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American Morning

Talk with Former Hostage Tommy Hamill; 'Paging Dr. Gupta'

Aired October 19, 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.


ANNOUNCER: Welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING, on the road, in Chicago.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: We're at Water Tower Park, along Michigan Avenue.

Good morning, everyone, as we continue on the road in Chicago this week. 7:30 local time, 8:30 back in New York.

How're you doing.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: I'm doing great.

The Rolling Stones. No, I'm fine. Nice weather, beautiful morning, beautiful day here in Chicago, fabulous host. We have a bunch of students behind us, joining us for the entire morning. I have not a word of complaint this morning, Mr. Hemmer. How about yourself.

HEMMER: Love the setup, too, here.

In a moment, former Iraq hostage Tommy Hamill is our guest. Shot by terrorists, held captive for 24 days, somehow escaped and lived to tell a story. He's written a book, as well. We'll talk to the former truck driver what went through, and about what he is learning, too, about how his life has changed, and his impressions (INAUDIBLE).

O'BRIEN: I'd have to imagine.

Also this morning, from long lines to lotteries, just how are communities across America handling the shortage in the flu vaccine.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta is going to join us in a few minutes to take a look at some solutions, both creative and practical on determining just who's going to get a shot.

HEMMER: All right, stay tuned for that. Heidi Collins back with us as well.

Good morning to you.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you.

No, I don't think we can do this enough. How about the people behind us, huh?

Good morning. They're getting louder and louder as we go on. Yes.

To the news now this morning. President Bush is set to rally in St. Petersburg, Florida today. In about a half hour so, the president will make the first of three stops in the Sunshine State. Wish we were there. He'll be back at the White House this evening.

Senator John Kerry campaigned in Florida yesterday. Today he heads to another battleground state. The senator meets with voters in Pennsylvania this afternoon, then heads to Ohio.

President Bush has ordered the Pentagon to allow two U.S. transport planes to deliver international peacekeepers to western Sudan. The military planes will help transport fresh troops from the African Union to be deployed to Sunday's -- excuse me -- Sudan's Darfur region by the end of next month. Tens of thousands of Sudanese villagers have been killed in ethnic violence in that region.

Back here now to the United States, officials reportedly making plans for a possible medical draft. The Selective Service Agency tells "The New York Times" it is updating contingency plans for a possible call-up of doctors, nurses and other health care workers. The agency says these are just emergency plans; only the president and Congress can authorize a draft.

And in northwest Ohio, a man facing charges for filling out more than 100 fictitious voter-registration forms in exchange for crack cocaine. The 22-year-old is accused of writing in potential voters names, such as Mary Poppins and Michael Jackson. He has been charged with false registration, and that is a felony.

HEMMER: I'd say that'll do it, huh?

COLLINS: Mary Poppins.

HEMMER: Oh, yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just a spoonful of sugar.

HEMMER: Thank you, Heidi.

You remember the face, you remember the pictures, too. American Tommy Hamill talking to the cameras as his Iraqi captors stood by his side.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Want to give us your name?

TOMMY HAMILL: Hamill. Thomas.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: Twenty-four days later, in captivity the entire time, Hamill, one of the few lucky ones to make it out alive. He has since written a book about his experience. He joins me now from the Time- Warner Center, back in New York City.

And welcome back. We spoke several months ago, and good morning to you. Thanks for your time today.

TOMMY HAMILL, AUTHOR, "ESCAPE IN IRAQ": Thank you, Bill.

HEMMER: One thing you said recently was that you had to show your captors no fear. Why did you believe that at the time from the beginning you were taken hostage?

HAMILL: Well, I learned that from being there for the months prior to this. I just -- those people -- they're terrorists, and you can't show fear, and you can't give them an inch, and they'll take a mile if you do, and that's the way I looked at it.

HEMMER: You know your wife, Kellie, made a plea several times on television here in the U.S., broadcasts around the world.

Listen to one of her pleas during your captivity.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KELLIE HAMILL, TOMMY HAMILL'S WIFE: Tommy, we love and miss you very much. We would also like to say to the persons who are holding him captive, our hopes are you will release him unharmed as soon as possible.

Last, we would like to say to the persons of the community and all across America who have been praying for us, we thank you very much from the bottom of our heart.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: Tommy, did you get any word from anyone during your captivity what was happening publicly to try and get your release?

HAMILL: Well, they told me that they had seen my wife on TV, and they were -- I don't know whether they were trying to use that kind of mentally, they kept saying my wife was on TV and she was crying.

HEMMER: Are you able to reflect at all today on what's happening in Iraq earlier in the week? We had the story about members of the U.S. Army refusing to go on a resupply mission. What is your sense of the level of security based on your own experience and what you're hearing today?

