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American Morning
Ukraine Crisis; Military Families; Bill Clinton on AIDS
Aired November 25, 2004 - 07:30 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.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back everybody. It's just about half past the hour on this AMERICAN MORNING. Good morning. I'm Soledad O'Brien. Rick Sanchez is in for Bill Hemmer this morning.
Nice to have you.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: It's so nice to be here, especially on this day...
O'BRIEN: Thank you.
SANCHEZ: ... of all days.
O'BRIEN: I appreciate that.
Coming up in this half-hour, an important story that we're following out of the Ukraine. Tens of thousands of people back on the streets today protesting the results of the presidential election. We'll take a look at where the standoff is right now and the hard lines being taken by both the U.S. and the Russian governments.
SANCHEZ: Here's another story we're going to be paying particular attention to, talking about Thanksgiving and military families. In just a couple of minutes, we're going to meet a military wife, Patti Correa. She's collected the stories of husbands and wives separated by wars, going as far back to World War II. So, she has written a book about it now, and she's going to share with us some of the stories that she's learned.
O'BRIEN: She's been a military wife for 17 years.
SANCHEZ: Wow!
O'BRIEN: So, she's got a lot of experience as well. We'll be looking forward to that.
But first, a check of the headlines, Carol Costello for us this morning.
Hello.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Hello. Happy Thanksgiving.
O'BRIEN: And likewise.
COSTELLO: Yes, happy Thanksgiving to all of you as well. In the news today, people across the South are rummaging through what's left of their homes after a series of tornadoes. The twisters ripped from Texas to Alabama, killing at least four people and wrecking dozens of homes and businesses. Weather has been causing problems elsewhere, including a snowstorm in the Midwest. Chad will be along to tell us what's expected later today. That's coming up.
Word of more resignations at the CIA. The chiefs of the Europe and Far East divisions are reportedly stepping down. That's according to "The New York Times." Neither of the officials is being named, because they are working under cover. An intelligence official says they're retiring, but there is some speculation they clash with the new agency chief, Porter Goss.
The man who shot President Ronald Reagan, John Hinckley, Jr., has been denied a request to spend more time at his parents' home. The decision comes after weeks of debate over Hinckley's mental condition. A judge ruled Hinckley needs more psychiatric testing before he can be allowed to have extended visits away from that mental hospital.
And golfer Phil Mickelson winning the grand slam of golf with a career best low score. Mickelson first missed, but then tapped in this: a birdie on the final hole, joining the elite few players who have shot 59s in official PGA events. Fifty-nine!
O'BRIEN: He's having a good year.
COSTELLO: I think so.
O'BRIEN: He sure is. All right, Carol, thanks a lot.
Well, Ukraine's opposition leader calls for a nationwide strike and reportedly is appealing to the country's top court, following the government's declaration that the prime minister won the disputed president election.
Jill Dougherty live for us this morning from videophone from Ukraine's capital, Kiev, where protesters have been in the streets for four days now.
Jill -- good morning.
JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning Soledad.
And I can tell you, really, all over the city of Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, once again fourth day, demonstrations, meetings all over the place. The biggest one is taking place right downtown on Independence Square.
And the opposition candidate, Viktor Yushchenko trying to give a pep talk to his people. After all, they've been out there in the snow, in the cold. Now it's the blindingly clear but really cold day. And he is telling them, hang in there, because he still has hope, he says, that something can change.
Remember, he is officially the loser in the Ukrainian presidential election, but he claims it was stolen with fraud and abuse.
And also on that stage with him today, Lech Walesa. You remember him. He is the former polish president, the head of the solidarity movement that really brought about the end of communism. He was on the stage, a potent political symbol, and he was talking about solidarity with Yushchenko, wishing him luck.
But Walesa also said that he was going to be going over to meet the man who officially won the election. That is Viktor Yanukovych. So a type of intermediary right now with the former polish president.
Finally, everything so far -- again, we've been watching this so carefully -- but it has been peaceful. In fact, we've actually seen opposition in the government-backed candidate supporters debating each other, sometime yelling, but it's been very, very peaceful.
A final note. The opposition also is taking another move, and that is to go to the court, to the supreme court, and try to get this official version reversed -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Jill Dougherty in Kiev for us this morning. Jill, thanks for that update.
Well, the holidays clearly can be a hard time for military families separated from soldiers. Army wife and author Patti Correa was reunited with her husband, Edward, this March when he returned from Kuwait, where he was deployed as a truck master in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
In her new book, which is called "From a Pebble to a Rock," Patti collected the wisdom of generations of military wives and mothers. And Patti Correa joins us this morning from Richmond, Virginia.
Nice to see you, Patti. Thanks for talking with us.
PATTI CORREA, AUTHOR, "FROM A PEBBLE TO A ROCK": Thank you. It's good to be here.
O'BRIEN: Thank you. I like the title. What exactly does that mean?
