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CNN Live At Daybreak

Controversy Over Implementation of 9/11 Commission Recommendations; Latest on Flu Vaccine

Aired October 20, 2004 - 06:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning to you.
From the CNN Global Headquarters in Atlanta, I'm Carol Costello.

Now in the news, word in this morning at least eight are dead after a commuter plane crashes in northeastern Missouri last night. Fifteen people were on board that plane. Two managed to survive. The other five still missing. No word on what caused this crash.

In Iraq, the rebel held city of Falluja is still taking a pounding from U.S. warplanes, which have been targeting suspected terrorist sites. U.S. officials say the latest air strikes destroyed two terrorist safe houses.

Martha Stewart's attorneys are filing a new appeal today. They plan to say Stewart's rights were violated when the defense wasn't allowed to question her former stockbroker in court.

And in New York last night, what a game! Fans throwing stuff onto the field after a disputed call. Riot police came out onto the field. The bottom line, the Red Sox win. The A.L. Championship Series is now tied at three games each. Game seven tonight.

To the forecast center now and Chad -- good morning.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, NASCAR may be drama, but I'll tell you what, maybe game seven is going to be drama, as well, there.

COSTELLO: No.

MYERS: I'll tell you what.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: It is 13 days and counting until we head to the polls to elect a president. With the clock ticking, both George Bush and John Kerry are on the move across those battleground states. But that's not the only high profile political countdown going on. Republican law makers are making a major push to finish a 9/11 reform bill that the president can sign in a dramatic Rose Garden ceremony right before the election.

But as committee members meet to hash out the details, that possibility is looking slim.

Our Ed Henry has more on the story for you.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

ED HENRY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): On 9/11, Beverly Eckert lost her husband. She now fears other families will feel the same pain, because Congress has been slow to fix the intelligence community. BEVERLY ECKERT, 9/11 FAMILY STEERING COMMITTEE: If election day comes and there's no bill on the president's desk, you'd better believe there will be at least one group who will be celebrating. And the name of that group is al Qaeda.

HENRY: The House and Senate passed vastly different bills last month. 9/11 Commission Chair Tom Kean says there's only a 50/50 chance of a final product getting to the president by the election.

ABRAHAM SCOTT, 9/11 WIDOWER: It is just totally unacceptable. We need reform now.

HENRY: The Senate bill has a more powerful version of a national intelligence director and it would disclose the nation's intelligence budget, which critics say would give America's enemies an advantage. The House bill has strong surveillance and deportations powers that civil libertarians find objectionable.

Kean is urging the president to push Congress to compromise. The president says he wants a deal, but has not endorsed either bill.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: These reforms are necessary to stay ahead of the threats. I urge Congress to act quickly so I can sign them into law.

HENRY: But the president stopped short of setting a deadline, and some 9/11 families charge they have gotten mixed signals from the White House.

This comes as Senator John Kerry charges the country is less safe on the president's watch. That's a theme his campaign pounds home with a new ad featuring former Bush supporter Kristen Breitweiser, whose husband was killed on 9/11.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM KERRY CAMPAIGN AD)

KRISTEN BREITWEISER, 9/11 WIDOW: And during the Commission hearings, we learned the truth. We are no safer today.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HENRY: Other 9/11 families are coming forward to back the president. They say the extra provisions in the House bill are critical to keeping the nation secure.

HAMILTON PETERSON, LOST PARENTS ON 9/11: Politicizing this issue and trying to create a deadline of 14 days, I believe, is doing America a disservice.

HENRY (on camera): With law makers meeting Wednesday to start hammering out their differences, Democrats say the president will have to push harder to get a deal. As one aide put it, "This is a puff of air and what you need is a gust of wind."

Ed Henry, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

COSTELLO: And we have new details this morning about how and why the Twin Towers collapsed after being hit by the jets in the 9/11 attacks. Government investigators say Tower Two fell more quickly than Tower One, even though it was the second one hit, because that tower had a larger concentration of combustible debris. The report also cites differences in the angles and locations of the crashes to explain why one tower stayed up longer.

And for the first time since the deadly Madrid train bombings last March, security camera images are telling the story in horrific detail. These pictures show the initial seconds after three bombs rip apart a crowded train at the station there in Madrid, Spain. Terrified passengers were frantic to escape the carnage. Ten bombs exploded on four Madrid trains that day, killing 191 people. The attacks have been linked to al Qaeda. Fifty-five suspects have been charged so far.