HAMILL: Well, I said I haven't been over there in several months. And when we were there, we had enough security. Like I said, the day of the attack, if we would have had even more security than we had, we would probably only just lost more lives, is all that would have happened that day.

HEMMER: But I also understand there was a Humvee on the road that day that was literally pulling away while you were trying to climb onboard. Why did they not see you that day in their effort to get away? HAMILL: Well, there was actually 10 men in that Humvee. I didn't find out until I had gotten back. They were picking up a lot of guys. The trucks were disabled or just picking them up. And the 10 men in the Humvee, that's a lot of men in there. And the driver was probably anxious, and we were still being shot at. And he though everyone was in, and he went away. And I'm not blaming anyone for it. It's just a situation that happened, and I worked my way through this.

HEMMER: I know you've heard this next question a lot, but I want to know your perspective on it. How do you look at life differently after your experience?

HAMILL: Well, before I was really anxious about things, trying to work hard. I worked two jobs, trying to work as hard as I could to provide for my family, and I still wasn't getting ahead. And now I'm just looking at it now, and I'm not worrying about it. God is going to let it unfold the way it is, and it's his plan. I'm thanking everyone for their prayers and my patience to let God do to work during the 24 days I was there.

HEMMER: A lesson that we can all share today.

Tommy, thanks.

HAMILL: Thank you.

HEMMER: Tommy Hamill, back in New York City, and our best to your wife, Kellie, as well, and the strength that she showed publicly for so many days.

Thank you, Tommy.

HAMILL: Thank you all.

O'BRIEN: We are talking about the law this morning. Bestselling authors of hits, including "Presumed Innocent" and "Burden of Proof," attorney Scott Turow is also an expert on the death penalty. His most recent work is nonfiction. It's called "Ultimate Punishment: A Lawyer's Reflection on Dealing With the Death Penalty." It's now out in paperback.

Scott Turow joins us. He is Chicago born and bred.

Nice to have you with us this morning.

SCOTT TUROW, AUTHOR, "ULTIMATE PUNISHMENT": Nice to be here, if the wind doesn't blow us away.

O'BRIEN: So as a native, you think this is even a windy day.

TUROW: It is windy, even by Chicago standards.

O'BRIEN: I don't want to be a New Yorker who comes in and complains.

TUROW: No, it's windy. O'BRIEN: The Supreme Court, as you well know, had decided to hear arguments last week about whether it's constitutional to execute a killer who committed a crime while they were a juvenile. How important is the discussions that's going on right now, do you think?

TUROW: I think it's very important. You know, our debate about the death penalty is turning increasingly pragmatic. Frankly, I think that's the way to approach it, to just say, is it fair to execute somebody who was a kid when they committed a crime like this, horrible though it may be?

O'BRIEN: The last time we spoke, we were really talking about Lee Body Malvo, who was 17 at the time the crimes were committed, the sniper shootings. Will what the Supreme Court decides affect him?

TUROW: Well, you know, he was not sentenced to death, and it's one of the interesting examples that actually propels the argument in the Supreme Court. The argument is that there's a consensus that younger people, people under 18, should not be executed, and the Malvo case really goes to indicate that, because the jury did not think the death penalty was appropriate.

O'BRIEN: You were a prosecutor before you worked on this book.

TUROW: I was.

O'BRIEN: What was your opinion on the death penalty before you started doing research for your book?

TUROW: Well, before I was appointed to the Illinois Commission on the Death Penalty, I used to refer to myself as a death penalty agnostic. I think there are powerful arguments both ways. They both spring from moral traditions with which most Americans are familiar. And I think most of us are entitled to be and are a bit ambivalent about this.

O'BRIEN: Did you -- as a prosecutor, though, you tried capital cases? Did you push for the death penalty in the some case, and do you look back now, and, wow, I was wrong, that was a mistake?

TUROW: Well, I was a federal prosecutor, so, and at the time I was a federal prosecutor, there was no death penalty. I had involvement with a couple of cases that raised the issue.

And you know, one of those cases where I was sort of on the sidelines, the man has now been -- the death sentence was commuted as part of Governor Ryan's commutations, and you know, I thought the result was just under the laws that existed, and I thought what the governor did was right now.

O'BRIEN: How do you, though, deal with family members who want justice, and to whom the only justice for a victim's murder is to put the killer to death?

TUROW: Well, I think that the arguments of the family members I completely understand. It's a unique loss to lose someone to a murder. But the truth, Soledad, is that we do not listen to the family members in 49 cases out of 50 where we don't put the defendant to death. And to use the family members as the sort of bloody shirt in the 50th case strikes me as unfair, and, frankly, a little bit of a hypocrisy.

O'BRIEN: Very interesting.

