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CNN Live At Daybreak
One Year Later After Capture of Saddam Hussein; Steroids Scandal; Getting Personal; Golden Globe Hopefuls
Aired December 13, 2004 - 06:28 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you. Thank you for waking up with us. I'm Carol Costello live from the Time Warner center in New York. Let's get right to the headlines now, shall we?
NASA administrator Sean O'Keefe is expected to announce his resignation today. CNN has learned that O'Keefe will accept an offer to become chancellor at Louisiana State University.
Researchers at Johns Hopkins released a report today on the types of response needed in the case of another anthrax outbreak. The researchers say the best way to handle an attack like this one in 2001 is to quickly get antibiotics to those exposed. They say that's better than mass inoculations.
Nominations for the 62nd annual Golden Globe Awards are to be announced about two hours from now. It's no easy task for the Foreign Press Association to choose from nearly 400 features films, TV series, miniseries and foreign language films.
And powerful winds knock over this 25-foot Christmas tree at the Minnesota governor's mansion. The winds, as high as 60 miles an hour in some areas, also knocked out service for almost 60,000 power customers in the Twin Cities.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: A suicide bomber kills at least 6 people and wounds 15 others this morning at an entrance to Baghdad's Green Zone. To the west of Baghdad, in Al Anbar Province, seven U.S. Marines were killed yesterday in two separate incidents. No details released on those incidents.
And there's more pipeline sabotage. An oil pipeline was set on fire Sunday in northern Iraq; 7.5 million barrels of crude oil were to be shipped last month from northern Iraq. Sabotage cut the shipments to 3.8 million barrels.
You know, some believed such violence would in Iraq once Saddam Hussein was captured. But one year to the day of his capture, the violence and the sabotage continues.
Today, Saddam remains in custody amidst reports that some of Hussein's jailed comrades are conducting a modified hunger strike, and that Saddam himself may be fasting.
More on this from CNN's Chris Lawrence. He's live in Baghdad this morning.
Good morning -- Chris.
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, good morning, Carol.
Just to give you the latest on that what we are hearing, everything we're hearing from the military says Saddam is not fasting. He may have reduced a meal to a snack, as some of these others are doing. But this is more of a diet more than anything, more of a diet more than a hunger strike.
Saddam Hussein remains in a place called Camp Cropper here in Baghdad in a detention facility. He's isolated from the other inmates. And basically, his day to day routine consists of taking his meals, tending to a small garden, reading the Qoran and waiting for his trial.
What we're told is he gets some time outside every day, fresh air, very benign conditions, especially when you consider the treatment that a lot of prisoners received during Saddam's reign.
As far as his health is concerned, he does suffer from a prostate infection and high blood pressure. But other than that, doctors say he is in fairly good health.
COSTELLO: We understand, too, he's writing poetry, Chris.
LAWRENCE: Yes, that's right. He's taking up his time. He's tending to a small garden that he's made there. He is filling his days as he continues to wait for that trial, which a lot of people thought may have happened by now. The interim government here in Iraq did at one time promise that it would be a very speedy trial. That it could have happened by this time already.
Obviously, that has not happened. And we don't expect anything along those lines until at least after an elected government is in place by the end of next month. And even then, what we're hearing is it could be as late as this time next year before Saddam is actually put on trial.
COSTELLO: And a final question for you. What do Iraqis think? Do they even realize it's the one-year anniversary of Saddam's capture?
LAWRENCE: Carol, we had a lot of people, a lot of our CNN staff here translating the Arabic-language newspapers of today, and only one of them actually even mentioned this being the one-year mark. The rest did not. There are no major events planned here in the city of Baghdad.
And we were out on the streets earlier this morning talking to a lot of Iraqis. They basically tell us that they expected so many more changes after his capture. They expected things to be a lot different. They seemed to have only gotten worse, and they're very discouraged by what's happened in the past year.
COSTELLO: Chris Lawrence live in Baghdad this morning.
They're talking a lot on "AMERICAN MORNING" about the one-year anniversary of the capture of Saddam Hussein. So, let's head live to the "AMERICAN MORNING" studios to check in with Soledad.
Good morning -- Soledad.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, Carol, no question about that. We'll talk more about that this morning.
