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CNN Live Today
U.S. Defense Secretary Answers Questions in Military's Defense; 'Daily Dose'
Aired December 08, 2004 - 11:30 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.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: The U.S. defense secretary answers questions in the military's defense. Donald Rumsfeld visited a military base in Kuwait City this morning to energize troops heading to Iraq. But during the pep talk, the troops peppered Rumsfeld with questions and criticisms of their own. One soldier complained about the lack of proper armor for military vehicles in Iraq, another asked about the military's program that keeps troops on assignment longer than their original enlistments.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My husband and myself, we both joined a volunteer Army. Currently I'm serving under the stop-loss program. I would like to know how much longer do you foresee the military using this program.
DONALD RUMSFELD, U.S. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: Stop-loss has been used by the military for years and years and years. It is all well understood that when someone volunteers to join the service. It is something that you prefer not to have to use, obviously, in a perfect world.
But if you think about it, the whole principle of stop-loss is based on unit cohesion. And the principle is that in the event that there is something that requires a unit to be involved, and people are in a personal situation where their time was ending, they put a stop- loss on it so that the cohesion can be maintained.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: The secretary said the U.S. will continue prosecuting the war on terror, as he says, no matter how long it will take.
Well, the military's ability to stop a particular soldier or marine from retiring is known as the stop-loss policy. Enacted after the Vietnam War, first used during the '91 Gulf War. It's been utilized during the Iraq War to keep troop strength at required levels, as you just heard the secretary describe.
Let's talk to our CNN military analyst, retired Major General Don Shepard. We tracked him down in Los Angeles this morning. General, good morning.
MAJ. GEN. DON SHEPARD, U.S. AIR FORCE (RET): Good morning, Daryn. KAGAN: First, general question. General question for the general -- should Defense Secretary Rumsfeld have been surprised? He was there for a pep rally to bring up the morale of the troops. Is this unusual to see troops question the defense secretary straight on like that?
SHEPARD: It's not, Daryn. And one thing you learn early on, just like TV, when you get up in front of the troops, you better be ready for the tough questions because it's not going be all roses out there. They're going to ask you the tough ones and they're going to expect straight answers. And Secretary Rumsfeld is normally very good at this. I think he's probably surprised this day.
KAGAN: OK, let's look at some of the specific questions that -- or complaints that some of these soldiers had. First, the stop-loss. We just took the question on that. The secretary is saying this has been used for a long, that when you sign up, you should just understand that this can happen.
SHEPARD: That's absolutely true, but it doesn't get rid of the frustration, it doesn't get rid of the family dislocation, and particularly with the Guardsmen and Reservists there. If the military needs you, when you join up, they can keep you from getting out by invoking stop-loss. Additionally, even if you have gotten out of the military, you have an eight-year commitment, and they can get you anytime during that and recall you to active duty. They've done some of that.
Other things that add to the frustration of these troops there are they've been extended. They thought they were going home and they've been extended once, some of them as many as twice, even coming up on three times now. That adds to their frustration and that adds to the fact that you're going get very tough questions about this. It's not popular.
KAGAN: This group that he was talking to, they will be moving north, many of them, going into Iraq very soon. Another question was about the concern of a lack of armored vehicles. These are basically soldiers saying they don't feel safe with the equipment that they have.
SHEPARD: Look, here's the hard situation, nobody thought we were going to be in Iraq this long with this many troops and subjected to this kind of insurgency that continues to attack these convoys. We thought it would peter off. The initial estimates were on the high side, you would probably need 800 of the really heavily-armored vehicles there and now the estimates may go as high and over 6,000.
There are not enough in theater to have everybody in a totally armored vehicle. The command over there basically distributes the armored vehicles to those they think that need them the most. Everyone would like to have one, but there's simply not enough in theater right now, Daryn.
KAGAN: This is a voluntary military force, incredible men and women making great sacrifices along with their families. Should we take these questions and the way this event unfolded today as any kind of indication of troop morale right now?
SHEPARD: Look, you should not watch troop morale because that goes up from hour-to-hour and day-to-day. What you should watch for is dispirited troops that don't believe in the mission, that don't believe they should be there. That's what killed us in Vietnam. I have seen no indication of that, other than an occasional person that doesn't agree with the war. These are the normal gripes and the tough questions that come with the missions over there.