Scott Turow, nice to have you. Thanks for hosting us in your fine city. We've enjoyed it.

TUROW: It's great to be here. And I hope when you come back we have better weather.

O'BRIEN: Hey, the weather is fine. A little less windy would be fine, but we're not complaining. Thanks, nice to see you.

TUROW: Good to see you.

HEMMER: All right, and a great location, too, at the Water Tower Park here.

(WEATHER REPORT)

O'BRIEN: Let's get a shot of some of these hearty students who have come out to join us this morning. They've been here all morning. These of course are students from Loyola University. They are keeping us company.

HEMMER: What did you say, they have journalism for the first time in their curriculum?

O'BRIEN: This is the first year they are offering a degree in journalism here at Loyola, and we are thrilled to be able to have a chance to talk to some of journalism students a little bit later today.

HEMMER: That guy is a Red Sox fan, because clearly, he can't be a Cubs fans this time of the year.

O'BRIEN: He probably wants to stay away from some of the folks on our show, because we've got a lot of Yankee fans here.

HEMMER: Throughout the week tomorrow, we're at Union Station. That's on Wednesday. Thursday's the Field Museum, and that is a great location here in Chicago. Friday, we'll close out the week at the Adler Planetarium. So stay with us throughout the week as we continue in Chicago.

Also in a moment, some churches turn to new technology to make sure their flocks are not distracted on Sunday. Andy's "Minding Your Business" on that.

O'BRIEN: And long lines on the shots, what can you do to help preventing the flu. We're going to page Dr. Gupta just ahead. Stay with us. You're watching AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: The first shot you saw, that was the John Hancock building. The El Train pulling in, I believe. See, I can recognize the trains as they pull in.

Welcome back, everybody. The next stop on our Chicago ride is the beautiful and historic Union Station. Among our guest tomorrow will be the Illinois Lieutenant Governor Pat Quinn.

Also, character actress Irma P. Hall, and we're going to take another bite into deep dish politics. Taking a look at the people who tend all those movable bridges along the Chicago River as well, all that and of course much, much more tomorrow in the Windy City.

HEMMER: I love the Hancock Building, too, right around the corner.

O'BRIEN: Right along the Magnificent Mile.

HEMMER: We're Paging Dr. Gupta now this morning about the dwindling supply and the increasing demand for flu vaccine.

Sanjay is back at the CNN Center. Good morning.

How are some communities getting along through this, Sanjay?

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

Yes, really interesting perspectives on how some of the communities are dealing with this flu shortage.

Listen, we've all seen the long lines. We've all heard about those who are highest risk from the flu, those who should get the flu vaccine shot. But interesting, in the township of Bloomfield, in New Jersey, they're actually having a Lottery. They have about a thousand shots. They're going to give away 300 of them by way of lottery to the highest risk people, to the highest risk people actually entering this lottery, and could possibly win their flu vaccine shot. Really sort of interesting way to do that. I've never heard of anything like that when it comes to giving away flu shots. Of course this is a different sort of time. Obviously a controversial one as well.

But even some of the prestigious medical organizations weighing in and saying, yes, we've talked about the high risk people, yes, we know that they need to get shots, but there aren't going to be enough to go around. So let's prioritize even within those high-risk people. For example, pregnant women, we talked about that, but they also pointed out the third trimester has double the risk versus the first and second trimester. So if you're going to prioritize, the third trimester would be more important.

Also the risk increases with age. So yes, 65 and older, but perhaps a 75-year-old person should be more likely to get the flu person than a 70-year-old person. Very interesting again, Bill, very different times. The American Academy of Physicians is going to put out the own set of guidelines, specifically talking about this in the next several days -- Bill.

HEMMER: Outside of the shot, though, there is medication, there are drugs one can take. On the list of recommendations, what do you have?

GUPTA: Yes, to be real clear about this. The flu shot is a preventative vaccine. It prevents you from getting the flu. But if you do get it, there are some medications, including the one you see there, Tamiflu. There's also Relenza, Flumadine, Symmetrel. Those are some of the names that you'll hear about when it comes to antivirals. Let me point out a couple of things about this, Bill. This is specifically taken after you've developed symptoms of the flu. In fact, you have to take it the first couple of days. It does not prevent the flu, Bill, so you still have got to try to stay healthy. All the other guidelines still apply, though.

HEMMER: All right, speaking of staying healthy, before we go, our viewers want to improve their overall health. If so, they may want to check in with you.

O'BRIEN: Our "New You Resolution," we're back this year.

HEMMER: Our revolution.

What do you have, Sanjay?

