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Intelligence Reform Bill Heads to Congress; Baseball Union Addresses Drug Scandal

Aired December 07, 2004 - 9:30   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: Just about half past the hour on this AMERICAN MORNING. CNN "Security Watch" continues, looking at the specific steps that are needed to protect America's food supply from terrorists. Will it take another government overhaul? This morning we talk with the author of "Fast Food Nation" about what he thinks needs to be done.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Also, baseball sluggers Jason Giambi and Barry Bonds reportedly have used steroids, of course. You might have heard about that story. Who else is on the list, you may wonder. The players union may be considering steps to find out. We'll talk about just what that might entail coming up.

But first the headlines with Heidi. Good morning, again.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you guys and good morning to you, everybody. "Now in the News" this morning, President Bush heading to California to thank American troops for their service in Iraq. The president departing the White House less than three hours ago. He'll speak at Camp Pendleton near San Diego. He'll also have lunch with some of the marines. Units from that base, though, have suffered heavy casualties in Iraq.

In Afghanistan, a presidential inauguration. Hamid Karzai sworn in just hours ago as Afghanistan's first popularly elected president. In his inaugural speech, Karzai thanked the United States and repeated his promise to crack down on drugs, disarm militias and improve living standards.

Still no word on what caused a fire in a Chicago high-rise. More than 30 people were injured, including 22 firefighters. The fire broke out last night in the 29th floor of the LaSalle Bank's corporate headquarters. Injuries ranged from moderate to serious, mostly from smoke inhalation. It took more than five hours to put out those flames.

And in two hours, the music industry will announce the contenders for its top honors. Usher is likely to be a front-runner when the Grammy nominations are announced in Los Angeles at 11:30 a.m. Eastern. Calm down, Miles. Some of the other names we're expecting to see among the nominees: Alicia Keys, Gretchen Wilson, Kanye West and the late Ray Charles.

S. O'BRIEN: I'm going with Usher. I love him.

H. COLLINS: Usher, Ray Charles. So very different. S. O'BRIEN: Exactly. All right, thanks, Heidi.

The intelligence reform bill headed for a vote today does not contain the immigration measures that were wanted by Congressman James Sensenbrenner. Earlier the Wisconsin Republican complained that the authors of the Senate version of the bill kept immigration reform out of it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JAMES SENSENBRENNER (R), WISCONSIN: I think this is a no- brainer issue. But I lay blame for the fact that this isn't in the bill specifically as Senator Susan Collins of Maine and Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut, who are absolutely high-bound not to have meaningful immigration and driver's license reform in this bill.

The failure of the bill to contain these two items -- people should be asking Senator Collins and Senator Lieberman why they didn't put something in that is supported by an overwhelming majority of the American public and more importantly, essential to prevent the same thing from happening that happened on 9/11.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

S. O'BRIEN: Here is Senator Collins' response.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. SUSAN COLLINS (R), MAINE: First of all, we did take several of Mr. Sensenbrenner's provisions and put them in the bill. We took in his proposals for more border patrol agents, for more detention beds so that illegal aliens can be detained when they are arrested, rather than just released. We took several strong law enforcement provisions.

S. O'BRIEN: But not the critical one, I mean, not the one he really wanted, which is essentially, to make sure illegal immigrants cannot get driver's licenses. 19 of the hijackers had 63 driver's licenses. On the face of it, it seems like a common sense measure.

S. COLLINS: Well, let me say two things about that. First of all, those hijackers, under Mr. Sensenbrenner's proposal, would be able to get driver's licenses today because they had valid immigration documents with them. But the more important point is that the president has said that immigration reform is going to be a major issue next year, and that it's more appropriate for these highly controversial issues to be considered then.

S. O'BRIEN: This legislation is going to be discussed in caucus this morning. Do you expect, in fact, that there will be a vote and that it will pass?

S. COLLINS: I really do. These reforms are long overdue. The 9/11 Commission called for them, but previous commissions have pointed to the flaws in our intelligence system that leaves us ill-prepared to detect and deter terrorist attacks. We've now modernized the intelligence structure. It had been designed for the Cold War, we're now making sure it's agile enough respond to the threat of terrorism.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

S. O'BRIEN: Senator Collins, a little bit earlier this morning. Let's take you right to the Senate floor. You can see right there Majority Leader Bill Frist is opening up the legislation for debate. We're, of course, going to continue to follow what happens with this bill, and see if there is, in fact, a vote on it and what happens then -- Miles?

M. O'BRIEN: Baseball owners and players have made progress in drafting new rules for steroid testing. Just how much progress depends on which side you ask, however. Matt Morrison in Phoenix with the players union, holding its annual executive board meeting. Oh, to be a fly on the wall -- Matt.