CORREA: Well, when we began our life as a military wife, in the beginning we hardly know anything about the military way of life. And I kind of compare that to a small pebble, just like a grain. And through the years we quickly become the rock of the family, and we become the foundation, the support and keep the family going. And I like to think of us as the rock, and we are the gem.
O'BRIEN: You've been married for 17 years.
CORREA: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Why did you feel that you needed to write this book now?
CORREA: I was really compelled to write it last year when my husband deployed, when we were sitting in the gym and I was looking at the other spouses, waiting for our soldiers to leave. And I was just looking around and seeing the emotions that they were going through, knowing I was experiencing the same thing. And when I left there, I said, 'Somebody needs to hear our stories, how we keep the home front going and our strengths, our weaknesses, our sacrifices.'
O'BRIEN: Your husband has taken part in Korea, in Desert Shield, in Desert Storm. He's in Iraq as well. What were the things -- what was the main thing you think that you've learned over the last 17 years?
CORREA: I have learned, especially after writing this book through these women's stories, I have learned to continue to fight the fight, to stand by my soldier 100 percent, to stay committed to him, to communicate. To me, I would not change anything about being a military wife. I think it is an honor to be the wife of a soldier.
O'BRIEN: You interviewed for your book wives from World War II to those who have spouses serving in the current-day battles. What was the difference between some of the older people that you were talking to and some of the new military wives?
CORREA: This was a learning process for me also. When I talked to these ladies, I did not realize, it just hit me that the technology has changed so drastically. Today we're able to e-mail. We can get letters within a week or so. But, like, during World War II, they didn't have the type of technology we have. They would wait weeks and months for letters. The media would be maybe a day or two late.
So, I have -- I really see the strength that these women had with what little resources they had. They didn't have the resources that wives do today, as far as support groups and clubs to encourage the spouses.
O'BRIEN: I'm curious to know if it helps to then, as you seem to be saying, to see 24-hour cable, available pictures of what's happening in battles in Falluja, and anytime there's news about the war constantly. As a military wife at home, is that helpful, or does that sometimes make it tougher?
CORREA: In my case, I would just watch for updates. I would not sit in front of the TV and watch it constantly, because it made me more fearful. And it just kind of brought me down. So instead I would get up. I would get out of the house. I would help others. I would get involved in the community. But I would definitely watch to keep updated.
O'BRIEN: Patti Correa is the author of "From a Pebble to a Rock." It's really a beautiful book. Thanks for coming on to talk to us about it today.
CORREA: Thank you. Happy Thanksgiving.
O'BRIEN: Thank you. Likewise -- Rick.
SANCHEZ: Thanks a lot. With more than 39 million people worldwide infected with HVI, fighting AIDS has become a top priority for none other than Bill Clinton in his post-presidential life. Here now is Dr. Sanjay Gupta, who, by the way, talked with the former president about this. Wow! It must have been an interesting conversation.
SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: It really was.
SANCHEZ: He's very dedicated to this.
GUPTA: He is very dedicated. He told me unequivocally this is his biggest post-presidency initiative. I interviewed him at his library, a time when we talked about legacy. He said in so many ways this was it.
So, I wanted to really learn from him how and why he's fighting the good fight against AIDS.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GUPTA: When is the first time you really heard about AIDS?
WILLIAM J. CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Oh, I'd say early '80s. I think the first case was diagnosed in America in '81.
A few years after that, I had two experiences, one more educational and one deeply personal. I had -- I went to San Francisco for the Democratic Convention, and we had the highest infection rates in the country out there. Our host at the Arkansas delegation host was a doctor named Sanchez, who treated lot of people and had helped to shut down some of these bath houses were they were having all of this anonymous unprotected sex.
And he was -- and there was no medicine at the time, you know, to treat it. So, he was a fanatic on prevention and education and very disciplined about it. And he really hammered home the dimensions of the tragedy that they were then enduring.
I don't remember the exact year, but a man who had been active in our political party at home, had worked for me, was HIV-positive, developed full-blown AIDS, and died a very painful death. Again, there were protese inhibitors. There was none of that then.
And I, you know, went to his hospital room and held his hand, watched the sores cover his body. And I watched him die way too soon, and it made a profound impression on me.
And, you know, AIDS drives me nuts. On the one hand, it is a tough nut to crack. It's the only virus we know that invades the cell and reconfigures the DNA. On the other hand, it's 100 percent preventable.
The medicine to prevent mother-to-child transmission is something like 98 percent effective. And the medicine to turn it from a death sentence to a chronic illness works most of the time if you get it out there soon enough, particularly if you've got the testing capacity so you can remix the medicines if, you know, a standard formula doesn't work.
So, I just decided when I got out of office that there were systematic breakdowns in the world, keeping this from happening, just systematic problems. And I had, as I said, people with whom I had worked in the White House who were willing to help, countries and individuals who were willing to finance it. And so we're out there doing the best we can. I hope we're going to keep a lot of people alive. I think we are.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GUPTA: Not a bad objective there. His foundation is right here in Harlem not that far away; again, one of his biggest post-presidency initiatives. If you don't see him here in New York, he's probably traveling around the world, which is where most of his fight is -- not here in the United States, but in other countries.