GUPTA: We changed the name, and we're so excited about it, Bill. It's called the "New You Revolution." It's going to focus on breaking bad health habits. Specifically if you'd like to be a part of CNN's "New You Revolution," go to CNN.com/am. The question is this, are you in a desperate battle with weight or struggling with any other health issues? Are you ready to make the commitment to get fit, stay healthy, and live your life to the fullest. Men, women, family, singles, anyone who is ready to step up to the challenge. And, Bill and Soledad, I'll tell you, we've already had thousands of people coming in, really interesting applications. We'll have some more information for you on that in the next several weeks -- Bill.

HEMMER: Well, I am sure you will pick some good ones for us, too.

Thank you, Sanjay.

Watch in November on AMERICAN MORNING. We'll see who will be selected for the eight-week get fit journey with Sanjay. The series airs every Tuesday, starting in January. We'll pick them in November, and get to it in January.

O'BRIEN: All right, good. That sounds great.

Still to come this morning, Chicago's contribution to the Communist Party and other little known facts about the Windy City. The "Cafferty File" is coming up in just a few moments. Stay with us. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: My hunch is that you won't be seeing the baddest part of town, the south side of Chicago. That of course is Jim Croce (ph), but I don't think that's on our schedule of stops to make here this week while we're doing AMERICAN MORNING out of the Windy City.

No cell phones allowed. The French finally came up to a solution to those annoying jerks that bring their cell phones to the movies. And now the idea is catching on.

Andy Serwer is here "Minding Your Business."

ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: And I like that Jim Croce tune.

CAFFERTY: Yes, that's a good tune.

SERWER: Right. I mean, that's a good one, that's a classic.

Yes, let's check in on the markets, though, first.

Yesterday kind of a good one for stocks. Dow was up, Nasdaq up even more on a percentage basis. Markets should be strong this morning, and very active. We have a lot of earnings crossing the tape, including IBM, Big Blue looking good, Ford and also McDonald's, which is headquartered in Oak Brook, Illinois, just down the road apiece.

Let's talk about the cell phone story, Jack. You may remember a couple days ago we talked about those movie theaters in France installing jammers so people couldn't call patrons who were watching movies, disturbing everyone else.

Now get this, Churches in Monterrey, Mexico are installing jammers, because people keep calling up their friends in church, especially at weddings. The spokesman for the church said there are still many people who don't understand that being at mass is sharing a moment with God, not with your cousin across the country.

Also, the parliament in India has also put jammers in, and get this, universities in Italy, because kids were cheating on exams using text messaging. So jammers are all over the place. We don't have them in Carton's, but we don't need them here.

CAFFERTY: That's just a terrific idea. Movie theaters, restaurants, I mean, they ought to have them in any public place.

SERWER: You not using cell phones, of course you would say that.

CAFFERTY: Get in the closet and do it on your own time.

Thanks, Andy.

"Cafferty File" is about Chicago trivia this morning, things you want to know about the Windy City but were afraid to ask, like this, "In 1893 at the World's Fair, the world introduced for the first time to the following items Cream of Wheat, diet carbonated soda, Juicy Fruit gum, Pabst Beer, the first hamburgers served in the United States. George Ferris built the first ferris wheel, 250-feet tall, carried 40 people.

Here are some other firsts for this great town. Roller skates were invented in Chicago in 1884. The worlds first skyscraper was built here, 1885. Wasn't very tall, just nine stories, something called the Home Insurance Building. The zipper was invented in Chicago in 1896. Chicago Art Institute holds the second largest collection of Impressionist paintings outside the Luve (ph) in Paris. In 1926, Charles Lindbergh initiated air-mail service between Chicago and St. Louis.

In 1900, the flow of the Chicago River was reversed by the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, an engineering feat undertaken because Chicago's sewer system was flowing straight into Lake Michigan. That lake was also the source of the city's drinking water. And over time, of course, that wouldn't have worked out at all well.

The Communist Party of the United States, founded in Chicago, 1919. Chicago authorities estimate -- here's that thing we've been fiddling with all morning -- 1,050 gangland murders. Four were successfully prosecuted.

The largest building in America in terms of square footage other than the Pentagon is the Merchandise Mart, 90 acres of floor space.

And the tallest building in America is in Chicago as well. That's the Sears Tower. It was the tallest building in the world until 1996, 110 stories tall, and reaches a quarter of a mile, almost 1,500 feet straight up into the sky.

To borrow a phrase from Paul Harvey, now you know the rest of the story.

Kind of interesting all the things that happened in this town that you don't realize.

SERWER: Yes, indeed.

CAFFERTY: Let's go back to Bill and Soledad.

O'BRIEN: All right, Jack, thanks very much.

As we go to break, we've got some of the students from Loyola with us this morning. Coming up this morning, they're already voting in Florida. We're going to tell you about some of the problems, though, they're having there already.

Ready everybody?