It looks like there are more flu vaccines on the way. But will they arrive in time? A U.S. manufacturer says it can produce an extra 2.6 million doses, but they won't be ready until January, well into the flu season. U.S. health officials are also looking at getting more vaccine from Canada.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOMMY THOMPSON, HHS SECRETARY: Well, we continue to explore every option to obtain more vaccine also from other sources. We have ongoing negotiations today, as we have for some time, with our neighbors to the north, Canada. And they have indicated they have some and our FDA is working with Canada as we speak.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: So help seems to be on the way. But that question again, will it come soon enough?

Dr. Douglas Lowery from the emergency department at Emory University Hospital joins us on DAYBREAK this morning.

Thank you for coming in so early.

DR. DOUGLAS LOWERY, EMORY UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL: Good morning, Carol.

COSTELLO: So these flu shots, these extra flu shots are supposedly coming in in January, but won't that be too late?

LOWERY: It's later than we like, but it's not too late. The flu season goes until May and the flu vaccine takes effect within two weeks of receiving it. So certainly not too late, although a little later than we'd like.

COSTELLO: Doesn't it usually peak in December, though, in January, the flu season?

LOWERY: It's very difficult to predict exactly when the peak is going to be. It can predict as early as December, but some years it doesn't peak until a little bit later in January, or maybe even February. It's difficult to predict.

COSTELLO: So if the flu cooperates, the vaccines will be on time.

LOWERY: Exactly right. That's exactly right.

COSTELLO: But what if we don't have enough dosages for people to get the flu vaccine? And it seems like we won't in the short-term. What does that do to emergency rooms across the country?

LOWERY: Well, emergency departments across the country are under severe strain because of overcrowding, for a variety of reasons. If the flu season turns out to be a bad, severe season, it's likely that the sickest of flu patients will have to present to the E.R.s, and they'll be crushed with the volume of patients. Already they've having difficulty and straining to take care of the patients they do have. And this is likely to cripple the safety net of our country, the emergency departments.

COSTELLO: And when you say that, what do you mean, cripple?

LOWERY: Well, the main determinative quality of emergency care is the timeliness of care. And when there just aren't enough beds to evaluate patients or treat patients, we can't provide timely care. Patients are left sitting in the waiting room, roaming around metropolitan areas in ambulances trying to find an available E.R. bed and they can't get the timely care they need to save their life or save their limbs.

COSTELLO: And they're possibly infecting other people because they're around so many other people.

LOWERY: Exactly. There's a greater risk for other people waiting in the waiting room. Many of those are at high risk for complications from influenza.

COSTELLO: Let me ask you this, as far as doctors and nurses in the emergency rooms and the hospitals, will they get flu shots?

LOWERY: Yes. They fall into one of the high risk priorities in order to prevent spreading influenza to high risk patients. So it appears that we have enough vaccines to vaccinate our health care providers that provide daily contact, face-to-face contact with patients. But we're urging them to get that done as quickly as possible so we can turn over unused vaccine to other high risk populations.

COSTELLO: So a question for you, for our viewers, let's say you feel like you're getting the flu. Should you not go to the emergency room?

LOWERY: You have to probably cooperate with your primary care doctor in determining whether you're sick enough to go to the emergency room. In general, it's best to stay home if you're sick. Don't go to work, don't send your kids to school, stay home. This will help prevent the spread of influenza. If you're having difficulty breathing, severe chest pain, inability to take anything by mouth, food or liquid, then absolutely, you need to call your doctor and/or go to the emergency room.

COSTELLO: Get your behind to the emergency room in that case.

LOWERY: Exactly.

COSTELLO: Dr. Douglas Lowery, thank you for joining us on DAYBREAK this morning.

LOWERY: Thank you, Carol.

COSTELLO: Coming up on DAYBREAK, the Arab voice -- an aide worker held captive and shown on television. Reaction to Al Jazeera's broadcast at 15 minutes past the hour.

Then the simple changes you can make so you can eat more and weigh less. It's called the salad effect. That will come your way at 20 minutes past.

Plus...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tomorrow night it's over! Tomorrow night it's over!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Ooh, the Yankees fans are made. The Sox game, the Yankees game, made it to game seven, a step closer to lifting the curse. But what about that other championship series? Oh, yes. Well, talk about all the teams.

But first, here's a look at what else is happening this Wednesday morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Time now for a little "Business Buzz."

One satellite radio firm hopes there isn't a curse at the ball park. This morning we're talking baseball with Carrie Lee, live at the Nasdaq.

And I know you want to talk about the Boston-New York game. But we can't.

CARRIE LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You guys have been talking about it a lot. I know everyone's going to be preoccupied at work waiting for the game tonight.