SANCHEZ: It's such a monstrous problem. It's such an insidious problem. He's not the president. He's a former president. So what can, aside from the high-profile position that he has and name recognition, what can he really do?
GUPTA: Well, you know, I asked him that same question. A couple things. One, as a former president he has a lot more time now. He said, I don't have 50 things I've got to worry about on a given day. I'm focused on HIV/AIDS. So he can focus on it.
But also, his cache around the world has really served him well with this. Lowering drug prices is probably single-handedly the most important thing you can do for countries that cannot afford these medications. And they can cost $10,000 to $14,000 a year. How does the average citizen in Sub-Saharan Africa afford that?
SANCHEZ: So, he's personally lobbying for lower prices?
GUPTA: Yes. He's personally going to these drug companies. He's personally negotiating with the governments. He is saying, recognize this disease, lower your prices. He's brought them down, in some cases from $10,000 to $200.
One of his colleagues, Ira Magaziner (ph), a guy that worked on the health care plan for him during the administration, is now focused on this.
SANCHEZ: That's interesting. And all of this behind the scenes.
GUPTA: Exactly.
SANCHEZ: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, thanks again.
GUPTA: Thanks, Rick.
SANCHEZ: Good to see you again.
GUPTA: Happy Thanksgiving.
SANCHEZ: Sanjay's special, "Are You Positive," can be seen Sunday night at 10:00 Eastern, 7:00 p.m. Pacific right here on CNN.
Soledad -- over to you.
O'BRIEN: All right, Rick, thanks.
(WEATHER REPORT)
SANCHEZ: Still to come on American, looking for a hot flick to follow that big turkey dinner? Best of the best in the holiday movie season, next.
O'BRIEN: And don't let your goose get cooked. The Butterball turkey lady answers your last-minute questions just ahead. You can send your questions through e-mail at AM@CNN.com. We're back in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Thanksgiving weekend is also the traditional start of the holiday movie season. B.J. Sigesmund, staff editor for "US Weekly," joins us with a big-screen preview.
Good morning. Nice to see you.
B.J. SIGESMUND, STAFF EDITOR, "US WEEKLY": Good morning, Soledad.
O'BRIEN: If you had to pick one movie that's a must-see, if you could only see one, what would it be?
SIGESMUND: All paths are leading to the "Aviator" at this point for best picture of the year. Other movies have come out, and they've done OK. But there have been some disappointments, like "Alexander" is a clearly big disappointment. I'm seeing "The Aviator" next Wednesday. A lot of media people are going to be seeing it next week. At this point, the Oscar race is Martin Scorsese's to lose.
O'BRIEN: That's Leonardo DiCaprio.
SIGESMUND: This is -- yes.
O'BRIEN: And he's going to be playing Howard Hughes.
SIGESMUND: Right. Leonardo DiCaprio plays a young Howard Hughes from the late-1920s to mid-1940s. He was not just, you know, a movie producer and a millionaire, but an aviator, a long-time airline airplane enthusiast. And at this point, you know, as long as he gets a good performance out of Leonardo DiCaprio, if he doesn't seem too young, if he still doesn't seem like that guy from "Titanic," this is the best picture of the year.
O'BRIEN: You mentioned just a moment ago "Alexander," which has been, like, in the reviews. SIGESMUND: Oh!
O'BRIEN: And then there's also "Christmas With the Kranks."
SIGESMUND: Yes. I wish, with people having four days free ahead of them...
O'BRIEN: We could actually see a movie for once.
SIGESMUND: ... I could recommend a new movie, but I can't. "Alexander," it's now a cliche. "Alexander" is not so great. This is a terrible movie.
O'BRIEN: That's the first time I have heard that.
SIGESMUND: Oh, yes, it was the headline across the country yesterday. It's not a good movie at all. I saw it last week. It's nearly three hours long. It is, of course, the story of the great Alexander, who conquered 90 percent of the world, the then-known world, by the time he was 32.
O'BRIEN: Is it the acting? Is it the story? What's the problem?
SIGESMUND: God! Soledad, it's just the whole thing. The acting is not so great. It takes forever to tell the story. The key problem with it is that Oliver Stone never manages to explain why Alexander was such a great leader. The best thing that you come away with is that he had mommy issues, issues with Angelina Jolie, who plays his mother. That he thinks that Angelina, his mother, killed his father. And that's what drove him. But you don't really get a great sense of him.
O'BRIEN: "Christmas With the Kranks." I mean, you look at who -- Tim Allen is in that. Jamie Lee Curtis.
SIGESMUND: Right.
O'BRIEN: It looks like it should be hilarious.
SIGESMUND: It looks like it should be. And I actually read this novel. It was like a tiny little novel John Grisham that I read a couple of years ago.