These are the troops that are carrying the supplies north. Being a truck driver is one of the most dangerous jobs and they're getting shot at, and so you're just seeing it come out. And this is the normal ebb and flow of the military. And the longer we're there, the more these tough questions are going to come, and the more often they're going to come, Daryn.
KAGAN: Retired general, Don Shepard. General, thank you for your time this morning.
SHEPARD: Pleasure.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Here's another controversy, or at least a person amidst a controversy. U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan under fire over the oil-for food program from conservative Republicans here in the United States. However -- and I think we can highlight this by showing you something, if we could possibly go to that picture on router four -- we'll show you a live picture of the United Nations.
This is where Kofi Annan will soon arrive, and we understand, in difference to the reaction that he may get from conservative Republicans in the United States, we're told that he may very well get a standing ovation as he enters this hall. A telling show of support from his colleagues there at the United Nations.
Let's bring in now CNN senior U.N. correspondent Richard Roth, who's kind of putting all this together for us. Why the difference, Richard?
RICHARD ROTH, CNN SR. U.N. CORRESPONDENT: Well, we don't know yet if there will be a standing ovation. Very few diplomats are willing to confirm it, but several yesterday and today hinting that they wouldn't be surprised if it happens. And that would be somewhat rare for the chief U.N. diplomat. Usually there's customary applause, perhaps after major reports, but Annan is right now in the eye of the storm.
What's the difference? What's happening? Well, all the countries here, except maybe the United States, have issued support for Kofi Annan. They believe it is a media-driven, a political-driven campaign against Annan. However, they should also beware, as they're giving a standing ovation, we don't know what six or seven of these different investigations, ranging from Paul Volcker's U.N.-approved panel and the several congressional investigations.
What they're going to turn up, they may not want to, exactly, leap to their feet. It's a little too early to say how anything will go, but right now they think, at this point, since no facts have been proven, nothing has been formally confirmed, no juries have rendered any verdicts, they are willing to say, listen Kofi Annan is an honest, decent man and he's being unfairly tarnished. These countries also should know, Rick, that many of them are really responsible for a lot the oil-for-food mistakes and not checking corruption with Saddam Hussein.
SANCHEZ: How big is it that Tony Blair suddenly came out, I believe it was last night, I'm not sure, maybe you can confirm that for us -- and spoke essentially in glowing terms about Kofi Annan. The same Tony Blair who sided with the president and many conservative Republicans on Iraq.
ROTH: Well, that is the difference on the U.S./U.K. pact on the Iraq war. The British understand the position of Kofi Annan and they're willing to have that disagreement. Many in the U.S. Congress and the Bush administration are not that happy. The rest of the world, from the president of Mexico, the president of France, they've all spoken out in favor of Annan. They just think he's being singled out unfairly, but meanwhile, we know that Kofi Annan's son has some explaining to do, and the father, Kofi Annan, has clearly not exactly been briefed, according to the father, by his own son.
However, the U.N. spokesman here says don't blame the sins of the son, if there are any, on the father. I don't know if that's going to wash with later investigations. Also, Annan's man who he picked to run this oil-for-food program for the U.N. is also being investigated as whether he took kickbacks and bribes.
Inside the U.N. General Assembly now, everyone is gathering. This speech by Kofi Annan has nothing to do with oil-for-food. It has to do with what many consider here a more important issue, the changing -- the renovation of how the U.N. works. Annan agrees the U.N. is somewhat of a failing institution and needs rapid changes. However, the two have now become linked and Annan would like more coverage on reform of the U.N. system, but unfortunately, many seem more concerned with reform of him and his office. Rick.
SANCHEZ: What's been his reaction to the coverage of reform of, as you say, him and his office?
ROTH: They were taken aback. They didn't really plan well, the advisers to Kofi Annan. They should have anticipated better some of the political damage that could occur. Kofi Annan originally wanted an internal U.N. probe of oil-for-food, which was never really going to wash, and critics certainly jumped immediately and said you have to have an outside panel. Now critics are saying, since Paul Volcker, the former fed chairman reports to Kofi Annan with this report, even though it was approved by the Security Council, that there are still possible problems.