Also, we're talking more about that poisoning of the Ukrainian presidential candidate, Viktor Yushchenko. This morning, we talk with his chief of staff about who he thinks might be the prime suspects in this poisoning. Also, we're going to talk about that investigation that is now under way. We'll find out what exactly it's going to entail. And we're going to check in with Sanjay Gupta about dioxin poisoning. What is it exactly, and what is the long-term prognosis for the presidential candidate?
All of that and much, much more coming up on "AMERICAN MORNING" at the top of the hour.
Carol -- back to you.
COSTELLO: All right, we'll see you then. Thank you, Soledad.
The politics of baseball. Legendary baseball manager Tom Lasorda is weighing in on the steroid scandal that's rocked his sport. In an interview on CBS's "Face the Nation," Lasorda called steroid use by Major League Baseball players a very, very sad situation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TOMMY LASORDA, FORMER LOS ANGELES DODGERS MANAGER: The players are going to have to do this themselves. They don't need to have Congress come in. All they have to do is allow the commissioner to impose the rule that he's done with the Minor Leagues. We've had great success with that: testing any player at random. And if we could do that in the Major Leagues, we'll stop a lot of that taking of steroids.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Oh, but will they? You know, steroids have become quite the hot topic in the world of politics. But is it resonating with you? We ask this question of our political analyst, Vaughn Ververs, of "The National Journal's" online "Hotline."
Good morning, Vaughn.
VAUGHN VERVERS, EDITOR "THE HOTLINE": Good morning, Carol.
COSTELLO: Hey, let me take you back to the president's State of the Union address. Remember when he said this?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: To help children make right choices, they need good examples. Athletics plays such an important role in our society. But unfortunately, some in professional sports are not setting much of an example. The use of performance-enhancing drugs like steroids in baseball, football and other sports is dangerous and it sends the wrong message: that there are shortcuts to accomplishment and that performance is more important than character.
So tonight, I call on team owners, union representatives, coaches and players to take the lead, to send the right signal, to get tough and to get rid of steroids now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Now, remember, Vaughn, we were all scratching our heads when the president said that thing? Is he crazy? Aren't there more important issues to be dealing with right now?
VERVERS: Well, exactly. I remember that, and also his proposal to send a manned mission to Mars in the future. Both of those things widely were sort of ridiculed around the political circles, because we were in a time of a war. The election season was heating up. And the entire speech that he gave last year just sort of seemed to fall flat on those topics.
And you would think that somebody who, if there is a politician uniquely qualified to talk about this topic, it would be the former owner of a baseball team. It turns out the president was just way ahead of the curve on this.
COSTELLO: OK. But now it's seemingly so important. I mean, John McCain is coming out saying that he wants to pass legislation in January if the players union doesn't shape up. Is this really resonating with American voters now? Do they really care that Congress may get involved?
VERVERS: Well, this is the perfect sort of an issue. Yes, they do care if Congress gets involved. The last thing they want to do is be hauled up to Capitol Hill and be put in front of a committee with a lot of senators and congressmen asking them all kinds of questions and trying to get on the evening news that night. I think the owners in particular will try to do anything they can to avoid that, and we've already seen some movement.
So, yes, it does have an impact. It does matter to some extent. Now, whether this is an issue that is really resonating among the American people or whether it's one that politicians are using to get on the news are two different stories.
COSTELLO: Yes, but, Vaughn, some people are actually saying that this issue could catapult John McCain into the forefront in 2008.
VERVERS: Well, this is -- John McCain is a unique politician in himself. He's somebody who doesn't really need an issue to catapult him into it. He's almost the kind of politician who can put an issue onto the table itself instead of using it to catapult himself.
But certainly any time he comes out -- and he's been very out front on this -- he is going to get a lot of attention as a presidential candidate. I think he was going to be one anyway, or at least he certainly is looking at it. He's already been up to New Hampshire. He's somebody that everybody pays attention to whenever he says anything.
And so, we'll be keeping a close eye on him. I'm not sure this issue is going to put him at the front of the pack, though.
COSTELLO: Yes, I don't know. Vaughn Ververs live from Washington, thanks so much.
There are some big "for sale" signs going up this week. We're talking three little letter: IPO. See if you'd be willing to gamble on one of them.
And later, the ladies of the big screen duke it out. Which two Hollywood lovelies could face off in a repeat bout when today's Golden Globes are announced?
But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Monday morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: It's time now for a little business buzz. While you may be doing some last-minute holiday shopping, several companies are also taking care of a little last-minute business of their own before year's end.