It's this couple. They decide to skip Christmas one year because their only child is going to be away with the Peace Corps. So, they determine that they spend several thousand dollars on Christmas every year. So instead they're going spend it on a Caribbean cruise. But it upsets the whole very conservative neighborhood that they live in. They're upset that they're not going to have Frosty the Snowman on their roof as usual.
It's a slap-sticky, not-so-great movie. If you want to see Jamie Lee Curtis chasing a ham around the supermarket parking lot, then this movie is for you. Otherwise, I can't really recommend it.
O'BRIEN: Can I ask you about "Oceans 12?"
SIGESMUND: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Because it looks like it's going to be great. And maybe that's just because of the people who are in this. Matt Damon is in it. Julie Roberts is in it. George Clooney is in it. Who am I missing?
SIGESMUND: Yes, Brad Pitt.
O'BRIEN: Catherine Zeta-Jones.
SIGESMUND: Catherine Zeta-Jones. This is, of course, the sequel to the huge hit from three years ago. And in the movie, "Oceans 11" has become "Oceans 12," because Catherine Zeta-Jones has joined in. The gang from the first one split that $160 million that they got at the end. And they were supposed to lay low forever. But they just can't help themselves, and they go back for another heist.
O'BRIEN: One last heist.
SIGESMUND: In fact, several heists around Europe, and...
O'BRIEN: Good or not good?
SIGESMUND: Well, so far the buzz is very good. And I'm expecting it to be a huge hit.
O'BRIEN: All right, B.J., thank you for giving me some good advice, because I have a little time to see some movies this time around.
SIGESMUND: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Appreciate it.
SIGESMUND: Sure.
O'BRIEN: Rick.
SANCHEZ: Hey, I was taking notes.
In fact, here's something else you can take notes on. Keep those last-minute turkey questions coming to AM@CNN.com. We've got a bunch of them right here in my hand already. The Butterball turkey lady has some answers for you. Good questions so far. We'll share them with you right after the break. Stay with us on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Everybody wants their turkey cooked to absolute perfection, but some of us, truth be told, don't really know which end gets stuffed. That would be me. But I'm going to learn this year.
SANCHEZ: Yes. We're going to give some thanks to Sherleen Clauson, who is joining us. She is the dean, no less of Butterball University. She's with us all morning from Downers Grove, Illinois, home of the Butterball turkey hotline. That's why you hear all of those people in the background. They're hot-lining.
And we've been getting your e-mails to share with her.
O'BRIEN: With the hotline. All right, Sherleen, here's the first one.
SHERLEEN CLAUSON, DEAN, BUTTERBALL UNIVERSITY: OK.
O'BRIEN: "I love to roast my turkey in an oven bag to retain the moisture, but it doesn't quite brown. How can I use a bag and still get my turkey to brown all over?" That's from Clarice.
CLAUSON: Well, you know, first of all, I guess we need to admit that turkey in an oven cooking bag, because it's a moist environment, is not going to get as golden brown as the turkey in an open roasting pan. But, you know, in the test kitchen, I cooked a turkey in a oven cooking bag last week, and I -- after I had the turkey in the bag, I coated it with Pam, the cooking spray. And I found that it browned a lot better, and the bag didn't stick with it.
So I guess that's one little tip that she might try is after it's in the bag, just kind of coat it with a cooking spray and it might brown better.
O'BRIEN: Good advice. All right.
Now this one: "What's the difference between a male and a female turkey? And do they taste the same?" That's from Patty in Youngstown, Ohio.
CLAUSON: OK. Well, first of all, a male turkey is a tom and a female turkey is called a hen. And the main difference is size. Hens are going to be up to 16 or 18 pounds, and a tom is going to be over 20 pounds. For the most part they really taste the same. There's not any difference in flavor.
SANCHEZ: Huh. Well, here's one for you.
CLAUSON: OK.
SANCHEZ: "When stuffing the bird with the dressing, do you want the dressing a little on the dry since the juice from the bird, after all, is going to flow inside of it?" So this is a dressing question.
CLAUSON: Well, you know, I'm going to correct you and say it's really a stuffing question, because when you put it into the bird, we call it stuffing.
SANCHEZ: Oh.
CLAUSON: And when you do it in a casserole dish, it's dressing. OK. A little technicality.
But you do want to have some moisture in it, because that helps it to cook. But she is right in asking the question. There is some moisture going into it. So, you want to have it somewhat moist. I generally -- if it's a real bread or a cornbread base, I like to have it moist enough that it just sort of holds together in your hand, you know, that it clumps together a little bit. And then generally that will turn out well.
SANCHEZ: Hey, Thanks. We'll be talking to you again.
O'BRIEN: And remember, the address is...
CLAUSON: OK, I'm here.
O'BRIEN: Good. AM@CNN.com if you want to e-mail us your questions. Dressing, not stuffing.
SANCHEZ: Yes. And the difference between a male turkey and a female turkey.
O'BRIEN: That's why she's the dean.
SANCHEZ: Wow! In a moment, today's top stories, including tornadoes ripping through the South leaving a holiday mess. We're going to get an update right here on AMERICAN MORNING. Stay with us.
