli activist Mordechai Vanunu. Was it a difficult choice this year?

ONO: Not really, because of the times -- that it's very intense and people being extremely frightened and confused. I thought it's very good to show that there's some people who are very creative to speak up and because of them that they're benefiting.

COLLINS: What in particular about them drew you to them and made them the winner?

ONO: Well, first of all, Mordechai Vanunu, he's an internationally famous activist and has been for the past 20 years. And he's really a very courageous person. And he spoke out about the nuclear situation in Israel. And because of that, he was in jail for 18 months -- 18 years. Eighteen months!

COLLINS: Eighteen years, a long, long time. How about Seymour Hersh?

ONO: Seymour Hersh, I'm sure that you're aware of him, he's a very, very articulate investigative journalist. And he has been doing his work for about -- well, how long, I don't know -- but he received the Pulitzer Prize...

COLLINS: Right.

ONO: ... for speaking out about the Vietnam War and what's actually happening there.

COLLINS: Is this something -- this grant, is this something that you and John Lennon spoke about and had planned to do, obviously before his death?

ONO: Well, this is the type of thing that John would have had approved, and he would have loved to see happen. And I thought it was very important that this award was created so that we just give encouragement to people who really are courageous enough to get to speak out and, also, gamble on the fact that -- to speaking out at this time is rather dangerous or maybe it may be dangerous to their private lives, and they have to do that anyway.

COLLINS: Amazing thing to do. But also not a very easy time for you and the family. It's not only John Lennon's 64th birthday, or the eve of, but also his killer, Mark David Chapman, was just denied parole.

Now, this happens -- he comes up for parole every couple of years. Tell me a little about what you and your family go through? I mean, every time you have to go through this process. ONO: I know. I know. But I am -- have total trust in the board's decision. I respect that. And it's really up to them. And so, I just try to look at it from that point of view.

COLLINS: You wrote a letter to the parole board?

ONO: Yes.

COLLINS: What did it say?

ONO: Well, I think that's kind of more public now and I don't have to go into it really in details, but basically to ask them to exercise justice and wisdom in their judging.

COLLINS: Some better news for you, on a personal note, you have a new song out. It's called "Every Man/Every Woman." Billboard's Top 15, so congratulations to you on that. What compelled you to write this song?

ONO: Well, because of 9/11, and I was totally in shock -- as most of us in New York City, I'm sure. I was here in New York, and my body was starting to shake and everything. And I said this is terrible. And that's when I got inspired to write this song.

And I thought, well, you know, when John and I did it first in the '60s, we felt that "Give Peace a Chance" was a repeat that was very important. Strong repeat that just keep on going. But the body of the song was just so, like a newspaper article. It was that is was a current affair. So, now I thought with current affairs, 9/11, and I just wanted to express that.

COLLINS: Once again, Billboard Top 15. Yoko Ono, thanks so much for being here. We appreciate your time this morning.

ONO: It was nice talking to you, Heidi.

COLLINS: All right, thank you. Rick, back over to you.

SANCHEZ: Still to come, more fallout from the vice presidential debate. Today shockers from The Borowitz Report ahead. This is AMERICAN MORNING.

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SANCHEZ: In case you watch CNN from time to time, you've noticed that I've been on a lot of different shows and I've been flying between a lot of cities. And that means that I get to fly one way.

You know what happens when you fly one way? Can you get a wide shot here? This is what happens when you fly one way. You have to stand there for about a half hour. It's a little frustrating. It's a little anxiety riddled. So, apparently there's one airport that's come up with a way of dealing with this anxiety.

Andy, what is it? Comedy? ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: It is comedy. I mean, first of all, you don't look that suspicious. I want to say that, Rick. You really don't. I wouldn't pull you out of a line.

ANDY BOROWITZ, BOROWITZREPORT.COM: There are a lot of cameras on him, though.

SERWER: That's true. Let's do a little recap of the market action yesterday. Good one on Wall Street. The Dow is up 62 points. Nasdaq up seven to 1971 -- hey, I wasn't even born then. That's not true. I only wish that were true. Caught!

This morning what's going on, retailers coming in with their September numbers -- sluggish, no bombshells. Wal-Mart saying sales were up 2.4 percent. It's about what is expected. Futures are weak this morning.

Get into this airport story, though, Rick -- this is kind of neat. This has to do with Las Vegas McCarran Airport. If you've ever been there before, you know that they have slots, which is a whole lot of fun. But now they have a new system, video cameras with informational and comedic videos playing to inform and entertain people waiting in those long lines in the checkpoints.

We have one here featuring a great American. Let's check it out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: This just won't go. Please, only one personal item and one carry-on per person.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SERWER: Carrot Top -- a great American. Not exactly an A-list they've put together here -- Rita Rudner, a couple "Star Trek" guys -- but I guess it's just better than just standing there.

BOROWITZ: Yeah, well, that's debatable.

SERWER: It really is.

BOROWITZ: I'm voting for standing there.

SERWER: I knew you were going to.

COLLINS: Time to check in now with Andy and The Borowitz Report. New book released; I just got my copy this morning. Very exited about it Here it is, "The Borowitz Report: The Big Book of Shockers," just released this man. And here's the man who wrote it.

BOROWITZ: Well, thanks, Heidi. And here are today's shockers from borowitzreport.com, where you'll find news you won't find anywhere else because I make it up.

Now, more fallout -- more fallout from the vice presidential debate. A new poll of likely voters shows that a majority thought that Senator John Edwards was, quote, "even hotter than they remembered." Forty-seven percent called Mr. Edwards the sexiest man alive, putting the nominee in a statistical dead heat with actor George Clooney.

When asked whether Edwards or Vice President Cheney was better qualified to step into the role of president, 51 percent said, "John Edwards had me at hello."

For his part, Vice President Cheney cautioned the American people not to fall for Senator Edwards' seductive charms. "Don't be fooled by Senator Edwards," he warned the electorate, "he's not that into you."

SANCHEZ: Very good.

COLLINS: Very good.

BOROWITZ: Production problems -- OK -- production problems at a key Botox plant in Beverly Hills have resulted in a severe shortage of Botox injections, causing some plastic surgery professionals to fear a significant increase in the number of furrowed foreheads and unsightly crow's feet at next year's Academy Awards.

"Many of my customers are worried to death about this," said a leading plastic surgeon. "Of course, they don't look worried, but in a few weeks, they will."

And finally, scientists said today they will give up waiting for Mount St. Helens to erupt and will instead keep an eye on Elton John.

And that's it! That's all we got.

COLLINS: He's had at least two eruptions that we've seen on television.

BOROWITZ: I know. I know.

SERWER: Or a Nobel Peace Prize.

BOROWITZ: Exactly, exactly.

COLLINS: Yeah, probably not. Good jokes, though, guys.

All right. Still to come this morning, a new CIA report says there were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq at the time of the U.S.-led invasion. We'll hear from former Chief U.S. Weapons Inspector David Kay and look at the potential political fallout ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

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