Kofi Annan, I understand, is sitting in the hall, inside the General Assembly. It looks like we may get something very quickly. He would have to be introduced and then there could be a standing ovation at that point. Very few standing ovations, Rick, occur in the General Assembly. I do remember one specifically, President Clinton on the same day that he was testifying by videotape about Monica Lewinsky. The world said we like you, and he was here in September three, four years ago -- or five, six years ago. General Assembly gave him a standing ovation.
SANCHEZ: Looks like -- as we look, it looks like the session is getting started. Still, like you said, there's no sign of Kofi Annan.
ROTH: No, Kofi Annan is up there, he's up on the roster, sitting next to some other U.N. officials. He's waiting for the session to begin and then be introduced, and he will walk down to the podium.
SANCHEZ: I see. Let me ask you a question about something that I was noticing today. It's an issue on something called Islam- aphobia, introduced, interestingly enough, by Kofi Annan. The idea that we don't want to treat Muslims around the world as if they're all terrorists, and also sending a message to all Muslims in the world that they should speak out against terrorists.
Is that the strategy on the part of Mr. Annan?
ROTH: Well, This is one of his themes. He has held various session regarding anti-Semitism, criticism and bias, treatment of Muslims. This is one of his major themes. It just doesn't get that much coverage, because many feel the U.N. here really can't do anything about someone that wants to blow themselves up, and the U.N. General Assembly, which you're watching now, still hasn't been able to define what is terrorism. But Kofi Annan is trying his best. They are holding seminars and things, but it's almost like preaching to the choir here. His words, indeed, have resonance before the scandal, he used to be called a secular pope, Nobel Peace Prize winner. He's still going to continue on that. He wants this organization to focus on AIDS and poverty, but if the organization is deemed a corrupt organization, it may not carry much weight.
Kofi Annan is possibly going to introduced shortly by the president of the general assembly, the foreign minister of Gabon. That's ambassador Ping (ph), Foreign Minister of Gabon who serves as the General Assembly's president.
SANCHEZ: Let's do this then, Richard. You stay there. We're going to continue to monitor this as best we can, and certainly come back to you and show that picture of Kofi Annan when he indeed starts to speak.
Thanks so much for bringing us up to date on this.
Daryn, over to you.
KAGAN: We're going to look at some other news making news this morning. Overseas, in this morning's world wrap, the British and Irish prime ministers unveiled a new plan today to restore home rule in Northern Ireland. They met in Belfast.
It looks like Kofi Annan is coming to the podium. Let's go ahead and listen in, at the U.N. General Assembly. KOFI ANNAN, U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL: Mr. President, excellencies, you received last week the report of the high-level panel entitled "A More Secure World: Our Shared Responsibility." I think it is an excellent report. It provides a new and comprehensive vision of collective security for the 21st century. One of his key message is this: because of globalization, we're living...
KAGAN: Kofi Annan speaking to the General Assembly at the United Nations. We were looking to see if perhaps he would receive a standing ovation, a symbol, a move of support from the members outside of the Security Council, and outside Capitol Hill, where there have been calls for his resignation. No standing ovation for Kofi Annan.
SANCHEZ: Sometimes it's not the reaction that makes the news in cases like this.
Winter woes, why you're at greater risk for a heart attack. We will explain that to you -- rather, Elizabeth Cohen will explain that to you.
KAGAN: Also a new way to treat breast cancer, when CNN LIVE TODAY returns.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: In the fight against breast cancer, some promising news. Doctors say a new drug shows better signs of preventing a return of the disease. The drug is call Aramidex (ph), and it might prevent up to 80 percent of the most common types of tumors that women experience after menopause. Doctors say the drug should now be the first choice for treatment for women who have had the disease.
SANCHEZ: Working harder this holiday season. Well, you should probably leave the heave out of your ho ho ho. In today's "Daily Dose," we look at the wintertime stress, and a surprise guest that could ruin your holiday, not to mention your health.