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Aired November 25, 2004 - 07:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back everybody. It's just about half past the hour on this AMERICAN MORNING. Good morning. I'm Soledad O'Brien. Rick Sanchez is in for Bill Hemmer this morning.
Nice to have you.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: It's so nice to be here, especially on this day...
O'BRIEN: Thank you.
SANCHEZ: ... of all days.
O'BRIEN: I appreciate that.
Coming up in this half-hour, an important story that we're following out of the Ukraine. Tens of thousands of people back on the streets today protesting the results of the presidential election. We'll take a look at where the standoff is right now and the hard lines being taken by both the U.S. and the Russian governments.
SANCHEZ: Here's another story we're going to be paying particular attention to, talking about Thanksgiving and military families. In just a couple of minutes, we're going to meet a military wife, Patti Correa. She's collected the stories of husbands and wives separated by wars, going as far back to World War II. So, she has written a book about it now, and she's going to share with us some of the stories that she's learned.
O'BRIEN: She's been a military wife for 17 years.
SANCHEZ: Wow!
O'BRIEN: So, she's got a lot of experience as well. We'll be looking forward to that.
But first, a check of the headlines, Carol Costello for us this morning.
Hello.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Hello. Happy Thanksgiving.
O'BRIEN: And likewise.
COSTELLO: Yes, happy Thanksgiving to all of you as well. In the news today, people across the South are rummaging through what's left of their homes after a series of tornadoes. The twisters ripped from Texas to Alabama, killing at least four people and wrecking dozens of homes and businesses. Weather has been causing problems elsewhere, including a snowstorm in the Midwest. Chad will be along to tell us what's expected later today. That's coming up.
Word of more resignations at the CIA. The chiefs of the Europe and Far East divisions are reportedly stepping down. That's according to "The New York Times." Neither of the officials is being named, because they are working under cover. An intelligence official says they're retiring, but there is some speculation they clash with the new agency chief, Porter Goss.
The man who shot President Ronald Reagan, John Hinckley, Jr., has been denied a request to spend more time at his parents' home. The decision comes after weeks of debate over Hinckley's mental condition. A judge ruled Hinckley needs more psychiatric testing before he can be allowed to have extended visits away from that mental hospital.
And golfer Phil Mickelson winning the grand slam of golf with a career best low score. Mickelson first missed, but then tapped in this: a birdie on the final hole, joining the elite few players who have shot 59s in official PGA events. Fifty-nine!
O'BRIEN: He's having a good year.
COSTELLO: I think so.
O'BRIEN: He sure is. All right, Carol, thanks a lot.
Well, Ukraine's opposition leader calls for a nationwide strike and reportedly is appealing to the country's top court, following the government's declaration that the prime minister won the disputed president election.
Jill Dougherty live for us this morning from videophone from Ukraine's capital, Kiev, where protesters have been in the streets for four days now.
Jill -- good morning.
JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning Soledad.
And I can tell you, really, all over the city of Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, once again fourth day, demonstrations, meetings all over the place. The biggest one is taking place right downtown on Independence Square.
And the opposition candidate, Viktor Yushchenko trying to give a pep talk to his people. After all, they've been out there in the snow, in the cold. Now it's the blindingly clear but really cold day. And he is telling them, hang in there, because he still has hope, he says, that something can change.
Remember, he is officially the loser in the Ukrainian presidential election, but he claims it was stolen with fraud and abuse.
And also on that stage with him today, Lech Walesa. You remember him. He is the former polish president, the head of the solidarity movement that really brought about the end of communism. He was on the stage, a potent political symbol, and he was talking about solidarity with Yushchenko, wishing him luck.
But Walesa also said that he was going to be going over to meet the man who officially won the election. That is Viktor Yanukovych. So a type of intermediary right now with the former polish president.
Finally, everything so far -- again, we've been watching this so carefully -- but it has been peaceful. In fact, we've actually seen opposition in the government-backed candidate supporters debating each other, sometime yelling, but it's been very, very peaceful.
A final note. The opposition also is taking another move, and that is to go to the court, to the supreme court, and try to get this official version reversed -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Jill Dougherty in Kiev for us this morning. Jill, thanks for that update.
Well, the holidays clearly can be a hard time for military families separated from soldiers. Army wife and author Patti Correa was reunited with her husband, Edward, this March when he returned from Kuwait, where he was deployed as a truck master in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
In her new book, which is called "From a Pebble to a Rock," Patti collected the wisdom of generations of military wives and mothers. And Patti Correa joins us this morning from Richmond, Virginia.
Nice to see you, Patti. Thanks for talking with us.
PATTI CORREA, AUTHOR, "FROM A PEBBLE TO A ROCK": Thank you. It's good to be here.
O'BRIEN: Thank you. I like the title. What exactly does that mean?
CORREA: Well, when we began our life as a military wife, in the beginning we hardly know anything about the military way of life. And I kind of compare that to a small pebble, just like a grain. And through the years we quickly become the rock of the family, and we become the foundation, the support and keep the family going. And I like to think of us as the rock, and we are the gem.