MATT MORRISON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Miles. The executive meetings are going on this week and a report today indicates that there is already a proposal on the table between Major League Baseball and representatives of the players union. Members of the executive board will be considering that proposal this week, and in light of recent developments, including leaked testimony in the BALCO lab case from a week ago, these meetings have taken on a new urgency.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MORRISON (voice-over): Amid a major credibility crisis, the subject of steroid use is issue number one at the baseball players union executive board meetings in Arizona.

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: I hope that they will come out of that meeting with an agreement to act with the baseball owners. The owners have to sit down and negotiate, as well because the owners did not negotiate a strong agreement last time. So they bear responsibility for this, as well.

MORRISON: Senator McCain said if the owners and players union don't make strides to change the steroid policy, he'll introduce legislation in January to instigate government involvement. Baseball commissioner Bud Selig responded with a statement saying he would prefer to resolve the problem directly with the players association and jointly implement a much stronger drug-testing policy, going on to say "If we can not resolve this issue privately, I gladly will accept whatever help is offered by Senator McCain to achieve our ultimate goal."

MCCAIN: The fact is that it's a growing belief on the part of high school athletes that the only way they can make it the big leagues is to take, ingest these performance-enhancing drugs into their bodies, which is incredibly damaging. That's really the problem here.

MORRISON: The baseball players union, under the direction of Don Fehr, is considered the strongest union in sports, with a collective bargaining agreement that runs through 2006. If the executive board doesn't agree to readjust its steroid policy, the future of baseball carries a question mark.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MORRISON: And, Miles, Senator McCain is expected to be here this week to discuss the issue further, because in last spring when he brought this issue up, he felt that there was no action taken. So he wants to get things moving on this policy before spring training of next year.

M. O'BRIEN: Matt, you have the most powerful union in sports. Their contract isn't up for a couple of years. Is anything really going to happen here?

MORRISON: Well, they've never broken open that contract and made changes in the past. But I do think that that is about to change, because of the urgency of the situation. There is a model in place. The Major League Baseball has a model for its minor league's testing policy, which is much stricter, and more year-round than the Major League union policy. So, I think the crisis that the Major League Baseball is in will dictate that. For the first time, the Major League Baseball players union will open its contract and make an adjustment here for the good of the game.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes, you don't want to get cross-wised with Senator McCain, either. All right. Matt Morrison in Phoenix, thanks very much -- Soledad.

MORRISON: You're welcome, Miles.

S. O'BRIEN: CNN "Security Watch" focused yesterday on the potential threat to the nation's food supply. But what measures can we take to improve the system and protect our food? Eric Schlosser is the author of "Fast Food Nation." He's in San Francisco this morning. Nice to see you, Eric. Thanks for being with us. Tommy Thompson...

ERIC SCHLOSSER, AUTHOR, "FAST FOOD NATION": Thanks for having me.

S. O'BRIEN: It's our pleasure. Tommy Thompson backed down from some of his comments that he made earlier in the week. He now says the nation is now more prepared than ever to protect the public. Is he right about that?

SCHLOSSER: Well, I think his original statement was closer to the truth. It may have been inadvertent. But I think that we are at great risk of tampering with our food supply.

S. O'BRIEN: What reforms do you think need to be made and need to be made right now?

SCHLOSSER: The most important would be to put someone in charge. The National Academy of Sciences, five years ago, called for a federal official, one person to be in charge of food safety in this country. The GAO, which is the research arm of Congress, has asked for a single food safety agency for more than a decade now. And right now we have many -- about a dozen federal agencies that oversee food safety and there's a great deal of overlap and contradiction between their responsibilities.

S. O'BRIEN: With that overlap and contradiction, as you call it, just how much risk do you think Americans face from their food supply?

SCHLOSSER: Well, I don't want to get people afraid. That's what terrorists want. They want us to be afraid. But we now have intelligence reform since 9/11, and I very much hope we have food safety reform before any attack. Already, 76 million Americans are food poisoned every year. 5,000 die because of food poisoning every year. So even in the absence of a terrorist attack, we need real reform of this system.

S. O'BRIEN: But realistically, and I know you know this, there are many microbiologists who would say it takes a lot of scientific skill to be able to target the food industry, to gain access, to scientifically be able to manipulate it. Why isn't that a good argument, that it's actually not as scary as you might think it would be?

SCHLOSSER: Well, I really don't want to get into the details of how this could be done. But because of the centralized and industrialized food system that we have, if there's a problem at one large plant, that could be a nationwide problem. This is something, again, that the GAO has warned about for years, and I hope that we can make reform before there's a big problem, and not after there is one.

S. O'BRIEN: There are new rules from the FDA that would make the food easier to trace. Do you think that that's a good rule, or do you think it's sort of putting the cart after the horse -- before the horse?

SCHLOSSER: I think that's a long overdue rule. But that rule was first proposed in 2002. It's taken two years for it to be announced, and it won't really take effect for another year or two. So what's lacking is a sense of urgency. And what's lacking is an overall scheme for reforming our food safety system.