Here's CNN's medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): What do all of these things have in common -- shoveling snow, the holidays, the flu, and cold weather? The answer -- they're all reasons why heart attacks more likely to occur in the wintertime.
In fact, heart attacks are 53 percent more likely in the winter, and a winter heart attack is 19 percent more likely to be deadly. One of the reasons behind winter heart attacks is obvious. Shoveling snow puts a strain on the heart if you're not used to the exercise. The holidays contribute to heart attacks because of higher levels of stress.
DR. KAROL WATSON, UCLA MEDICAL CENTER: Many studies have shown that people have increased levels of stress and an increased levels of depression around the holidays, both of which we know can precipitate heart disease.
COHEN: Plus, there's holiday eating. Studies show that even just one meal high in saturated fat...
WATSON: That extra piece of cheese cake, an extra glass of eggnog.
COHEN: Can increase your odds of having a heart attack. As for the flu...
WATSON: Even though you feel like you only have the flu in your chest, or your nose or head, the vessels all over your body can become inflamed from that one disease.
COHEN: And inflammation of the vessels leading to the heart can help cause a heart attack, and cold weather can cause vessels to narrow, another heart attack trigger. So while you can't avoid winter altogether, if you're at high risk of having a heart attack, you can dress warmly, watch what you eat, get a flu shot, and if you're not up to it, get someone else to shovel that snow.
Elizabeth Cohen, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: And since you will be making merry with a lot of food over the holidays, How about a little exercise in between? Check out CNN.com/health to find out why you should work out. Even mothers with kids should work out. You'll also find the latest medical news and a health library, again, at CNN.com/health.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(STOCK MARKET REPORT)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: Christmas, Hanukkah, what happens when the holidays blur? Well, there is a little P.C., political correction, of course.
Here now, Jeanne Moos.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Tis the season to be angry...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Put Merry Christmas back where it belongs.
MOOS: And where might that be? Stores, where Christmas has been replaced by holiday.
ANNOUNCER: Get ready for the holidays at Marshall's.
ANNOUNCER: Two-day holiday sale, at Sears.
ANNOUNCER: Beat the holiday rush.
MOOS: In their rush to avoid offending non-Christians, you will see stores using everything but Christmas.
(on camera): Christmas is the new 'c' word.
MOOS (voice-over): And so was born savemerrychristmas.org.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Removing "merry Christmas" is political correctness gone amok. California resident Manuel Zamarano founded the committee to save Merry Christmas and says it has 1,000 members that are pushing for a boycott of Federated Stores, which owns, among others, Macy's, "Miracle on 34th Street" Macy's, but that was 1947. This is 2004, when everyone says...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Happy holidays.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Seasons greetings and happy holidays is never a substitute for merry Christmas, never will be.
MOOS: But Federated Stores says these reflections of goodwill are more reflective of the multicultural society in which we live today. After all, this is the age of Christmas and Hanukkah, merging in "Christmaska." Greeting cards for Christian-Jewish families that feature reindeer with Menorah antlers and kosher fruitcake.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The disappearance of the words "merry Christmas" is forcing us all to be a little more creative.
MOOS (on camera): What do you say to people?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All hail the birth of Christ.
MOOS (voice-over): Well, we didn't find that one when we scoured dozens and dozens of holiday ads, searching in vain for the 'c' word, somewhere in the fine print. At last, we found one brave advertisement for diamonds.
Getting rid of Christmas will mean some adjustments.
(SINGING)
MOOS: The folks at savemerrychristmas say we can expect to see the 'c' when it's times for the after-Christmas sales, they suspect so customers know the exact date when the sales start. Sure would drive Bing bonkers.
(SINGING)
Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: Every time I see a Jeanne Moos report, I'm reminded of how many out-of-work actors there are in New York City.
KAGAN: Well, that was Mo Rocca. He's doing a lot of work.
SANCHEZ: Yes?
KAGAN: Yes, a very, very business comedian.
SANCHEZ: It's the rest of them, then.
KAGAN: There you go.
(WEATHER REPORT)
KAGAN: That's going to wrap it for us.
SANCHEZ: It does indeed, and we're going to go over to Wolf Blitzer now, who's had some high-profile interviews, I don't know if you've noticed this week.