X.M. Satellite Radio getting ready to sign an 11-year deal with major league baseball to air major league baseball. And this deal is reportedly valued at about $650 million in cash. X.M. chairman and MLB Commissioner Bud Selig are holding a press conference today at MLB headquarters in New York City at 10:00 a.m. to officially announce this. And X.M. service currently offers over 130 channels of digital radio programming, as well as news, sports, talk, for about $10 per month.

Clearly, this is a bid to try to grab more subscribers, as Sirius Satellite Radio has been doing. They recently signed deals with Eminem and Howard Stern. X.M.S.R. has about two and a half million subscribers. Sirius has about 700,000. We'll see if this deal helps X.M. at all gain more people to come over to satellite radio.

COSTELLO: It should be fascinating.

LEE: Yes.

COSTELLO: Carrie Lee live from the NASDAQ market site.

Thank you.

Your news, money, weather and sports.

It is 6:13 Eastern.

Here's what's all new this morning.

Authorities on the scene of a fiery plane crash in northeastern Missouri. Eight people died when the commuter flight went down last night. Two people did manage to survive. Five others still missing.

In money news, college is getting harder and harder to afford. A report from the College Board says tuition is rising faster than inflation or income. The increase has led more students to apply for financial aid.

In culture, now you, too, can smell like New York City. A new fragrance line has 21 varieties of New York smells. The latest is Wall Street, which makers say does not smell like money, but like Wall Street.

In sports, the Astros and the Cardinals will take the field tonight for game six of the National League Championship Series. The Astros won the last three straight in the series, to take a three games to two lead.

I want to talk about that other game later -- Chad.

MYERS: You certainly will, with Chris Cotter. He'll be in the house.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: Those are the latest headlines for you.

It is perhaps the highest profile abduction yet, Margaret Hassan, who is both British and Iraqi. She has both British and Iraqi citizenship, I should say. She's long worked to help Iraqis. She has been kidnapped. It certainly makes you wonder who's next.

So how is the Arab world reacting to this?

Joining us now is our senior editor for Arab affairs, Octavia Nasr -- good morning, Octavia.

OCTAVIA NASR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.

COSTELLO: So how is this playing out on the Arab television stations?

NASR: Al-Arabiya just aired an interview with the husband of Margaret Hassan, who is an Iraqi citizen. And he is pleading for her life. He's pleading for the abductors to release her. He's saying she's a good woman, she was only there to help Iraqis.

He did answer some questions which I thought were interesting. He did say that he had warned her that this would be coming and then she continued her work, saying there's nothing else that I know how to do and this is my life and I have to go on. And he said that as part of his precautionary measures, he said always carry with you your Iraqi passport. She's a naturalized Iraqi citizen, you know, through marriage to him. And he said he just felt that if she carried the passport and if she carried her Iraqi documents, that that might save her life in case she finds herself in this position.

COSTELLO: But you have to wonder if this wasn't targeted and how that might not have mattered, because the way he described it was her car was targeted -- someone was in the front, someone was in the back and then she was taken.

NASR: Right. Now, the thing is we don't know who took her. And that should work to her advantage. Look at the history of the kidnappings in Iraq. Two aide workers, the Italian women, remember, they were kept hostage for a few weeks and then they were released. It was an unknown group. Up to this day we don't know who had them. So that should work to her advantage. It could be targeted. It could be targeted at CARE, the aid organization she works for. And with CARE announcing that they're going to cease operations in Iraq, that might help her case.

So, the other two women that were abducted were Indonesian. And they were let go. So the history of female hostages in Iraq is a good one. Hopefully this one will be a good one, as well.

COSTELLO: Well, this is the thing, and I think many Americans feel this way, she's lived in this country for 30 years. She's married to an Iraqi man. She's done wonderful things for the Iraqi people. We want to hear about an outcry from the Iraqi citizenry to stop this. NASR: The problem with that is that the Iraqi people are too busy right now staying safe, staying alive, finding food for their families. It's the same situation in any conflict zone. You know, people are so busy living their lives and going on and surviving that this becomes a side issue.

It's an unfortunate thing, but people have to realize that in conflict areas and in war situations, especially these Iraqis, I mean you hear it on the news, you hear it from them all the time, the hardships are so high at this point that a kidnapping here or there is not a priority for them.

And this is certainly seen on Arab media. When you watch Arab media, that's all you see, you know, the Iraqis have no power, they have no running water, they have no jobs, they have no security. They can't even walk down the streets anymore.

So to them, to say come on, show us some outcry about a female hostage or a male hostage or anybody taken hostage at this point, they tell you what were they doing here in the first place?

I mean here's the husband now saying I warned her.

COSTELLO: Yes, but she's been there for 30 years.