O'BRIEN: You've been married for 17 years.
CORREA: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Why did you feel that you needed to write this book now?
CORREA: I was really compelled to write it last year when my husband deployed, when we were sitting in the gym and I was looking at the other spouses, waiting for our soldiers to leave. And I was just looking around and seeing the emotions that they were going through, knowing I was experiencing the same thing. And when I left there, I said, 'Somebody needs to hear our stories, how we keep the home front going and our strengths, our weaknesses, our sacrifices.'
O'BRIEN: Your husband has taken part in Korea, in Desert Shield, in Desert Storm. He's in Iraq as well. What were the things -- what was the main thing you think that you've learned over the last 17 years?
CORREA: I have learned, especially after writing this book through these women's stories, I have learned to continue to fight the fight, to stand by my soldier 100 percent, to stay committed to him, to communicate. To me, I would not change anything about being a military wife. I think it is an honor to be the wife of a soldier.
O'BRIEN: You interviewed for your book wives from World War II to those who have spouses serving in the current-day battles. What was the difference between some of the older people that you were talking to and some of the new military wives?
CORREA: This was a learning process for me also. When I talked to these ladies, I did not realize, it just hit me that the technology has changed so drastically. Today we're able to e-mail. We can get letters within a week or so. But, like, during World War II, they didn't have the type of technology we have. They would wait weeks and months for letters. The media would be maybe a day or two late.
So, I have -- I really see the strength that these women had with what little resources they had. They didn't have the resources that wives do today, as far as support groups and clubs to encourage the spouses.
O'BRIEN: I'm curious to know if it helps to then, as you seem to be saying, to see 24-hour cable, available pictures of what's happening in battles in Falluja, and anytime there's news about the war constantly. As a military wife at home, is that helpful, or does that sometimes make it tougher?
CORREA: In my case, I would just watch for updates. I would not sit in front of the TV and watch it constantly, because it made me more fearful. And it just kind of brought me down. So instead I would get up. I would get out of the house. I would help others. I would get involved in the community. But I would definitely watch to keep updated.
O'BRIEN: Patti Correa is the author of "From a Pebble to a Rock." It's really a beautiful book. Thanks for coming on to talk to us about it today.
CORREA: Thank you. Happy Thanksgiving.
O'BRIEN: Thank you. Likewise -- Rick.
SANCHEZ: Thanks a lot. With more than 39 million people worldwide infected with HVI, fighting AIDS has become a top priority for none other than Bill Clinton in his post-presidential life. Here now is Dr. Sanjay Gupta, who, by the way, talked with the former president about this. Wow! It must have been an interesting conversation.
SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: It really was.
SANCHEZ: He's very dedicated to this.
GUPTA: He is very dedicated. He told me unequivocally this is his biggest post-presidency initiative. I interviewed him at his library, a time when we talked about legacy. He said in so many ways this was it.
So, I wanted to really learn from him how and why he's fighting the good fight against AIDS.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GUPTA: When is the first time you really heard about AIDS?
WILLIAM J. CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Oh, I'd say early '80s. I think the first case was diagnosed in America in '81.
A few years after that, I had two experiences, one more educational and one deeply personal. I had -- I went to San Francisco for the Democratic Convention, and we had the highest infection rates in the country out there. Our host at the Arkansas delegation host was a doctor named Sanchez, who treated lot of people and had helped to shut down some of these bath houses were they were having all of this anonymous unprotected sex.
And he was -- and there was no medicine at the time, you know, to treat it. So, he was a fanatic on prevention and education and very disciplined about it. And he really hammered home the dimensions of the tragedy that they were then enduring.
I don't remember the exact year, but a man who had been active in our political party at home, had worked for me, was HIV-positive, developed full-blown AIDS, and died a very painful death. Again, there were protese inhibitors. There was none of that then.
And I, you know, went to his hospital room and held his hand, watched the sores cover his body. And I watched him die way too soon, and it made a profound impression on me.
And, you know, AIDS drives me nuts. On the one hand, it is a tough nut to crack. It's the only virus we know that invades the cell and reconfigures the DNA. On the other hand, it's 100 percent preventable.
The medicine to prevent mother-to-child transmission is something like 98 percent effective. And the medicine to turn it from a death sentence to a chronic illness works most of the time if you get it out there soon enough, particularly if you've got the testing capacity so you can remix the medicines if, you know, a standard formula doesn't work.
So, I just decided when I got out of office that there were systematic breakdowns in the world, keeping this from happening, just systematic problems. And I had, as I said, people with whom I had worked in the White House who were willing to help, countries and individuals who were willing to finance it. And so we're out there doing the best we can. I hope we're going to keep a lot of people alive. I think we are.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GUPTA: Not a bad objective there. His foundation is right here in Harlem not that far away; again, one of his biggest post-presidency initiatives. If you don't see him here in New York, he's probably traveling around the world, which is where most of his fight is -- not here in the United States, but in other countries.