S. O'BRIEN: How much of that lack of urgency is due to pressure, do you think, from the food industry?

SCHLOSSER: The food industry, like any other industry, doesn't want government regulation, and doesn't want government oversight. Now I don't believe anyone in the food industry wants their customers to get sick, but I don't think they're in the best position ultimately to determine what's best for the public health.

The automobile industry fought against seatbelts and air bags, and thousands of people are alive today because of those government regulations. In the same way, we need tough food safety regulations from the top of the federal government.

S. O'BRIEN: Eric Schlosser, the author of "Fast Food Nation," joining us this morning. Nice to see you. Thanks.

SCHLOSSER: Thank you.

(WEATHER REPORT)

M. O'BRIEN: All right. This shift is brutal, isn't it?

S. O'BRIEN: It's all right. I'm not the complaining type.

M. O'BRIEN: I've been gaining weight. I have been gaining. Because -- well, you've got the catering tray. There's that. But it's also...

S. O'BRIEN: And you're up for so long, there's just more opportunities to eat.

M. O'BRIEN: I think there's more opportunities to eat, but I think it's a little more subtle than that because the truth is, there is a link between sleep and weight gain. The more you sleep, the less weight you put on. Okay?

S. O'BRIEN: Uh-huh.

M. O'BRIEN: You follow that? So in other words, sleep it off.

S. O'BRIEN: Okay. Dr. O'Brien. I say we'll have a look at that ahead, plus why is...

M. O'BRIEN: I just play one on TV.

S. O'BRIEN: ... why is Congress ready to plunk down $2 million worth of taxpayer's money for that old boat? Andy is "Minding Your Business."

M. O'BRIEN: Well, it's not just any old boat.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

M. O'BRIEN: Sleep less, gain more weight. Follow that? Well, we'll explain it. New research suggests a link between shut-eye and obesity. Sanjay's on assignment today, probably resting up. Elizabeth Cohen at the CNN Center with details. If you're a parent, you don't get enough sleep. If you have young kids, if you're on this shift, you don't get enough sleep. Are we headed to the fat farm?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: It could be, Miles, because there are two epidemics going on at the same time in this country. You have the obesity epidemic and you have an epidemic of sleeplessness. People are not getting as much sleep as they used to. Well, researchers for the first time have really pinpointed the hormones that seem to connect these two epidemics.

Here's the way that it works. When you don't sleep enough, when you get less sleep, you get more of a hormone called ghrelin. You have more ghrelin in your body and that leads to more hunger. Ghrelin is one of the hormones that regulates hunger. More ghrelin, more hunger. And, at the same time, when you get less sleep, that leads to less leptin. Leptin is another hormone that regulates hunger. When you have less leptin, you have a stronger appetite. You're more hungry. So the answer may be if you're fighting the battle of the bulge, if you just can't lose weight, think about increasing the amount you sleep. It may help, along with, of course, diet and exercise -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: All right, so ghrelin and leptin. Ghrelin and leptin. There are still a lot of people out there who don't get so much sleep, and they're skinny as rails. What are they doing?

COHEN: Absolutely. And the reason why is that everybody's need for sleep varies. Some people can do just fine with five or six hours of sleep, other people need more like nine hours of sleep. Everyone's different. And what you have to do is do sort of an experiment on yourself. Get some more sleep. See if that helps you control your weight. Get less sleep. Just tinker around with it and see what works best for you.

M. O'BRIEN: All right. So if you're on a shift like this one, where I find myself eating, you know, six meals a day because you're up for so long for one thing, but what can you do about it?

COHEN: We have two tips for people who just can't get enough sleep because of the work shift they're on, because they have young children. Here are two ideas. First of all, try to cash in on that sleep debt over the weekend. Over the weekend, try to sleep even just a couple more hours, take a nap, sleep in in the morning. That could really help. Also, increase the amount that you exercise. Getting more exercise can make you feel less sleepy.

M. O'BRIEN: The greatest moment in a parent's life is when the kids can wake up on a Saturday morning, go turn on the cartoons and pour themselves a bowl of cereal.

COHEN: It is a wonderful moment.

M. O'BRIEN: And it turns out it is good for your weight, as well. All right, Elizabeth Cohen, thanks for dropping by.

S. O'BRIEN: When does that happen again?

M. O'BRIEN: You've got a little ways to go. Sorry, girl. I'm sorry.

S. O'BRIEN: I'm not there yet.

M. O'BRIEN: But your twins are above average in every way. It will happen quickly as possible.

S. O'BRIEN: They're already walking, so it should be...

M. O'BRIEN: Yes. They're going to Harvard. You know that.

S. O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, ever run into money problems this time of year? How would you like to know Congress has $2 million to spend on a used boat? We'll explain ahead as Andy's "Minding Your Business." (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: A federal spending bill earmarks some money for a pricey yacht. That and the Wall Street reaction to the Johnson & Johnson talks this morning. Andy Serwer is "Minding Your Business." Let's start with market reaction.