We're back in a moment.

(CHEERING)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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Aired October 19, 2004 - 08:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANNOUNCER: Welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING, on the road, in Chicago.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: We're at Water Tower Park, along Michigan Avenue.

Good morning, everyone, as we continue on the road in Chicago this week. 7:30 local time, 8:30 back in New York.

How're you doing.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: I'm doing great.

The Rolling Stones. No, I'm fine. Nice weather, beautiful morning, beautiful day here in Chicago, fabulous host. We have a bunch of students behind us, joining us for the entire morning. I have not a word of complaint this morning, Mr. Hemmer. How about yourself.

HEMMER: Love the setup, too, here.

In a moment, former Iraq hostage Tommy Hamill is our guest. Shot by terrorists, held captive for 24 days, somehow escaped and lived to tell a story. He's written a book, as well. We'll talk to the former truck driver what went through, and about what he is learning, too, about how his life has changed, and his impressions (INAUDIBLE).

O'BRIEN: I'd have to imagine.

Also this morning, from long lines to lotteries, just how are communities across America handling the shortage in the flu vaccine.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta is going to join us in a few minutes to take a look at some solutions, both creative and practical on determining just who's going to get a shot.

HEMMER: All right, stay tuned for that. Heidi Collins back with us as well.

Good morning to you.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you.

No, I don't think we can do this enough. How about the people behind us, huh?

Good morning. They're getting louder and louder as we go on. Yes.

To the news now this morning. President Bush is set to rally in St. Petersburg, Florida today. In about a half hour so, the president will make the first of three stops in the Sunshine State. Wish we were there. He'll be back at the White House this evening.

Senator John Kerry campaigned in Florida yesterday. Today he heads to another battleground state. The senator meets with voters in Pennsylvania this afternoon, then heads to Ohio.

President Bush has ordered the Pentagon to allow two U.S. transport planes to deliver international peacekeepers to western Sudan. The military planes will help transport fresh troops from the African Union to be deployed to Sunday's -- excuse me -- Sudan's Darfur region by the end of next month. Tens of thousands of Sudanese villagers have been killed in ethnic violence in that region.

Back here now to the United States, officials reportedly making plans for a possible medical draft. The Selective Service Agency tells "The New York Times" it is updating contingency plans for a possible call-up of doctors, nurses and other health care workers. The agency says these are just emergency plans; only the president and Congress can authorize a draft.

And in northwest Ohio, a man facing charges for filling out more than 100 fictitious voter-registration forms in exchange for crack cocaine. The 22-year-old is accused of writing in potential voters names, such as Mary Poppins and Michael Jackson. He has been charged with false registration, and that is a felony.

HEMMER: I'd say that'll do it, huh?

COLLINS: Mary Poppins.

HEMMER: Oh, yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just a spoonful of sugar.

HEMMER: Thank you, Heidi.

You remember the face, you remember the pictures, too. American Tommy Hamill talking to the cameras as his Iraqi captors stood by his side.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Want to give us your name?

TOMMY HAMILL: Hamill. Thomas.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: Twenty-four days later, in captivity the entire time, Hamill, one of the few lucky ones to make it out alive. He has since written a book about his experience. He joins me now from the Time- Warner Center, back in New York City.

And welcome back. We spoke several months ago, and good morning to you. Thanks for your time today.

TOMMY HAMILL, AUTHOR, "ESCAPE IN IRAQ": Thank you, Bill.

HEMMER: One thing you said recently was that you had to show your captors no fear. Why did you believe that at the time from the beginning you were taken hostage?

HAMILL: Well, I learned that from being there for the months prior to this. I just -- those people -- they're terrorists, and you can't show fear, and you can't give them an inch, and they'll take a mile if you do, and that's the way I looked at it.

HEMMER: You know your wife, Kellie, made a plea several times on television here in the U.S., broadcasts around the world.

Listen to one of her pleas during your captivity.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KELLIE HAMILL, TOMMY HAMILL'S WIFE: Tommy, we love and miss you very much. We would also like to say to the persons who are holding him captive, our hopes are you will release him unharmed as soon as possible.

Last, we would like to say to the persons of the community and all across America who have been praying for us, we thank you very much from the bottom of our heart.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: Tommy, did you get any word from anyone during your captivity what was happening publicly to try and get your release?

HAMILL: Well, they told me that they had seen my wife on TV, and they were -- I don't know whether they were trying to use that kind of mentally, they kept saying my wife was on TV and she was crying.

HEMMER: Are you able to reflect at all today on what's happening in Iraq earlier in the week? We had the story about members of the U.S. Army refusing to go on a resupply mission. What is your sense of the level of security based on your own experience and what you're hearing today?