SANCHEZ: It's such a monstrous problem. It's such an insidious problem. He's not the president. He's a former president. So what can, aside from the high-profile position that he has and name recognition, what can he really do?
GUPTA: Well, you know, I asked him that same question. A couple things. One, as a former president he has a lot more time now. He said, I don't have 50 things I've got to worry about on a given day. I'm focused on HIV/AIDS. So he can focus on it.
But also, his cache around the world has really served him well with this. Lowering drug prices is probably single-handedly the most important thing you can do for countries that cannot afford these medications. And they can cost $10,000 to $14,000 a year. How does the average citizen in Sub-Saharan Africa afford that?
SANCHEZ: So, he's personally lobbying for lower prices?
GUPTA: Yes. He's personally going to these drug companies. He's personally negotiating with the governments. He is saying, recognize this disease, lower your prices. He's brought them down, in some cases from $10,000 to $200.
One of his colleagues, Ira Magaziner (ph), a guy that worked on the health care plan for him during the administration, is now focused on this.
SANCHEZ: That's interesting. And all of this behind the scenes.
GUPTA: Exactly.
SANCHEZ: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, thanks again.
GUPTA: Thanks, Rick.
SANCHEZ: Good to see you again.
GUPTA: Happy Thanksgiving.
SANCHEZ: Sanjay's special, "Are You Positive," can be seen Sunday night at 10:00 Eastern, 7:00 p.m. Pacific right here on CNN.
Soledad -- over to you.
O'BRIEN: All right, Rick, thanks.
(WEATHER REPORT)
SANCHEZ: Still to come on American, looking for a hot flick to follow that big turkey dinner? Best of the best in the holiday movie season, next.
O'BRIEN: And don't let your goose get cooked. The Butterball turkey lady answers your last-minute questions just ahead. You can send your questions through e-mail at AM@CNN.com. We're back in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Thanksgiving weekend is also the traditional start of the holiday movie season. B.J. Sigesmund, staff editor for "US Weekly," joins us with a big-screen preview.
Good morning. Nice to see you.
B.J. SIGESMUND, STAFF EDITOR, "US WEEKLY": Good morning, Soledad.
O'BRIEN: If you had to pick one movie that's a must-see, if you could only see one, what would it be?
SIGESMUND: All paths are leading to the "Aviator" at this point for best picture of the year. Other movies have come out, and they've done OK. But there have been some disappointments, like "Alexander" is a clearly big disappointment. I'm seeing "The Aviator" next Wednesday. A lot of media people are going to be seeing it next week. At this point, the Oscar race is Martin Scorsese's to lose.
O'BRIEN: That's Leonardo DiCaprio.
SIGESMUND: This is -- yes.
O'BRIEN: And he's going to be playing Howard Hughes.
SIGESMUND: Right. Leonardo DiCaprio plays a young Howard Hughes from the late-1920s to mid-1940s. He was not just, you know, a movie producer and a millionaire, but an aviator, a long-time airline airplane enthusiast. And at this point, you know, as long as he gets a good performance out of Leonardo DiCaprio, if he doesn't seem too young, if he still doesn't seem like that guy from "Titanic," this is the best picture of the year.
O'BRIEN: You mentioned just a moment ago "Alexander," which has been, like, in the reviews. SIGESMUND: Oh!
O'BRIEN: And then there's also "Christmas With the Kranks."
SIGESMUND: Yes. I wish, with people having four days free ahead of them...
O'BRIEN: We could actually see a movie for once.
SIGESMUND: ... I could recommend a new movie, but I can't. "Alexander," it's now a cliche. "Alexander" is not so great. This is a terrible movie.
O'BRIEN: That's the first time I have heard that.
SIGESMUND: Oh, yes, it was the headline across the country yesterday. It's not a good movie at all. I saw it last week. It's nearly three hours long. It is, of course, the story of the great Alexander, who conquered 90 percent of the world, the then-known world, by the time he was 32.
O'BRIEN: Is it the acting? Is it the story? What's the problem?
SIGESMUND: God! Soledad, it's just the whole thing. The acting is not so great. It takes forever to tell the story. The key problem with it is that Oliver Stone never manages to explain why Alexander was such a great leader. The best thing that you come away with is that he had mommy issues, issues with Angelina Jolie, who plays his mother. That he thinks that Angelina, his mother, killed his father. And that's what drove him. But you don't really get a great sense of him.
O'BRIEN: "Christmas With the Kranks." I mean, you look at who -- Tim Allen is in that. Jamie Lee Curtis.
SIGESMUND: Right.
O'BRIEN: It looks like it should be hilarious.
SIGESMUND: It looks like it should be. And I actually read this novel. It was like a tiny little novel John Grisham that I read a couple of years ago.
It's this couple. They decide to skip Christmas one year because their only child is going to be away with the Peace Corps. So, they determine that they spend several thousand dollars on Christmas every year. So instead they're going spend it on a Caribbean cruise. But it upsets the whole very conservative neighborhood that they live in. They're upset that they're not going to have Frosty the Snowman on their roof as usual.