SERWER: Let's do that. The market's down a little bit this morning, Soledad. We'll check out the big board just a little bit. Nine points. Of course, you're talking about Johnson & Johnson, apparently in talks to buy Guidant. A big merger in the drug business. Guidant is up about $5, $73. Happy shareholders there.

Another story. Colgate-Palmolive announcing layoffs and cost cutting. That stock is up on that news. So often happens when a company cuts its costs, the stock will go up.

Now let's talk about this yacht, because it's the former presidential yacht. The Sequoia. There it is. And this is a really interesting story. Back in 1977, President Carter sold the presidential yacht, saying he wanted to get rid of the imperial presidency. He sold it for $286,000.

Now this yacht had been used by all presidents from Hoover through Ford, 79 years old. Here we have a picture of FDR -- there's lots of history. You've got Nixon and Brezhnev on board, the Soviet- American arms talks were held there. Gerald Ford there on the yacht. President Kennedy held his last birthday party on this yacht. And now it's in private hands, owned by a Washington, D.C. lawyer. It can be rented out for $10,000 a night. You can sort of take tours of it.

The government now wants to buy this back as a museum for $2 million. Some people are saying it's a bad idea. The lawyer who owns it wants more than $2 million. The Russians want to buy it for $7 million, and turn it into maybe a casino type of situation. Very interesting story. There's a lot...

M. O'BRIEN: Casino situation?

SERWER: Maybe. Well, there's all kinds of things the Russians apparently want to do. Russian entrepreneur -- but, you know, it's sitting there on the Potomac. Congress wants to buy it for $2 million. The lawyer wants more than that. They want to turn it into a museum. It's a really cool story. I think that, you know, this is a lot of money but I think the government should buy it back.

S. O'BRIEN: A lot of history on that.

SERWER: Yes, it's really -- Miles, have you been on this thing, apparently?

M. O'BRIEN: I have been on it. It is fantastic. You know, I think there's still -- they must allow public tours. I can't remember what context I was there. But there's great artifacts and it's well- preserved.

SERWER: Yes.

M. O'BRIEN: And you know what, $2 million is complete chump change in the grand scheme of things. This is a little piece of history. And we do not want the Russians turning it into a casino.

(CROSSTALK)

M. O'BRIEN: In the Potomac, up and down they go.

SERWER: I think they would take it to the Volga, perhaps, they would bring it all the way over there.

M. O'BRIEN: Oh, that's even worse. That's like the London Bridge going to Arizona or something. That already happened, didn't it?

SERWER: Jimmy Carter sold it, Jack, though.

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: And that did solve all of America's image problems around the world the day he sold the yacht.

M. O'BRIEN: That and the cardigan.

(CROSS TALK)

CAFFERTY: ... no longer perceived as whatever.

SERWER: Right, exactly.

CAFFERTY: That was a good idea he had, along with his plan to get the hostages out of Iran, which worked real well.

SERWER: Could have used the boat to get them.

CAFFERTY: So, here's the question. How would you change America's immigration policies? This letter is anonymous, and you'll know why when I read it. "I live in a town with a population of less than 1,000 in Montana. Tourism is our life blood. An INS raid two summers ago netted 117 illegal aliens. What does that tell you?"

Jose in Limerick, Pennsylvania: "We should colonize Mexico and move the border to Guatemala. It's shorter...I work for immigration." Took a minute. They get slow by 10:00. They're not as, you know.

This is from a guy who works for the Immigration Department. He didn't sign the letter. "I don't have the time to write about the problems, you don't have time to read them. The laws we do have are not enforced. I can tell enforcement where the illegals are, but unless they have committed a crime, nobody cares. Violating federal immigration laws is not high on anyone's list."

And Rex writes from Toronto, "Jack, immigration? I'm against it. Sure, we were all immigrants once. But we were also children once and I'm against them, too.

SERWER: Bah, humbug. S. O'BRIEN: And then look at Jack's big smile with that e-mail.

SERWER: In his sweet spot.

M. O'BRIEN: Kindred spirit there.

S. O'BRIEN: Clearly. Still to come this morning, we're waiting for a news conference from Health Secretary Tommy Thompson. He's expected to have a major announcement regarding the availability of flu shots, up ahead at 10:30 Eastern. Daryn and Rick are taking that on "CNN LIVE TODAY." AMERICAN MORNING is back in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: We're out of time. We're going to see you back here tomorrow. Let's head right down to Daryn Kagan, Rich Sanchez, at the CNN Center. Let's take you to the next few hours -- is what I'm trying to say. On "CNN LIVE TODAY." Good morning, guys.