NASR: See, these, you have to think that these abductors do not care. They're not your ordinary Iraqis. They're not the people who appreciate what this woman was doing there.

COSTELLO: Octavia Nasr, thank you so much for joining DAYBREAK.

NASR: Any time, Carol.

COSTELLO: Coming up, it sounds simple enough -- if you eat less, you'll weigh less. But what if you're hungry for more? Nutritionist Lisa Drayer will be live for us and she has the answers for you next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: It's called the salad effect. If you're trying to cut calories, we all know salad can be a good choice. But there is a right way and a wrong way to load up on the greens. It's always so complicated.

That's why we have our nutritionist here, Lisa Drayer.

She's live in New York.

Why is this so complicated? A salad is a salad.

LISA DRAYER, NUTRITIONIST: A salad is a salad, but not all salads are created equal, Carol.

There's been some interesting new research from Penn State University on salad and satiety. That's the full factor.

Let's take a look at some of this research now.

Researchers asked a group of women to eat a salad. They had to eat the whole salad. It was a low calorie salad with iceberg and romaine lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, celery, cucumbers, fat-free dressing and light mozzarella cheese. They had to finish the salad and then they were asked to eat a pasta meal of cheese tortellini with tomato sauce. And they were allowed to eat as much pasta as they liked.

Well, when women ate one and a half cups of the salad, which provided 50 calories, they ate 7 percent fewer calories for the whole meal compared to when they skipped the salad. And when they ate three cups of salad -- so they doubled the volume before having their pasta, for a total of 100 calories -- they ate even less for the entire meal, 12 percent, or 107 fewer calories compared to when they skipped the salad.

COSTELLO: Wow!

DRAYER: Right. Interesting stuff, Carol, because usually when you add an appetizer to a meal, you're increasing the entire amount of calories consumed at the meal. But here, this study shows that when that appetizer is a large, low calorie salad, you actually feel more full before the meal arrives and your total calorie intake is less.

COSTELLO: Yes, but that's such a boring salad. What if you want to get the salad with gorgonzola and like nuts on it and apples and cheese?

DRAYER: It makes a dent, Carol. Interestingly, in the study, when the women did eat a small portion of a large, high calorie salad that included higher fat dressing and more cheese, they actually ate more at the meal. They had 8 percent, or 71 more calories overall compared to no salad. And when they had double the amount of this high calorie salad, they had 17 percent, or 145 more calories at the meal compared to no salad.

So clearly the type of salad plays a role. And in this study, it shows that it's the low calorie salad.

Now, the good news is -- I spoke to Dr. Barbara Rolls. She's the lead author of the study. She says people really liked the low calorie salads, they were enjoyed by the women, and they couldn't really tell the difference in the fat content. So the fat ranged from like 14 percent to 65 percent, but the women really couldn't distinguish very much between the two.

COSTELLO: Interesting.

DRAYER: Yes.

COSTELLO: OK, so quickly, so you're eating your boring salad that everybody seems to love.

DRAYER: You're not convinced.

COSTELLO: What about the dressing?

DRAYER: Right. Well, dressing is definitely a calorie culprit. So if we have two tablespoons of full fat Ranch dressing, that's 150 calories. But for the same amount of calories, you can have double the amount of reduced fat, or four tablespoons. Also, one ounce of Monterrey jack cheese has 123 calories. But for the same amount of calories, you can add an extra half ounce of goat cheese. It's lower in fat. And four olives, Carol, have 50 calories. I have it with me right here. But for the same 50 calories, look at all those slices of tomato you can eat.

COSTELLO: Thank you.

DRAYER: There are four big slices.

COSTELLO: Thank you for showing us in vivid detail this morning.

Lisa Drayer live in New York.

Thank you.

DRAYER: Thanks.

COSTELLO: Coming up, the day's hot political topics -- the women behind the men running for president. How important is their image when it comes to deciding who will be the next first lady, or the next president, for that matter?

Plus, Pat Robertson's advice for the president and the response he got in the days before the Iraq war. This could surprise you.

This is DAYBREAK.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: And good morning to you.

From the CNN Global Headquarters in Atlanta, I'm Carol Costello.

Now in the news, investigators are going over the wreckage of a fiery plane crash that's left eight people dead in northeastern Missouri. Two passengers did survive. Five are missing.

The Bush administration has wrangled an additional 2.6 million flu shots, but it could be too little too late. The vaccines won't be available until January, which is when flu season typically peaks.

It's been a rough 24 hours for several Southern states. Powerful storms laced with tornadoes destroyed homes in Alabama, Missouri and Arkansas. At least four people were killed, one in Tennessee and three in southeastern Missouri.

To the forecast center now and Chad.