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Aired December 8, 2004 - 11:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: The U.S. defense secretary answers questions in the military's defense. Donald Rumsfeld visited a military base in Kuwait City this morning to energize troops heading to Iraq. But during the pep talk, the troops peppered Rumsfeld with questions and criticisms of their own. One soldier complained about the lack of proper armor for military vehicles in Iraq, another asked about the military's program that keeps troops on assignment longer than their original enlistments.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My husband and myself, we both joined a volunteer Army. Currently I'm serving under the stop-loss program. I would like to know how much longer do you foresee the military using this program.
DONALD RUMSFELD, U.S. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: Stop-loss has been used by the military for years and years and years. It is all well understood that when someone volunteers to join the service. It is something that you prefer not to have to use, obviously, in a perfect world.
But if you think about it, the whole principle of stop-loss is based on unit cohesion. And the principle is that in the event that there is something that requires a unit to be involved, and people are in a personal situation where their time was ending, they put a stop- loss on it so that the cohesion can be maintained.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: The secretary said the U.S. will continue prosecuting the war on terror, as he says, no matter how long it will take.
Well, the military's ability to stop a particular soldier or marine from retiring is known as the stop-loss policy. Enacted after the Vietnam War, first used during the '91 Gulf War. It's been utilized during the Iraq War to keep troop strength at required levels, as you just heard the secretary describe.
Let's talk to our CNN military analyst, retired Major General Don Shepard. We tracked him down in Los Angeles this morning. General, good morning.
MAJ. GEN. DON SHEPARD, U.S. AIR FORCE (RET): Good morning, Daryn. KAGAN: First, general question. General question for the general -- should Defense Secretary Rumsfeld have been surprised? He was there for a pep rally to bring up the morale of the troops. Is this unusual to see troops question the defense secretary straight on like that?
SHEPARD: It's not, Daryn. And one thing you learn early on, just like TV, when you get up in front of the troops, you better be ready for the tough questions because it's not going be all roses out there. They're going to ask you the tough ones and they're going to expect straight answers. And Secretary Rumsfeld is normally very good at this. I think he's probably surprised this day.
KAGAN: OK, let's look at some of the specific questions that -- or complaints that some of these soldiers had. First, the stop-loss. We just took the question on that. The secretary is saying this has been used for a long, that when you sign up, you should just understand that this can happen.
SHEPARD: That's absolutely true, but it doesn't get rid of the frustration, it doesn't get rid of the family dislocation, and particularly with the Guardsmen and Reservists there. If the military needs you, when you join up, they can keep you from getting out by invoking stop-loss. Additionally, even if you have gotten out of the military, you have an eight-year commitment, and they can get you anytime during that and recall you to active duty. They've done some of that.
Other things that add to the frustration of these troops there are they've been extended. They thought they were going home and they've been extended once, some of them as many as twice, even coming up on three times now. That adds to their frustration and that adds to the fact that you're going get very tough questions about this. It's not popular.
KAGAN: This group that he was talking to, they will be moving north, many of them, going into Iraq very soon. Another question was about the concern of a lack of armored vehicles. These are basically soldiers saying they don't feel safe with the equipment that they have.
SHEPARD: Look, here's the hard situation, nobody thought we were going to be in Iraq this long with this many troops and subjected to this kind of insurgency that continues to attack these convoys. We thought it would peter off. The initial estimates were on the high side, you would probably need 800 of the really heavily-armored vehicles there and now the estimates may go as high and over 6,000.
There are not enough in theater to have everybody in a totally armored vehicle. The command over there basically distributes the armored vehicles to those they think that need them the most. Everyone would like to have one, but there's simply not enough in theater right now, Daryn.
KAGAN: This is a voluntary military force, incredible men and women making great sacrifices along with their families. Should we take these questions and the way this event unfolded today as any kind of indication of troop morale right now?
SHEPARD: Look, you should not watch troop morale because that goes up from hour-to-hour and day-to-day. What you should watch for is dispirited troops that don't believe in the mission, that don't believe they should be there. That's what killed us in Vietnam. I have seen no indication of that, other than an occasional person that doesn't agree with the war. These are the normal gripes and the tough questions that come with the missions over there.