HAMILL: Well, I said I haven't been over there in several months. And when we were there, we had enough security. Like I said, the day of the attack, if we would have had even more security than we had, we would probably only just lost more lives, is all that would have happened that day.

HEMMER: But I also understand there was a Humvee on the road that day that was literally pulling away while you were trying to climb onboard. Why did they not see you that day in their effort to get away? HAMILL: Well, there was actually 10 men in that Humvee. I didn't find out until I had gotten back. They were picking up a lot of guys. The trucks were disabled or just picking them up. And the 10 men in the Humvee, that's a lot of men in there. And the driver was probably anxious, and we were still being shot at. And he though everyone was in, and he went away. And I'm not blaming anyone for it. It's just a situation that happened, and I worked my way through this.

HEMMER: I know you've heard this next question a lot, but I want to know your perspective on it. How do you look at life differently after your experience?

HAMILL: Well, before I was really anxious about things, trying to work hard. I worked two jobs, trying to work as hard as I could to provide for my family, and I still wasn't getting ahead. And now I'm just looking at it now, and I'm not worrying about it. God is going to let it unfold the way it is, and it's his plan. I'm thanking everyone for their prayers and my patience to let God do to work during the 24 days I was there.

HEMMER: A lesson that we can all share today.

Tommy, thanks.

HAMILL: Thank you.

HEMMER: Tommy Hamill, back in New York City, and our best to your wife, Kellie, as well, and the strength that she showed publicly for so many days.

Thank you, Tommy.

HAMILL: Thank you all.

O'BRIEN: We are talking about the law this morning. Bestselling authors of hits, including "Presumed Innocent" and "Burden of Proof," attorney Scott Turow is also an expert on the death penalty. His most recent work is nonfiction. It's called "Ultimate Punishment: A Lawyer's Reflection on Dealing With the Death Penalty." It's now out in paperback.

Scott Turow joins us. He is Chicago born and bred.

Nice to have you with us this morning.

SCOTT TUROW, AUTHOR, "ULTIMATE PUNISHMENT": Nice to be here, if the wind doesn't blow us away.

O'BRIEN: So as a native, you think this is even a windy day.

TUROW: It is windy, even by Chicago standards.

O'BRIEN: I don't want to be a New Yorker who comes in and complains.

TUROW: No, it's windy. O'BRIEN: The Supreme Court, as you well know, had decided to hear arguments last week about whether it's constitutional to execute a killer who committed a crime while they were a juvenile. How important is the discussions that's going on right now, do you think?

TUROW: I think it's very important. You know, our debate about the death penalty is turning increasingly pragmatic. Frankly, I think that's the way to approach it, to just say, is it fair to execute somebody who was a kid when they committed a crime like this, horrible though it may be?

O'BRIEN: The last time we spoke, we were really talking about Lee Body Malvo, who was 17 at the time the crimes were committed, the sniper shootings. Will what the Supreme Court decides affect him?

TUROW: Well, you know, he was not sentenced to death, and it's one of the interesting examples that actually propels the argument in the Supreme Court. The argument is that there's a consensus that younger people, people under 18, should not be executed, and the Malvo case really goes to indicate that, because the jury did not think the death penalty was appropriate.

O'BRIEN: You were a prosecutor before you worked on this book.

TUROW: I was.

O'BRIEN: What was your opinion on the death penalty before you started doing research for your book?

TUROW: Well, before I was appointed to the Illinois Commission on the Death Penalty, I used to refer to myself as a death penalty agnostic. I think there are powerful arguments both ways. They both spring from moral traditions with which most Americans are familiar. And I think most of us are entitled to be and are a bit ambivalent about this.

O'BRIEN: Did you -- as a prosecutor, though, you tried capital cases? Did you push for the death penalty in the some case, and do you look back now, and, wow, I was wrong, that was a mistake?

TUROW: Well, I was a federal prosecutor, so, and at the time I was a federal prosecutor, there was no death penalty. I had involvement with a couple of cases that raised the issue.

And you know, one of those cases where I was sort of on the sidelines, the man has now been -- the death sentence was commuted as part of Governor Ryan's commutations, and you know, I thought the result was just under the laws that existed, and I thought what the governor did was right now.

O'BRIEN: How do you, though, deal with family members who want justice, and to whom the only justice for a victim's murder is to put the killer to death?

TUROW: Well, I think that the arguments of the family members I completely understand. It's a unique loss to lose someone to a murder. But the truth, Soledad, is that we do not listen to the family members in 49 cases out of 50 where we don't put the defendant to death. And to use the family members as the sort of bloody shirt in the 50th case strikes me as unfair, and, frankly, a little bit of a hypocrisy.

O'BRIEN: Very interesting.