MYERS: Good morning, Carol.

(WEATHER REPORT)

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 20, 2004 - 06:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning to you.
From the CNN Global Headquarters in Atlanta, I'm Carol Costello.

Now in the news, word in this morning at least eight are dead after a commuter plane crashes in northeastern Missouri last night. Fifteen people were on board that plane. Two managed to survive. The other five still missing. No word on what caused this crash.

In Iraq, the rebel held city of Falluja is still taking a pounding from U.S. warplanes, which have been targeting suspected terrorist sites. U.S. officials say the latest air strikes destroyed two terrorist safe houses.

Martha Stewart's attorneys are filing a new appeal today. They plan to say Stewart's rights were violated when the defense wasn't allowed to question her former stockbroker in court.

And in New York last night, what a game! Fans throwing stuff onto the field after a disputed call. Riot police came out onto the field. The bottom line, the Red Sox win. The A.L. Championship Series is now tied at three games each. Game seven tonight.

To the forecast center now and Chad -- good morning.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, NASCAR may be drama, but I'll tell you what, maybe game seven is going to be drama, as well, there.

COSTELLO: No.

MYERS: I'll tell you what.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: It is 13 days and counting until we head to the polls to elect a president. With the clock ticking, both George Bush and John Kerry are on the move across those battleground states. But that's not the only high profile political countdown going on. Republican law makers are making a major push to finish a 9/11 reform bill that the president can sign in a dramatic Rose Garden ceremony right before the election.

But as committee members meet to hash out the details, that possibility is looking slim.

Our Ed Henry has more on the story for you.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

ED HENRY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): On 9/11, Beverly Eckert lost her husband. She now fears other families will feel the same pain, because Congress has been slow to fix the intelligence community. BEVERLY ECKERT, 9/11 FAMILY STEERING COMMITTEE: If election day comes and there's no bill on the president's desk, you'd better believe there will be at least one group who will be celebrating. And the name of that group is al Qaeda.

HENRY: The House and Senate passed vastly different bills last month. 9/11 Commission Chair Tom Kean says there's only a 50/50 chance of a final product getting to the president by the election.

ABRAHAM SCOTT, 9/11 WIDOWER: It is just totally unacceptable. We need reform now.

HENRY: The Senate bill has a more powerful version of a national intelligence director and it would disclose the nation's intelligence budget, which critics say would give America's enemies an advantage. The House bill has strong surveillance and deportations powers that civil libertarians find objectionable.

Kean is urging the president to push Congress to compromise. The president says he wants a deal, but has not endorsed either bill.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: These reforms are necessary to stay ahead of the threats. I urge Congress to act quickly so I can sign them into law.

HENRY: But the president stopped short of setting a deadline, and some 9/11 families charge they have gotten mixed signals from the White House.

This comes as Senator John Kerry charges the country is less safe on the president's watch. That's a theme his campaign pounds home with a new ad featuring former Bush supporter Kristen Breitweiser, whose husband was killed on 9/11.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM KERRY CAMPAIGN AD)

KRISTEN BREITWEISER, 9/11 WIDOW: And during the Commission hearings, we learned the truth. We are no safer today.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HENRY: Other 9/11 families are coming forward to back the president. They say the extra provisions in the House bill are critical to keeping the nation secure.

HAMILTON PETERSON, LOST PARENTS ON 9/11: Politicizing this issue and trying to create a deadline of 14 days, I believe, is doing America a disservice.

HENRY (on camera): With law makers meeting Wednesday to start hammering out their differences, Democrats say the president will have to push harder to get a deal. As one aide put it, "This is a puff of air and what you need is a gust of wind."

Ed Henry, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

COSTELLO: And we have new details this morning about how and why the Twin Towers collapsed after being hit by the jets in the 9/11 attacks. Government investigators say Tower Two fell more quickly than Tower One, even though it was the second one hit, because that tower had a larger concentration of combustible debris. The report also cites differences in the angles and locations of the crashes to explain why one tower stayed up longer.

And for the first time since the deadly Madrid train bombings last March, security camera images are telling the story in horrific detail. These pictures show the initial seconds after three bombs rip apart a crowded train at the station there in Madrid, Spain. Terrified passengers were frantic to escape the carnage. Ten bombs exploded on four Madrid trains that day, killing 191 people. The attacks have been linked to al Qaeda. Fifty-five suspects have been charged so far.