Carrie Lee has the story live from the Nasdaq Marketsite.
Good morning -- Carrie.
LEE: Hi, Carol.
The IPO craze is back. That's what it's looking like. As many as 17 companies are slated to go public this week, including the glitzy casino operator, Las Vegas Sands. Of course, that's the owner of the Venetian and Sands Hotels.
If we see 17 IPOs this week, that would be the most we've seen in a single week since mid-2000 when there were actually 26. So, a lot of companies wanting to get out there and get public before the end of the year.
As far as the Sands is concerned, the ticker symbol is expected to be LVS, trading downtown at the New York Stock Exchange.
Quite a few companies have gone public already this year: 196 in total. And the gains have been pretty strong. IPOs this year are up 31 percent on average. So, usually when IPOs start to come out it means the market is doing well, and that's certainly been the case at the Nasdaq. The composite here is soaring 22 percent from its August low.
So, we'll see if these companies come out, Carol, and we'll keep an eye on them going forward.
COSTELLO: Wow!
LEE: Quite a lot.
COSTELLO: Anymore word on the futures this morning?
LEE: Yes. Things are looking pretty strong. It's looking like a solidly higher open today. We'll get numbers on November retail sales. We're expecting a pretty flat rating from the prior look, in part because of gasoline prices. That's had an effect.
Also, of course, tomorrow is the Federal Reserve meeting. A lot of people are expecting another quarter-point hike, making it 5 for 5. So, we'll be watching for that tomorrow.
COSTELLO: We sure will. Carrie Lee live from the Nasdaq Marketsite, thank you.
If you're stumped for a holiday gift, consider something really personal, like having a doll made to look like your child. Oh, yes, scary. Or sneakers you design yourself.
DAYBREAK contributor J.J. Ramberg is filling in for Ali Velshi today.
Oh, that's spooky.
J.J. RAMBERG, CNN DAYBREAK CONTRIBUTOR: Isn't it? Creepy. I know, I had the same exact reaction when I heard about it. It's a Web site called MyTwin.com. And you send in a picture of your daughter or your son, and they'll make a doll that looks exactly like them. Even just copying the freckles on their face. I agree. It's just creepy, right?
COSTELLO: Creepy.
RAMBERG: But it's really popular. A lot of people are getting it.
But this customization is really just a trend that's going on all over the Web right now. There are all kinds of places you can go to make your own very personalized clothing or dolls or cookie baskets.
One of them you can look at NikeID.com. You can go on there. It's really interesting. You choose a pair of shoes. Then you pick the color. You pick the design. You pick what color you want the inside of it to be. And you even pick the color of the laces. And then as a finishing touch, you can put your name on it.
COSTELLO: So, is this stuff expensive?
RAMBERG: It depends where you're going. If you go to get some of these shoes, there are some places at Land's End or some items at LandsEnd.com as well. They're not that much more expensive than they are if you get the normal clothing that aren't customized.
And the reason for this is that there have been so many software developments that there are two things going on. One is it's really cheap for companies to actually take measurements or take colors, put them in a compute and ship them off to wherever the manufacturer is. The other thing is, is it's really easy for a customer to go online, pick what it is that they want, and then take a look at it on the computer from all sides, because the software is so developed right now.
COSTELLO: Interesting. So, there's enough time before Christmas to get this done, even the likeness of your child in a doll.
RAMBERG: There is still enough -- I know. Again, creepy. It is creepy.
COSTELLO: It is. J.J. Ramberg, thanks for joining DAYBREAK this morning.
"AMERICAN MORNING" broadcasts live from Japan today, at least in part. So, let's head overseas and check in with Bill Hemmer. He's in Tokyo.
Good morning -- Bill.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, Carol. Good evening from Tokyo. I've been here a few days now, and it has been a wonderful, wonderful trip for us. We've got a whole lot of things planned, not just for today, but for the rest of the week here as we broadcast live throughout the country of Japan, because we're on here in the evenings, Carol. And a number of viewers, too, check in for our program here.
Among the many topics that we'll be discussing is this whole new defense posture that break over -- broke over the weekend, rather, while we were here. Japan's new defense strategy, as the world watches to see how this all unfolds, putting more -- some would suggest, more offense into its defense, which is really contrary to what we've seen for the past 50 years.