It's a slap-sticky, not-so-great movie. If you want to see Jamie Lee Curtis chasing a ham around the supermarket parking lot, then this movie is for you. Otherwise, I can't really recommend it.
O'BRIEN: Can I ask you about "Oceans 12?"
SIGESMUND: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Because it looks like it's going to be great. And maybe that's just because of the people who are in this. Matt Damon is in it. Julie Roberts is in it. George Clooney is in it. Who am I missing?
SIGESMUND: Yes, Brad Pitt.
O'BRIEN: Catherine Zeta-Jones.
SIGESMUND: Catherine Zeta-Jones. This is, of course, the sequel to the huge hit from three years ago. And in the movie, "Oceans 11" has become "Oceans 12," because Catherine Zeta-Jones has joined in. The gang from the first one split that $160 million that they got at the end. And they were supposed to lay low forever. But they just can't help themselves, and they go back for another heist.
O'BRIEN: One last heist.
SIGESMUND: In fact, several heists around Europe, and...
O'BRIEN: Good or not good?
SIGESMUND: Well, so far the buzz is very good. And I'm expecting it to be a huge hit.
O'BRIEN: All right, B.J., thank you for giving me some good advice, because I have a little time to see some movies this time around.
SIGESMUND: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Appreciate it.
SIGESMUND: Sure.
O'BRIEN: Rick.
SANCHEZ: Hey, I was taking notes.
In fact, here's something else you can take notes on. Keep those last-minute turkey questions coming to AM@CNN.com. We've got a bunch of them right here in my hand already. The Butterball turkey lady has some answers for you. Good questions so far. We'll share them with you right after the break. Stay with us on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Everybody wants their turkey cooked to absolute perfection, but some of us, truth be told, don't really know which end gets stuffed. That would be me. But I'm going to learn this year.
SANCHEZ: Yes. We're going to give some thanks to Sherleen Clauson, who is joining us. She is the dean, no less of Butterball University. She's with us all morning from Downers Grove, Illinois, home of the Butterball turkey hotline. That's why you hear all of those people in the background. They're hot-lining.
And we've been getting your e-mails to share with her.
O'BRIEN: With the hotline. All right, Sherleen, here's the first one.
SHERLEEN CLAUSON, DEAN, BUTTERBALL UNIVERSITY: OK.
O'BRIEN: "I love to roast my turkey in an oven bag to retain the moisture, but it doesn't quite brown. How can I use a bag and still get my turkey to brown all over?" That's from Clarice.
CLAUSON: Well, you know, first of all, I guess we need to admit that turkey in an oven cooking bag, because it's a moist environment, is not going to get as golden brown as the turkey in an open roasting pan. But, you know, in the test kitchen, I cooked a turkey in a oven cooking bag last week, and I -- after I had the turkey in the bag, I coated it with Pam, the cooking spray. And I found that it browned a lot better, and the bag didn't stick with it.
So I guess that's one little tip that she might try is after it's in the bag, just kind of coat it with a cooking spray and it might brown better.
O'BRIEN: Good advice. All right.
Now this one: "What's the difference between a male and a female turkey? And do they taste the same?" That's from Patty in Youngstown, Ohio.
CLAUSON: OK. Well, first of all, a male turkey is a tom and a female turkey is called a hen. And the main difference is size. Hens are going to be up to 16 or 18 pounds, and a tom is going to be over 20 pounds. For the most part they really taste the same. There's not any difference in flavor.
SANCHEZ: Huh. Well, here's one for you.
CLAUSON: OK.
SANCHEZ: "When stuffing the bird with the dressing, do you want the dressing a little on the dry since the juice from the bird, after all, is going to flow inside of it?" So this is a dressing question.
CLAUSON: Well, you know, I'm going to correct you and say it's really a stuffing question, because when you put it into the bird, we call it stuffing.
SANCHEZ: Oh.
CLAUSON: And when you do it in a casserole dish, it's dressing. OK. A little technicality.
But you do want to have some moisture in it, because that helps it to cook. But she is right in asking the question. There is some moisture going into it. So, you want to have it somewhat moist. I generally -- if it's a real bread or a cornbread base, I like to have it moist enough that it just sort of holds together in your hand, you know, that it clumps together a little bit. And then generally that will turn out well.
SANCHEZ: Hey, Thanks. We'll be talking to you again.
O'BRIEN: And remember, the address is...
CLAUSON: OK, I'm here.
O'BRIEN: Good. AM@CNN.com if you want to e-mail us your questions. Dressing, not stuffing.
SANCHEZ: Yes. And the difference between a male turkey and a female turkey.
O'BRIEN: That's why she's the dean.
SANCHEZ: Wow! In a moment, today's top stories, including tornadoes ripping through the South leaving a holiday mess. We're going to get an update right here on AMERICAN MORNING. Stay with us.
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