It looks like there are more flu vaccines on the way. But will they arrive in time? A U.S. manufacturer says it can produce an extra 2.6 million doses, but they won't be ready until January, well into the flu season. U.S. health officials are also looking at getting more vaccine from Canada.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOMMY THOMPSON, HHS SECRETARY: Well, we continue to explore every option to obtain more vaccine also from other sources. We have ongoing negotiations today, as we have for some time, with our neighbors to the north, Canada. And they have indicated they have some and our FDA is working with Canada as we speak.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: So help seems to be on the way. But that question again, will it come soon enough?

Dr. Douglas Lowery from the emergency department at Emory University Hospital joins us on DAYBREAK this morning.

Thank you for coming in so early.

DR. DOUGLAS LOWERY, EMORY UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL: Good morning, Carol.

COSTELLO: So these flu shots, these extra flu shots are supposedly coming in in January, but won't that be too late?

LOWERY: It's later than we like, but it's not too late. The flu season goes until May and the flu vaccine takes effect within two weeks of receiving it. So certainly not too late, although a little later than we'd like.

COSTELLO: Doesn't it usually peak in December, though, in January, the flu season?

LOWERY: It's very difficult to predict exactly when the peak is going to be. It can predict as early as December, but some years it doesn't peak until a little bit later in January, or maybe even February. It's difficult to predict.

COSTELLO: So if the flu cooperates, the vaccines will be on time.

LOWERY: Exactly right. That's exactly right.

COSTELLO: But what if we don't have enough dosages for people to get the flu vaccine? And it seems like we won't in the short-term. What does that do to emergency rooms across the country?

LOWERY: Well, emergency departments across the country are under severe strain because of overcrowding, for a variety of reasons. If the flu season turns out to be a bad, severe season, it's likely that the sickest of flu patients will have to present to the E.R.s, and they'll be crushed with the volume of patients. Already they've having difficulty and straining to take care of the patients they do have. And this is likely to cripple the safety net of our country, the emergency departments.

COSTELLO: And when you say that, what do you mean, cripple?

LOWERY: Well, the main determinative quality of emergency care is the timeliness of care. And when there just aren't enough beds to evaluate patients or treat patients, we can't provide timely care. Patients are left sitting in the waiting room, roaming around metropolitan areas in ambulances trying to find an available E.R. bed and they can't get the timely care they need to save their life or save their limbs.

COSTELLO: And they're possibly infecting other people because they're around so many other people.

LOWERY: Exactly. There's a greater risk for other people waiting in the waiting room. Many of those are at high risk for complications from influenza.

COSTELLO: Let me ask you this, as far as doctors and nurses in the emergency rooms and the hospitals, will they get flu shots?

LOWERY: Yes. They fall into one of the high risk priorities in order to prevent spreading influenza to high risk patients. So it appears that we have enough vaccines to vaccinate our health care providers that provide daily contact, face-to-face contact with patients. But we're urging them to get that done as quickly as possible so we can turn over unused vaccine to other high risk populations.

COSTELLO: So a question for you, for our viewers, let's say you feel like you're getting the flu. Should you not go to the emergency room?

LOWERY: You have to probably cooperate with your primary care doctor in determining whether you're sick enough to go to the emergency room. In general, it's best to stay home if you're sick. Don't go to work, don't send your kids to school, stay home. This will help prevent the spread of influenza. If you're having difficulty breathing, severe chest pain, inability to take anything by mouth, food or liquid, then absolutely, you need to call your doctor and/or go to the emergency room.

COSTELLO: Get your behind to the emergency room in that case.

LOWERY: Exactly.

COSTELLO: Dr. Douglas Lowery, thank you for joining us on DAYBREAK this morning.

LOWERY: Thank you, Carol.

COSTELLO: Coming up on DAYBREAK, the Arab voice -- an aide worker held captive and shown on television. Reaction to Al Jazeera's broadcast at 15 minutes past the hour.

Then the simple changes you can make so you can eat more and weigh less. It's called the salad effect. That will come your way at 20 minutes past.

Plus...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tomorrow night it's over! Tomorrow night it's over!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Ooh, the Yankees fans are made. The Sox game, the Yankees game, made it to game seven, a step closer to lifting the curse. But what about that other championship series? Oh, yes. Well, talk about all the teams.

But first, here's a look at what else is happening this Wednesday morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Time now for a little "Business Buzz."

One satellite radio firm hopes there isn't a curse at the ball park. This morning we're talking baseball with Carrie Lee, live at the Nasdaq.

And I know you want to talk about the Boston-New York game. But we can't.

CARRIE LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You guys have been talking about it a lot. I know everyone's going to be preoccupied at work waiting for the game tonight.