M. O'BRIEN: Spit it out. Finish strong, there. Finish strong.

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 December 7, 2004 - 9:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Just about half past the hour on this AMERICAN MORNING. CNN "Security Watch" continues, looking at the specific steps that are needed to protect America's food supply from terrorists. Will it take another government overhaul? This morning we talk with the author of "Fast Food Nation" about what he thinks needs to be done.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Also, baseball sluggers Jason Giambi and Barry Bonds reportedly have used steroids, of course. You might have heard about that story. Who else is on the list, you may wonder. The players union may be considering steps to find out. We'll talk about just what that might entail coming up.

But first the headlines with Heidi. Good morning, again.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you guys and good morning to you, everybody. "Now in the News" this morning, President Bush heading to California to thank American troops for their service in Iraq. The president departing the White House less than three hours ago. He'll speak at Camp Pendleton near San Diego. He'll also have lunch with some of the marines. Units from that base, though, have suffered heavy casualties in Iraq.

In Afghanistan, a presidential inauguration. Hamid Karzai sworn in just hours ago as Afghanistan's first popularly elected president. In his inaugural speech, Karzai thanked the United States and repeated his promise to crack down on drugs, disarm militias and improve living standards.

Still no word on what caused a fire in a Chicago high-rise. More than 30 people were injured, including 22 firefighters. The fire broke out last night in the 29th floor of the LaSalle Bank's corporate headquarters. Injuries ranged from moderate to serious, mostly from smoke inhalation. It took more than five hours to put out those flames.

And in two hours, the music industry will announce the contenders for its top honors. Usher is likely to be a front-runner when the Grammy nominations are announced in Los Angeles at 11:30 a.m. Eastern. Calm down, Miles. Some of the other names we're expecting to see among the nominees: Alicia Keys, Gretchen Wilson, Kanye West and the late Ray Charles.

S. O'BRIEN: I'm going with Usher. I love him.

H. COLLINS: Usher, Ray Charles. So very different. S. O'BRIEN: Exactly. All right, thanks, Heidi.

The intelligence reform bill headed for a vote today does not contain the immigration measures that were wanted by Congressman James Sensenbrenner. Earlier the Wisconsin Republican complained that the authors of the Senate version of the bill kept immigration reform out of it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JAMES SENSENBRENNER (R), WISCONSIN: I think this is a no- brainer issue. But I lay blame for the fact that this isn't in the bill specifically as Senator Susan Collins of Maine and Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut, who are absolutely high-bound not to have meaningful immigration and driver's license reform in this bill.

The failure of the bill to contain these two items -- people should be asking Senator Collins and Senator Lieberman why they didn't put something in that is supported by an overwhelming majority of the American public and more importantly, essential to prevent the same thing from happening that happened on 9/11.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

S. O'BRIEN: Here is Senator Collins' response.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. SUSAN COLLINS (R), MAINE: First of all, we did take several of Mr. Sensenbrenner's provisions and put them in the bill. We took in his proposals for more border patrol agents, for more detention beds so that illegal aliens can be detained when they are arrested, rather than just released. We took several strong law enforcement provisions.

S. O'BRIEN: But not the critical one, I mean, not the one he really wanted, which is essentially, to make sure illegal immigrants cannot get driver's licenses. 19 of the hijackers had 63 driver's licenses. On the face of it, it seems like a common sense measure.

S. COLLINS: Well, let me say two things about that. First of all, those hijackers, under Mr. Sensenbrenner's proposal, would be able to get driver's licenses today because they had valid immigration documents with them. But the more important point is that the president has said that immigration reform is going to be a major issue next year, and that it's more appropriate for these highly controversial issues to be considered then.

S. O'BRIEN: This legislation is going to be discussed in caucus this morning. Do you expect, in fact, that there will be a vote and that it will pass?

S. COLLINS: I really do. These reforms are long overdue. The 9/11 Commission called for them, but previous commissions have pointed to the flaws in our intelligence system that leaves us ill-prepared to detect and deter terrorist attacks. We've now modernized the intelligence structure. It had been designed for the Cold War, we're now making sure it's agile enough respond to the threat of terrorism.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

S. O'BRIEN: Senator Collins, a little bit earlier this morning. Let's take you right to the Senate floor. You can see right there Majority Leader Bill Frist is opening up the legislation for debate. We're, of course, going to continue to follow what happens with this bill, and see if there is, in fact, a vote on it and what happens then -- Miles?

M. O'BRIEN: Baseball owners and players have made progress in drafting new rules for steroid testing. Just how much progress depends on which side you ask, however. Matt Morrison in Phoenix with the players union, holding its annual executive board meeting. Oh, to be a fly on the wall -- Matt.