These are the troops that are carrying the supplies north. Being a truck driver is one of the most dangerous jobs and they're getting shot at, and so you're just seeing it come out. And this is the normal ebb and flow of the military. And the longer we're there, the more these tough questions are going to come, and the more often they're going to come, Daryn.
KAGAN: Retired general, Don Shepard. General, thank you for your time this morning.
SHEPARD: Pleasure.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Here's another controversy, or at least a person amidst a controversy. U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan under fire over the oil-for food program from conservative Republicans here in the United States. However -- and I think we can highlight this by showing you something, if we could possibly go to that picture on router four -- we'll show you a live picture of the United Nations.
This is where Kofi Annan will soon arrive, and we understand, in difference to the reaction that he may get from conservative Republicans in the United States, we're told that he may very well get a standing ovation as he enters this hall. A telling show of support from his colleagues there at the United Nations.
Let's bring in now CNN senior U.N. correspondent Richard Roth, who's kind of putting all this together for us. Why the difference, Richard?
RICHARD ROTH, CNN SR. U.N. CORRESPONDENT: Well, we don't know yet if there will be a standing ovation. Very few diplomats are willing to confirm it, but several yesterday and today hinting that they wouldn't be surprised if it happens. And that would be somewhat rare for the chief U.N. diplomat. Usually there's customary applause, perhaps after major reports, but Annan is right now in the eye of the storm.
What's the difference? What's happening? Well, all the countries here, except maybe the United States, have issued support for Kofi Annan. They believe it is a media-driven, a political-driven campaign against Annan. However, they should also beware, as they're giving a standing ovation, we don't know what six or seven of these different investigations, ranging from Paul Volcker's U.N.-approved panel and the several congressional investigations.
What they're going to turn up, they may not want to, exactly, leap to their feet. It's a little too early to say how anything will go, but right now they think, at this point, since no facts have been proven, nothing has been formally confirmed, no juries have rendered any verdicts, they are willing to say, listen Kofi Annan is an honest, decent man and he's being unfairly tarnished. These countries also should know, Rick, that many of them are really responsible for a lot the oil-for-food mistakes and not checking corruption with Saddam Hussein.
SANCHEZ: How big is it that Tony Blair suddenly came out, I believe it was last night, I'm not sure, maybe you can confirm that for us -- and spoke essentially in glowing terms about Kofi Annan. The same Tony Blair who sided with the president and many conservative Republicans on Iraq.
ROTH: Well, that is the difference on the U.S./U.K. pact on the Iraq war. The British understand the position of Kofi Annan and they're willing to have that disagreement. Many in the U.S. Congress and the Bush administration are not that happy. The rest of the world, from the president of Mexico, the president of France, they've all spoken out in favor of Annan. They just think he's being singled out unfairly, but meanwhile, we know that Kofi Annan's son has some explaining to do, and the father, Kofi Annan, has clearly not exactly been briefed, according to the father, by his own son.
However, the U.N. spokesman here says don't blame the sins of the son, if there are any, on the father. I don't know if that's going to wash with later investigations. Also, Annan's man who he picked to run this oil-for-food program for the U.N. is also being investigated as whether he took kickbacks and bribes.
Inside the U.N. General Assembly now, everyone is gathering. This speech by Kofi Annan has nothing to do with oil-for-food. It has to do with what many consider here a more important issue, the changing -- the renovation of how the U.N. works. Annan agrees the U.N. is somewhat of a failing institution and needs rapid changes. However, the two have now become linked and Annan would like more coverage on reform of the U.N. system, but unfortunately, many seem more concerned with reform of him and his office. Rick.
SANCHEZ: What's been his reaction to the coverage of reform of, as you say, him and his office?
ROTH: They were taken aback. They didn't really plan well, the advisers to Kofi Annan. They should have anticipated better some of the political damage that could occur. Kofi Annan originally wanted an internal U.N. probe of oil-for-food, which was never really going to wash, and critics certainly jumped immediately and said you have to have an outside panel. Now critics are saying, since Paul Volcker, the former fed chairman reports to Kofi Annan with this report, even though it was approved by the Security Council, that there are still possible problems.