X.M. Satellite Radio getting ready to sign an 11-year deal with major league baseball to air major league baseball. And this deal is reportedly valued at about $650 million in cash. X.M. chairman and MLB Commissioner Bud Selig are holding a press conference today at MLB headquarters in New York City at 10:00 a.m. to officially announce this. And X.M. service currently offers over 130 channels of digital radio programming, as well as news, sports, talk, for about $10 per month.

Clearly, this is a bid to try to grab more subscribers, as Sirius Satellite Radio has been doing. They recently signed deals with Eminem and Howard Stern. X.M.S.R. has about two and a half million subscribers. Sirius has about 700,000. We'll see if this deal helps X.M. at all gain more people to come over to satellite radio.

COSTELLO: It should be fascinating.

LEE: Yes.

COSTELLO: Carrie Lee live from the NASDAQ market site.

Thank you.

Your news, money, weather and sports.

It is 6:13 Eastern.

Here's what's all new this morning.

Authorities on the scene of a fiery plane crash in northeastern Missouri. Eight people died when the commuter flight went down last night. Two people did manage to survive. Five others still missing.

In money news, college is getting harder and harder to afford. A report from the College Board says tuition is rising faster than inflation or income. The increase has led more students to apply for financial aid.

In culture, now you, too, can smell like New York City. A new fragrance line has 21 varieties of New York smells. The latest is Wall Street, which makers say does not smell like money, but like Wall Street.

In sports, the Astros and the Cardinals will take the field tonight for game six of the National League Championship Series. The Astros won the last three straight in the series, to take a three games to two lead.

I want to talk about that other game later -- Chad.

MYERS: You certainly will, with Chris Cotter. He'll be in the house.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: Those are the latest headlines for you.

It is perhaps the highest profile abduction yet, Margaret Hassan, who is both British and Iraqi. She has both British and Iraqi citizenship, I should say. She's long worked to help Iraqis. She has been kidnapped. It certainly makes you wonder who's next.

So how is the Arab world reacting to this?

Joining us now is our senior editor for Arab affairs, Octavia Nasr -- good morning, Octavia.

OCTAVIA NASR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.

COSTELLO: So how is this playing out on the Arab television stations?

NASR: Al-Arabiya just aired an interview with the husband of Margaret Hassan, who is an Iraqi citizen. And he is pleading for her life. He's pleading for the abductors to release her. He's saying she's a good woman, she was only there to help Iraqis.

He did answer some questions which I thought were interesting. He did say that he had warned her that this would be coming and then she continued her work, saying there's nothing else that I know how to do and this is my life and I have to go on. And he said that as part of his precautionary measures, he said always carry with you your Iraqi passport. She's a naturalized Iraqi citizen, you know, through marriage to him. And he said he just felt that if she carried the passport and if she carried her Iraqi documents, that that might save her life in case she finds herself in this position.

COSTELLO: But you have to wonder if this wasn't targeted and how that might not have mattered, because the way he described it was her car was targeted -- someone was in the front, someone was in the back and then she was taken.

NASR: Right. Now, the thing is we don't know who took her. And that should work to her advantage. Look at the history of the kidnappings in Iraq. Two aide workers, the Italian women, remember, they were kept hostage for a few weeks and then they were released. It was an unknown group. Up to this day we don't know who had them. So that should work to her advantage. It could be targeted. It could be targeted at CARE, the aid organization she works for. And with CARE announcing that they're going to cease operations in Iraq, that might help her case.

So, the other two women that were abducted were Indonesian. And they were let go. So the history of female hostages in Iraq is a good one. Hopefully this one will be a good one, as well.

COSTELLO: Well, this is the thing, and I think many Americans feel this way, she's lived in this country for 30 years. She's married to an Iraqi man. She's done wonderful things for the Iraqi people. We want to hear about an outcry from the Iraqi citizenry to stop this. NASR: The problem with that is that the Iraqi people are too busy right now staying safe, staying alive, finding food for their families. It's the same situation in any conflict zone. You know, people are so busy living their lives and going on and surviving that this becomes a side issue.

It's an unfortunate thing, but people have to realize that in conflict areas and in war situations, especially these Iraqis, I mean you hear it on the news, you hear it from them all the time, the hardships are so high at this point that a kidnapping here or there is not a priority for them.

And this is certainly seen on Arab media. When you watch Arab media, that's all you see, you know, the Iraqis have no power, they have no running water, they have no jobs, they have no security. They can't even walk down the streets anymore.

So to them, to say come on, show us some outcry about a female hostage or a male hostage or anybody taken hostage at this point, they tell you what were they doing here in the first place?

I mean here's the husband now saying I warned her.

COSTELLO: Yes, but she's been there for 30 years.

NASR: See, these, you have to think that these abductors do not care. They're not your ordinary Iraqis. They're not the people who appreciate what this woman was doing there.