MATT MORRISON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Miles. The executive meetings are going on this week and a report today indicates that there is already a proposal on the table between Major League Baseball and representatives of the players union. Members of the executive board will be considering that proposal this week, and in light of recent developments, including leaked testimony in the BALCO lab case from a week ago, these meetings have taken on a new urgency.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MORRISON (voice-over): Amid a major credibility crisis, the subject of steroid use is issue number one at the baseball players union executive board meetings in Arizona.

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: I hope that they will come out of that meeting with an agreement to act with the baseball owners. The owners have to sit down and negotiate, as well because the owners did not negotiate a strong agreement last time. So they bear responsibility for this, as well.

MORRISON: Senator McCain said if the owners and players union don't make strides to change the steroid policy, he'll introduce legislation in January to instigate government involvement. Baseball commissioner Bud Selig responded with a statement saying he would prefer to resolve the problem directly with the players association and jointly implement a much stronger drug-testing policy, going on to say "If we can not resolve this issue privately, I gladly will accept whatever help is offered by Senator McCain to achieve our ultimate goal."

MCCAIN: The fact is that it's a growing belief on the part of high school athletes that the only way they can make it the big leagues is to take, ingest these performance-enhancing drugs into their bodies, which is incredibly damaging. That's really the problem here.

MORRISON: The baseball players union, under the direction of Don Fehr, is considered the strongest union in sports, with a collective bargaining agreement that runs through 2006. If the executive board doesn't agree to readjust its steroid policy, the future of baseball carries a question mark.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MORRISON: And, Miles, Senator McCain is expected to be here this week to discuss the issue further, because in last spring when he brought this issue up, he felt that there was no action taken. So he wants to get things moving on this policy before spring training of next year.

M. O'BRIEN: Matt, you have the most powerful union in sports. Their contract isn't up for a couple of years. Is anything really going to happen here?

MORRISON: Well, they've never broken open that contract and made changes in the past. But I do think that that is about to change, because of the urgency of the situation. There is a model in place. The Major League Baseball has a model for its minor league's testing policy, which is much stricter, and more year-round than the Major League union policy. So, I think the crisis that the Major League Baseball is in will dictate that. For the first time, the Major League Baseball players union will open its contract and make an adjustment here for the good of the game.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes, you don't want to get cross-wised with Senator McCain, either. All right. Matt Morrison in Phoenix, thanks very much -- Soledad.

MORRISON: You're welcome, Miles.

S. O'BRIEN: CNN "Security Watch" focused yesterday on the potential threat to the nation's food supply. But what measures can we take to improve the system and protect our food? Eric Schlosser is the author of "Fast Food Nation." He's in San Francisco this morning. Nice to see you, Eric. Thanks for being with us. Tommy Thompson...

ERIC SCHLOSSER, AUTHOR, "FAST FOOD NATION": Thanks for having me.

S. O'BRIEN: It's our pleasure. Tommy Thompson backed down from some of his comments that he made earlier in the week. He now says the nation is now more prepared than ever to protect the public. Is he right about that?

SCHLOSSER: Well, I think his original statement was closer to the truth. It may have been inadvertent. But I think that we are at great risk of tampering with our food supply.

S. O'BRIEN: What reforms do you think need to be made and need to be made right now?

SCHLOSSER: The most important would be to put someone in charge. The National Academy of Sciences, five years ago, called for a federal official, one person to be in charge of food safety in this country. The GAO, which is the research arm of Congress, has asked for a single food safety agency for more than a decade now. And right now we have many -- about a dozen federal agencies that oversee food safety and there's a great deal of overlap and contradiction between their responsibilities.

S. O'BRIEN: With that overlap and contradiction, as you call it, just how much risk do you think Americans face from their food supply?

SCHLOSSER: Well, I don't want to get people afraid. That's what terrorists want. They want us to be afraid. But we now have intelligence reform since 9/11, and I very much hope we have food safety reform before any attack. Already, 76 million Americans are food poisoned every year. 5,000 die because of food poisoning every year. So even in the absence of a terrorist attack, we need real reform of this system.

S. O'BRIEN: But realistically, and I know you know this, there are many microbiologists who would say it takes a lot of scientific skill to be able to target the food industry, to gain access, to scientifically be able to manipulate it. Why isn't that a good argument, that it's actually not as scary as you might think it would be?

SCHLOSSER: Well, I really don't want to get into the details of how this could be done. But because of the centralized and industrialized food system that we have, if there's a problem at one large plant, that could be a nationwide problem. This is something, again, that the GAO has warned about for years, and I hope that we can make reform before there's a big problem, and not after there is one.

S. O'BRIEN: There are new rules from the FDA that would make the food easier to trace. Do you think that that's a good rule, or do you think it's sort of putting the cart after the horse -- before the horse?

SCHLOSSER: I think that's a long overdue rule. But that rule was first proposed in 2002. It's taken two years for it to be announced, and it won't really take effect for another year or two. So what's lacking is a sense of urgency. And what's lacking is an overall scheme for reforming our food safety system.