Kofi Annan, I understand, is sitting in the hall, inside the General Assembly. It looks like we may get something very quickly. He would have to be introduced and then there could be a standing ovation at that point. Very few standing ovations, Rick, occur in the General Assembly. I do remember one specifically, President Clinton on the same day that he was testifying by videotape about Monica Lewinsky. The world said we like you, and he was here in September three, four years ago -- or five, six years ago. General Assembly gave him a standing ovation.
SANCHEZ: Looks like -- as we look, it looks like the session is getting started. Still, like you said, there's no sign of Kofi Annan.
ROTH: No, Kofi Annan is up there, he's up on the roster, sitting next to some other U.N. officials. He's waiting for the session to begin and then be introduced, and he will walk down to the podium.
SANCHEZ: I see. Let me ask you a question about something that I was noticing today. It's an issue on something called Islam- aphobia, introduced, interestingly enough, by Kofi Annan. The idea that we don't want to treat Muslims around the world as if they're all terrorists, and also sending a message to all Muslims in the world that they should speak out against terrorists.
Is that the strategy on the part of Mr. Annan?
ROTH: Well, This is one of his themes. He has held various session regarding anti-Semitism, criticism and bias, treatment of Muslims. This is one of his major themes. It just doesn't get that much coverage, because many feel the U.N. here really can't do anything about someone that wants to blow themselves up, and the U.N. General Assembly, which you're watching now, still hasn't been able to define what is terrorism. But Kofi Annan is trying his best. They are holding seminars and things, but it's almost like preaching to the choir here. His words, indeed, have resonance before the scandal, he used to be called a secular pope, Nobel Peace Prize winner. He's still going to continue on that. He wants this organization to focus on AIDS and poverty, but if the organization is deemed a corrupt organization, it may not carry much weight.
Kofi Annan is possibly going to introduced shortly by the president of the general assembly, the foreign minister of Gabon. That's ambassador Ping (ph), Foreign Minister of Gabon who serves as the General Assembly's president.
SANCHEZ: Let's do this then, Richard. You stay there. We're going to continue to monitor this as best we can, and certainly come back to you and show that picture of Kofi Annan when he indeed starts to speak.
Thanks so much for bringing us up to date on this.
Daryn, over to you.
KAGAN: We're going to look at some other news making news this morning. Overseas, in this morning's world wrap, the British and Irish prime ministers unveiled a new plan today to restore home rule in Northern Ireland. They met in Belfast.
It looks like Kofi Annan is coming to the podium. Let's go ahead and listen in, at the U.N. General Assembly. KOFI ANNAN, U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL: Mr. President, excellencies, you received last week the report of the high-level panel entitled "A More Secure World: Our Shared Responsibility." I think it is an excellent report. It provides a new and comprehensive vision of collective security for the 21st century. One of his key message is this: because of globalization, we're living...
KAGAN: Kofi Annan speaking to the General Assembly at the United Nations. We were looking to see if perhaps he would receive a standing ovation, a symbol, a move of support from the members outside of the Security Council, and outside Capitol Hill, where there have been calls for his resignation. No standing ovation for Kofi Annan.
SANCHEZ: Sometimes it's not the reaction that makes the news in cases like this.
Winter woes, why you're at greater risk for a heart attack. We will explain that to you -- rather, Elizabeth Cohen will explain that to you.
KAGAN: Also a new way to treat breast cancer, when CNN LIVE TODAY returns.
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KAGAN: In the fight against breast cancer, some promising news. Doctors say a new drug shows better signs of preventing a return of the disease. The drug is call Aramidex (ph), and it might prevent up to 80 percent of the most common types of tumors that women experience after menopause. Doctors say the drug should now be the first choice for treatment for women who have had the disease.
SANCHEZ: Working harder this holiday season. Well, you should probably leave the heave out of your ho ho ho. In today's "Daily Dose," we look at the wintertime stress, and a surprise guest that could ruin your holiday, not to mention your health.