COSTELLO: Octavia Nasr, thank you so much for joining DAYBREAK.

NASR: Any time, Carol.

COSTELLO: Coming up, it sounds simple enough -- if you eat less, you'll weigh less. But what if you're hungry for more? Nutritionist Lisa Drayer will be live for us and she has the answers for you next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: It's called the salad effect. If you're trying to cut calories, we all know salad can be a good choice. But there is a right way and a wrong way to load up on the greens. It's always so complicated.

That's why we have our nutritionist here, Lisa Drayer.

She's live in New York.

Why is this so complicated? A salad is a salad.

LISA DRAYER, NUTRITIONIST: A salad is a salad, but not all salads are created equal, Carol.

There's been some interesting new research from Penn State University on salad and satiety. That's the full factor.

Let's take a look at some of this research now.

Researchers asked a group of women to eat a salad. They had to eat the whole salad. It was a low calorie salad with iceberg and romaine lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, celery, cucumbers, fat-free dressing and light mozzarella cheese. They had to finish the salad and then they were asked to eat a pasta meal of cheese tortellini with tomato sauce. And they were allowed to eat as much pasta as they liked.

Well, when women ate one and a half cups of the salad, which provided 50 calories, they ate 7 percent fewer calories for the whole meal compared to when they skipped the salad. And when they ate three cups of salad -- so they doubled the volume before having their pasta, for a total of 100 calories -- they ate even less for the entire meal, 12 percent, or 107 fewer calories compared to when they skipped the salad.

COSTELLO: Wow!

DRAYER: Right. Interesting stuff, Carol, because usually when you add an appetizer to a meal, you're increasing the entire amount of calories consumed at the meal. But here, this study shows that when that appetizer is a large, low calorie salad, you actually feel more full before the meal arrives and your total calorie intake is less.

COSTELLO: Yes, but that's such a boring salad. What if you want to get the salad with gorgonzola and like nuts on it and apples and cheese?

DRAYER: It makes a dent, Carol. Interestingly, in the study, when the women did eat a small portion of a large, high calorie salad that included higher fat dressing and more cheese, they actually ate more at the meal. They had 8 percent, or 71 more calories overall compared to no salad. And when they had double the amount of this high calorie salad, they had 17 percent, or 145 more calories at the meal compared to no salad.

So clearly the type of salad plays a role. And in this study, it shows that it's the low calorie salad.

Now, the good news is -- I spoke to Dr. Barbara Rolls. She's the lead author of the study. She says people really liked the low calorie salads, they were enjoyed by the women, and they couldn't really tell the difference in the fat content. So the fat ranged from like 14 percent to 65 percent, but the women really couldn't distinguish very much between the two.

COSTELLO: Interesting.

DRAYER: Yes.

COSTELLO: OK, so quickly, so you're eating your boring salad that everybody seems to love.

DRAYER: You're not convinced.

COSTELLO: What about the dressing?

DRAYER: Right. Well, dressing is definitely a calorie culprit. So if we have two tablespoons of full fat Ranch dressing, that's 150 calories. But for the same amount of calories, you can have double the amount of reduced fat, or four tablespoons. Also, one ounce of Monterrey jack cheese has 123 calories. But for the same amount of calories, you can add an extra half ounce of goat cheese. It's lower in fat. And four olives, Carol, have 50 calories. I have it with me right here. But for the same 50 calories, look at all those slices of tomato you can eat.

COSTELLO: Thank you.

DRAYER: There are four big slices.

COSTELLO: Thank you for showing us in vivid detail this morning.

Lisa Drayer live in New York.

Thank you.

DRAYER: Thanks.

COSTELLO: Coming up, the day's hot political topics -- the women behind the men running for president. How important is their image when it comes to deciding who will be the next first lady, or the next president, for that matter?

Plus, Pat Robertson's advice for the president and the response he got in the days before the Iraq war. This could surprise you.

This is DAYBREAK.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: And good morning to you.

From the CNN Global Headquarters in Atlanta, I'm Carol Costello.

Now in the news, investigators are going over the wreckage of a fiery plane crash that's left eight people dead in northeastern Missouri. Two passengers did survive. Five are missing.

The Bush administration has wrangled an additional 2.6 million flu shots, but it could be too little too late. The vaccines won't be available until January, which is when flu season typically peaks.

It's been a rough 24 hours for several Southern states. Powerful storms laced with tornadoes destroyed homes in Alabama, Missouri and Arkansas. At least four people were killed, one in Tennessee and three in southeastern Missouri.

To the forecast center now and Chad.

MYERS: Good morning, Carol.

(WEATHER REPORT)

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