S. O'BRIEN: How much of that lack of urgency is due to pressure, do you think, from the food industry?

SCHLOSSER: The food industry, like any other industry, doesn't want government regulation, and doesn't want government oversight. Now I don't believe anyone in the food industry wants their customers to get sick, but I don't think they're in the best position ultimately to determine what's best for the public health.

The automobile industry fought against seatbelts and air bags, and thousands of people are alive today because of those government regulations. In the same way, we need tough food safety regulations from the top of the federal government.

S. O'BRIEN: Eric Schlosser, the author of "Fast Food Nation," joining us this morning. Nice to see you. Thanks.

SCHLOSSER: Thank you.

(WEATHER REPORT)

M. O'BRIEN: All right. This shift is brutal, isn't it?

S. O'BRIEN: It's all right. I'm not the complaining type.

M. O'BRIEN: I've been gaining weight. I have been gaining. Because -- well, you've got the catering tray. There's that. But it's also...

S. O'BRIEN: And you're up for so long, there's just more opportunities to eat.

M. O'BRIEN: I think there's more opportunities to eat, but I think it's a little more subtle than that because the truth is, there is a link between sleep and weight gain. The more you sleep, the less weight you put on. Okay?

S. O'BRIEN: Uh-huh.

M. O'BRIEN: You follow that? So in other words, sleep it off.

S. O'BRIEN: Okay. Dr. O'Brien. I say we'll have a look at that ahead, plus why is...

M. O'BRIEN: I just play one on TV.

S. O'BRIEN: ... why is Congress ready to plunk down $2 million worth of taxpayer's money for that old boat? Andy is "Minding Your Business."

M. O'BRIEN: Well, it's not just any old boat.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

M. O'BRIEN: Sleep less, gain more weight. Follow that? Well, we'll explain it. New research suggests a link between shut-eye and obesity. Sanjay's on assignment today, probably resting up. Elizabeth Cohen at the CNN Center with details. If you're a parent, you don't get enough sleep. If you have young kids, if you're on this shift, you don't get enough sleep. Are we headed to the fat farm?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: It could be, Miles, because there are two epidemics going on at the same time in this country. You have the obesity epidemic and you have an epidemic of sleeplessness. People are not getting as much sleep as they used to. Well, researchers for the first time have really pinpointed the hormones that seem to connect these two epidemics.

Here's the way that it works. When you don't sleep enough, when you get less sleep, you get more of a hormone called ghrelin. You have more ghrelin in your body and that leads to more hunger. Ghrelin is one of the hormones that regulates hunger. More ghrelin, more hunger. And, at the same time, when you get less sleep, that leads to less leptin. Leptin is another hormone that regulates hunger. When you have less leptin, you have a stronger appetite. You're more hungry. So the answer may be if you're fighting the battle of the bulge, if you just can't lose weight, think about increasing the amount you sleep. It may help, along with, of course, diet and exercise -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: All right, so ghrelin and leptin. Ghrelin and leptin. There are still a lot of people out there who don't get so much sleep, and they're skinny as rails. What are they doing?

COHEN: Absolutely. And the reason why is that everybody's need for sleep varies. Some people can do just fine with five or six hours of sleep, other people need more like nine hours of sleep. Everyone's different. And what you have to do is do sort of an experiment on yourself. Get some more sleep. See if that helps you control your weight. Get less sleep. Just tinker around with it and see what works best for you.

M. O'BRIEN: All right. So if you're on a shift like this one, where I find myself eating, you know, six meals a day because you're up for so long for one thing, but what can you do about it?

COHEN: We have two tips for people who just can't get enough sleep because of the work shift they're on, because they have young children. Here are two ideas. First of all, try to cash in on that sleep debt over the weekend. Over the weekend, try to sleep even just a couple more hours, take a nap, sleep in in the morning. That could really help. Also, increase the amount that you exercise. Getting more exercise can make you feel less sleepy.

M. O'BRIEN: The greatest moment in a parent's life is when the kids can wake up on a Saturday morning, go turn on the cartoons and pour themselves a bowl of cereal.

COHEN: It is a wonderful moment.

M. O'BRIEN: And it turns out it is good for your weight, as well. All right, Elizabeth Cohen, thanks for dropping by.

S. O'BRIEN: When does that happen again?

M. O'BRIEN: You've got a little ways to go. Sorry, girl. I'm sorry.

S. O'BRIEN: I'm not there yet.

M. O'BRIEN: But your twins are above average in every way. It will happen quickly as possible.

S. O'BRIEN: They're already walking, so it should be...

M. O'BRIEN: Yes. They're going to Harvard. You know that.

S. O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, ever run into money problems this time of year? How would you like to know Congress has $2 million to spend on a used boat? We'll explain ahead as Andy's "Minding Your Business." (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: A federal spending bill earmarks some money for a pricey yacht. That and the Wall Street reaction to the Johnson & Johnson talks this morning. Andy Serwer is "Minding Your Business." Let's start with market reaction.