Scott Turow, nice to have you. Thanks for hosting us in your fine city. We've enjoyed it.

TUROW: It's great to be here. And I hope when you come back we have better weather.

O'BRIEN: Hey, the weather is fine. A little less windy would be fine, but we're not complaining. Thanks, nice to see you.

TUROW: Good to see you.

HEMMER: All right, and a great location, too, at the Water Tower Park here.

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O'BRIEN: Let's get a shot of some of these hearty students who have come out to join us this morning. They've been here all morning. These of course are students from Loyola University. They are keeping us company.

HEMMER: What did you say, they have journalism for the first time in their curriculum?

O'BRIEN: This is the first year they are offering a degree in journalism here at Loyola, and we are thrilled to be able to have a chance to talk to some of journalism students a little bit later today.

HEMMER: That guy is a Red Sox fan, because clearly, he can't be a Cubs fans this time of the year.

O'BRIEN: He probably wants to stay away from some of the folks on our show, because we've got a lot of Yankee fans here.

HEMMER: Throughout the week tomorrow, we're at Union Station. That's on Wednesday. Thursday's the Field Museum, and that is a great location here in Chicago. Friday, we'll close out the week at the Adler Planetarium. So stay with us throughout the week as we continue in Chicago.

Also in a moment, some churches turn to new technology to make sure their flocks are not distracted on Sunday. Andy's "Minding Your Business" on that.

O'BRIEN: And long lines on the shots, what can you do to help preventing the flu. We're going to page Dr. Gupta just ahead. Stay with us. You're watching AMERICAN MORNING.

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O'BRIEN: The first shot you saw, that was the John Hancock building. The El Train pulling in, I believe. See, I can recognize the trains as they pull in.

Welcome back, everybody. The next stop on our Chicago ride is the beautiful and historic Union Station. Among our guest tomorrow will be the Illinois Lieutenant Governor Pat Quinn.

Also, character actress Irma P. Hall, and we're going to take another bite into deep dish politics. Taking a look at the people who tend all those movable bridges along the Chicago River as well, all that and of course much, much more tomorrow in the Windy City.

HEMMER: I love the Hancock Building, too, right around the corner.

O'BRIEN: Right along the Magnificent Mile.

HEMMER: We're Paging Dr. Gupta now this morning about the dwindling supply and the increasing demand for flu vaccine.

Sanjay is back at the CNN Center. Good morning.

How are some communities getting along through this, Sanjay?

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

Yes, really interesting perspectives on how some of the communities are dealing with this flu shortage.

Listen, we've all seen the long lines. We've all heard about those who are highest risk from the flu, those who should get the flu vaccine shot. But interesting, in the township of Bloomfield, in New Jersey, they're actually having a Lottery. They have about a thousand shots. They're going to give away 300 of them by way of lottery to the highest risk people, to the highest risk people actually entering this lottery, and could possibly win their flu vaccine shot. Really sort of interesting way to do that. I've never heard of anything like that when it comes to giving away flu shots. Of course this is a different sort of time. Obviously a controversial one as well.

But even some of the prestigious medical organizations weighing in and saying, yes, we've talked about the high risk people, yes, we know that they need to get shots, but there aren't going to be enough to go around. So let's prioritize even within those high-risk people. For example, pregnant women, we talked about that, but they also pointed out the third trimester has double the risk versus the first and second trimester. So if you're going to prioritize, the third trimester would be more important.

Also the risk increases with age. So yes, 65 and older, but perhaps a 75-year-old person should be more likely to get the flu person than a 70-year-old person. Very interesting again, Bill, very different times. The American Academy of Physicians is going to put out the own set of guidelines, specifically talking about this in the next several days -- Bill.

HEMMER: Outside of the shot, though, there is medication, there are drugs one can take. On the list of recommendations, what do you have?

GUPTA: Yes, to be real clear about this. The flu shot is a preventative vaccine. It prevents you from getting the flu. But if you do get it, there are some medications, including the one you see there, Tamiflu. There's also Relenza, Flumadine, Symmetrel. Those are some of the names that you'll hear about when it comes to antivirals. Let me point out a couple of things about this, Bill. This is specifically taken after you've developed symptoms of the flu. In fact, you have to take it the first couple of days. It does not prevent the flu, Bill, so you still have got to try to stay healthy. All the other guidelines still apply, though.

HEMMER: All right, speaking of staying healthy, before we go, our viewers want to improve their overall health. If so, they may want to check in with you.

O'BRIEN: Our "New You Resolution," we're back this year.

HEMMER: Our revolution.

What do you have, Sanjay?