Here's CNN's medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): What do all of these things have in common -- shoveling snow, the holidays, the flu, and cold weather? The answer -- they're all reasons why heart attacks more likely to occur in the wintertime.
In fact, heart attacks are 53 percent more likely in the winter, and a winter heart attack is 19 percent more likely to be deadly. One of the reasons behind winter heart attacks is obvious. Shoveling snow puts a strain on the heart if you're not used to the exercise. The holidays contribute to heart attacks because of higher levels of stress.
DR. KAROL WATSON, UCLA MEDICAL CENTER: Many studies have shown that people have increased levels of stress and an increased levels of depression around the holidays, both of which we know can precipitate heart disease.
COHEN: Plus, there's holiday eating. Studies show that even just one meal high in saturated fat...
WATSON: That extra piece of cheese cake, an extra glass of eggnog.
COHEN: Can increase your odds of having a heart attack. As for the flu...
WATSON: Even though you feel like you only have the flu in your chest, or your nose or head, the vessels all over your body can become inflamed from that one disease.
COHEN: And inflammation of the vessels leading to the heart can help cause a heart attack, and cold weather can cause vessels to narrow, another heart attack trigger. So while you can't avoid winter altogether, if you're at high risk of having a heart attack, you can dress warmly, watch what you eat, get a flu shot, and if you're not up to it, get someone else to shovel that snow.
Elizabeth Cohen, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: And since you will be making merry with a lot of food over the holidays, How about a little exercise in between? Check out CNN.com/health to find out why you should work out. Even mothers with kids should work out. You'll also find the latest medical news and a health library, again, at CNN.com/health.
We'll be right back.
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KAGAN: Christmas, Hanukkah, what happens when the holidays blur? Well, there is a little P.C., political correction, of course.
Here now, Jeanne Moos.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Tis the season to be angry...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Put Merry Christmas back where it belongs.
MOOS: And where might that be? Stores, where Christmas has been replaced by holiday.
ANNOUNCER: Get ready for the holidays at Marshall's.
ANNOUNCER: Two-day holiday sale, at Sears.
ANNOUNCER: Beat the holiday rush.
MOOS: In their rush to avoid offending non-Christians, you will see stores using everything but Christmas.
(on camera): Christmas is the new 'c' word.
MOOS (voice-over): And so was born savemerrychristmas.org.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Removing "merry Christmas" is political correctness gone amok. California resident Manuel Zamarano founded the committee to save Merry Christmas and says it has 1,000 members that are pushing for a boycott of Federated Stores, which owns, among others, Macy's, "Miracle on 34th Street" Macy's, but that was 1947. This is 2004, when everyone says...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Happy holidays.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Seasons greetings and happy holidays is never a substitute for merry Christmas, never will be.
MOOS: But Federated Stores says these reflections of goodwill are more reflective of the multicultural society in which we live today. After all, this is the age of Christmas and Hanukkah, merging in "Christmaska." Greeting cards for Christian-Jewish families that feature reindeer with Menorah antlers and kosher fruitcake.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The disappearance of the words "merry Christmas" is forcing us all to be a little more creative.
MOOS (on camera): What do you say to people?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All hail the birth of Christ.
MOOS (voice-over): Well, we didn't find that one when we scoured dozens and dozens of holiday ads, searching in vain for the 'c' word, somewhere in the fine print. At last, we found one brave advertisement for diamonds.
Getting rid of Christmas will mean some adjustments.
(SINGING)
MOOS: The folks at savemerrychristmas say we can expect to see the 'c' when it's times for the after-Christmas sales, they suspect so customers know the exact date when the sales start. Sure would drive Bing bonkers.
(SINGING)
Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: Every time I see a Jeanne Moos report, I'm reminded of how many out-of-work actors there are in New York City.
KAGAN: Well, that was Mo Rocca. He's doing a lot of work.
SANCHEZ: Yes?
KAGAN: Yes, a very, very business comedian.
SANCHEZ: It's the rest of them, then.
KAGAN: There you go.
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KAGAN: That's going to wrap it for us.
SANCHEZ: It does indeed, and we're going to go over to Wolf Blitzer now, who's had some high-profile interviews, I don't know if you've noticed this week.
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