SERWER: Let's do that. The market's down a little bit this morning, Soledad. We'll check out the big board just a little bit. Nine points. Of course, you're talking about Johnson & Johnson, apparently in talks to buy Guidant. A big merger in the drug business. Guidant is up about $5, $73. Happy shareholders there.

Another story. Colgate-Palmolive announcing layoffs and cost cutting. That stock is up on that news. So often happens when a company cuts its costs, the stock will go up.

Now let's talk about this yacht, because it's the former presidential yacht. The Sequoia. There it is. And this is a really interesting story. Back in 1977, President Carter sold the presidential yacht, saying he wanted to get rid of the imperial presidency. He sold it for $286,000.

Now this yacht had been used by all presidents from Hoover through Ford, 79 years old. Here we have a picture of FDR -- there's lots of history. You've got Nixon and Brezhnev on board, the Soviet- American arms talks were held there. Gerald Ford there on the yacht. President Kennedy held his last birthday party on this yacht. And now it's in private hands, owned by a Washington, D.C. lawyer. It can be rented out for $10,000 a night. You can sort of take tours of it.

The government now wants to buy this back as a museum for $2 million. Some people are saying it's a bad idea. The lawyer who owns it wants more than $2 million. The Russians want to buy it for $7 million, and turn it into maybe a casino type of situation. Very interesting story. There's a lot...

M. O'BRIEN: Casino situation?

SERWER: Maybe. Well, there's all kinds of things the Russians apparently want to do. Russian entrepreneur -- but, you know, it's sitting there on the Potomac. Congress wants to buy it for $2 million. The lawyer wants more than that. They want to turn it into a museum. It's a really cool story. I think that, you know, this is a lot of money but I think the government should buy it back.

S. O'BRIEN: A lot of history on that.

SERWER: Yes, it's really -- Miles, have you been on this thing, apparently?

M. O'BRIEN: I have been on it. It is fantastic. You know, I think there's still -- they must allow public tours. I can't remember what context I was there. But there's great artifacts and it's well- preserved.

SERWER: Yes.

M. O'BRIEN: And you know what, $2 million is complete chump change in the grand scheme of things. This is a little piece of history. And we do not want the Russians turning it into a casino.

(CROSSTALK)

M. O'BRIEN: In the Potomac, up and down they go.

SERWER: I think they would take it to the Volga, perhaps, they would bring it all the way over there.

M. O'BRIEN: Oh, that's even worse. That's like the London Bridge going to Arizona or something. That already happened, didn't it?

SERWER: Jimmy Carter sold it, Jack, though.

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: And that did solve all of America's image problems around the world the day he sold the yacht.

M. O'BRIEN: That and the cardigan.

(CROSS TALK)

CAFFERTY: ... no longer perceived as whatever.

SERWER: Right, exactly.

CAFFERTY: That was a good idea he had, along with his plan to get the hostages out of Iran, which worked real well.

SERWER: Could have used the boat to get them.

CAFFERTY: So, here's the question. How would you change America's immigration policies? This letter is anonymous, and you'll know why when I read it. "I live in a town with a population of less than 1,000 in Montana. Tourism is our life blood. An INS raid two summers ago netted 117 illegal aliens. What does that tell you?"

Jose in Limerick, Pennsylvania: "We should colonize Mexico and move the border to Guatemala. It's shorter...I work for immigration." Took a minute. They get slow by 10:00. They're not as, you know.

This is from a guy who works for the Immigration Department. He didn't sign the letter. "I don't have the time to write about the problems, you don't have time to read them. The laws we do have are not enforced. I can tell enforcement where the illegals are, but unless they have committed a crime, nobody cares. Violating federal immigration laws is not high on anyone's list."

And Rex writes from Toronto, "Jack, immigration? I'm against it. Sure, we were all immigrants once. But we were also children once and I'm against them, too.

SERWER: Bah, humbug. S. O'BRIEN: And then look at Jack's big smile with that e-mail.

SERWER: In his sweet spot.

M. O'BRIEN: Kindred spirit there.

S. O'BRIEN: Clearly. Still to come this morning, we're waiting for a news conference from Health Secretary Tommy Thompson. He's expected to have a major announcement regarding the availability of flu shots, up ahead at 10:30 Eastern. Daryn and Rick are taking that on "CNN LIVE TODAY." AMERICAN MORNING is back in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: We're out of time. We're going to see you back here tomorrow. Let's head right down to Daryn Kagan, Rich Sanchez, at the CNN Center. Let's take you to the next few hours -- is what I'm trying to say. On "CNN LIVE TODAY." Good morning, guys.

M. O'BRIEN: Spit it out. Finish strong, there. Finish strong.

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