GUPTA: We changed the name, and we're so excited about it, Bill. It's called the "New You Revolution." It's going to focus on breaking bad health habits. Specifically if you'd like to be a part of CNN's "New You Revolution," go to CNN.com/am. The question is this, are you in a desperate battle with weight or struggling with any other health issues? Are you ready to make the commitment to get fit, stay healthy, and live your life to the fullest. Men, women, family, singles, anyone who is ready to step up to the challenge. And, Bill and Soledad, I'll tell you, we've already had thousands of people coming in, really interesting applications. We'll have some more information for you on that in the next several weeks -- Bill.

HEMMER: Well, I am sure you will pick some good ones for us, too.

Thank you, Sanjay.

Watch in November on AMERICAN MORNING. We'll see who will be selected for the eight-week get fit journey with Sanjay. The series airs every Tuesday, starting in January. We'll pick them in November, and get to it in January.

O'BRIEN: All right, good. That sounds great.

Still to come this morning, Chicago's contribution to the Communist Party and other little known facts about the Windy City. The "Cafferty File" is coming up in just a few moments. Stay with us. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: My hunch is that you won't be seeing the baddest part of town, the south side of Chicago. That of course is Jim Croce (ph), but I don't think that's on our schedule of stops to make here this week while we're doing AMERICAN MORNING out of the Windy City.

No cell phones allowed. The French finally came up to a solution to those annoying jerks that bring their cell phones to the movies. And now the idea is catching on.

Andy Serwer is here "Minding Your Business."

ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: And I like that Jim Croce tune.

CAFFERTY: Yes, that's a good tune.

SERWER: Right. I mean, that's a good one, that's a classic.

Yes, let's check in on the markets, though, first.

Yesterday kind of a good one for stocks. Dow was up, Nasdaq up even more on a percentage basis. Markets should be strong this morning, and very active. We have a lot of earnings crossing the tape, including IBM, Big Blue looking good, Ford and also McDonald's, which is headquartered in Oak Brook, Illinois, just down the road apiece.

Let's talk about the cell phone story, Jack. You may remember a couple days ago we talked about those movie theaters in France installing jammers so people couldn't call patrons who were watching movies, disturbing everyone else.

Now get this, Churches in Monterrey, Mexico are installing jammers, because people keep calling up their friends in church, especially at weddings. The spokesman for the church said there are still many people who don't understand that being at mass is sharing a moment with God, not with your cousin across the country.

Also, the parliament in India has also put jammers in, and get this, universities in Italy, because kids were cheating on exams using text messaging. So jammers are all over the place. We don't have them in Carton's, but we don't need them here.

CAFFERTY: That's just a terrific idea. Movie theaters, restaurants, I mean, they ought to have them in any public place.

SERWER: You not using cell phones, of course you would say that.

CAFFERTY: Get in the closet and do it on your own time.

Thanks, Andy.

"Cafferty File" is about Chicago trivia this morning, things you want to know about the Windy City but were afraid to ask, like this, "In 1893 at the World's Fair, the world introduced for the first time to the following items Cream of Wheat, diet carbonated soda, Juicy Fruit gum, Pabst Beer, the first hamburgers served in the United States. George Ferris built the first ferris wheel, 250-feet tall, carried 40 people.

Here are some other firsts for this great town. Roller skates were invented in Chicago in 1884. The worlds first skyscraper was built here, 1885. Wasn't very tall, just nine stories, something called the Home Insurance Building. The zipper was invented in Chicago in 1896. Chicago Art Institute holds the second largest collection of Impressionist paintings outside the Luve (ph) in Paris. In 1926, Charles Lindbergh initiated air-mail service between Chicago and St. Louis.

In 1900, the flow of the Chicago River was reversed by the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, an engineering feat undertaken because Chicago's sewer system was flowing straight into Lake Michigan. That lake was also the source of the city's drinking water. And over time, of course, that wouldn't have worked out at all well.

The Communist Party of the United States, founded in Chicago, 1919. Chicago authorities estimate -- here's that thing we've been fiddling with all morning -- 1,050 gangland murders. Four were successfully prosecuted.

The largest building in America in terms of square footage other than the Pentagon is the Merchandise Mart, 90 acres of floor space.

And the tallest building in America is in Chicago as well. That's the Sears Tower. It was the tallest building in the world until 1996, 110 stories tall, and reaches a quarter of a mile, almost 1,500 feet straight up into the sky.

To borrow a phrase from Paul Harvey, now you know the rest of the story.

Kind of interesting all the things that happened in this town that you don't realize.

SERWER: Yes, indeed.

CAFFERTY: Let's go back to Bill and Soledad.

O'BRIEN: All right, Jack, thanks very much.

As we go to break, we've got some of the students from Loyola with us this morning. Coming up this morning, they're already voting in Florida. We're going to tell you about some of the problems, though, they're having there already.

Ready everybody?

We're back in a moment.

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