China is already raising its objections to this. And what does it mean for U.S. forces here, 50,000 strong throughout the country of Japan? We'll talk with the head of the U.S. forces on our program coming up here live in Tokyo.
COSTELLO: Interesting.
HEMMER: It's going to be great, Carol. Lots and lots of fun, too.
COSTELLO: Who are your friends?
HEMMER: So back to you now in New York.
COSTELLO: Who are your friends? Who are the friends surrounding you, Bill?
HEMMER: We're drawing a crowd already, Carol. CNNJ, which is our network here in Japan, carries "AMERICAN MORNING" in primetime. You see, it's 9:00 in the evening just about here. So, so many of us get to see our program on "AMERICAN MORNING," and they've come out in good force, too. So, we'll have it all for you live in Tokyo.
COSTELLO: They also watch DAYBREAK, because we've had many cup winners from Japan.
HEMMER: All right! Well, come on over!
COSTELLO: I wish I could. Thank you, Bill.
HEMMER: Sure.
COSTELLO: Eastwood, DiCaprio are names we all know. Which Hollywood heavyweights will square off? Our movie buff makes his picks ahead of today's Golden Globe nominations. You are watching DAYBREAK.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: In just a little while, we'll know which films and TV shows are getting the Golden Globe nod this year. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association announces its choices in less than two hours.
And Tom O'Neil of "In-Touch Weekly" is here with his predictions.
Good morning, Tom.
TOM O'NEIL, EDITOR, "IN-TOUCH WEEKLY": And my own globe, Carol.
COSTELLO: I cannot believe he brings in a Golden Globe.
O'NEIL: And not just any globe. This is the one that Ben-Hur won for best picture in 1960. And what's so remarkable about it is since it's bestowed by journalists, they misspelled the word, "foreign."
COSTELLO: Oh, that doesn't surprise me. Why do you have this Golden Globe?
O'NEIL: I'm obsessed with show business awards. I own Katharine Hepburn's Oscar memorabilia. I own Bette Midler's old Emmy, Fleetwood Macs' Grammys. I have written books on all of these. And I run a Web site called GoldDerby.com, where later today you can get our race track odds on who is going to win the globes.
COSTELLO: Cool!
O'NEIL: I'm really sick.
COSTELLO: You are sick. But that's really cool. So, let's talk about the race for the Golden Globes. Of course, "The Aviator" is going to be tops on the list.
O'NEIL: It is. We're giving it 6 to 5 odds to win actually at Gold Derby, not just the globe, but the Oscars, because it's rare that we have that big blockbuster epic film that's being so well-received so well by critics. And behind it is Martin Scorsese, and no movie of his has ever swept the globes before. And Leo has never won.
COSTELLO: That's really surprising to me, because you would think with the "Godfather" movies...
O'NEIL: Sure.
COSTELLO: ... and you mentioned Jim Carrey was nominated for three Golden Globes, and it's like, you've got to be kidding!
O'NEIL: Jim Carrey has won three Golden Globes. But all of these people up for globes this year in the best drama actor race, including Clint Eastwood, who has never won a globe for acting and has never even been nominated on the acting side, Johnny Depp, it's amazing.
COSTELLO: That is amazing. So, let's talk about the best drama actor, Leonardo DiCaprio, Clint Eastwood, Johnny Depp.
O'NEIL: Javiar Bardem from "The Sea Inside." Those will be the frontrunners to win. None of them have ever won before. And that's remarkable, considering, as you were mentioning, Jim Carrey has three of these things.
COSTELLO: Let's talk about best actress.
O'NEIL: Best actress is going to be a showdown in different categories between Annette Bening on the comedy-drama side for "Being Julia" and Hilary Swank on the drama side for "Million Dollar Baby." If they do end up winning, we're going to see a rematch of four years ago at the Oscars, where Hilary Swank dealt "American Beauty" the only loss it had in a lead category. So, Annette is out for revenge.
COSTELLO: That's right. Is there anything to the comedy aspect of it as far as Annette Bening as the winner goes?
O'NEIL: No, because it also has some dramatic pretensions to it, "Being Julia" does. I loved it. It's a great movie.
COSTELLO: I haven't seen it. I'm going to have to go see it. OK. Best comedy musical picture.
O'NEIL: This one is going to make your husband very happy, Carol, because I know he's a big fan of "Sideways." "Sideways" just won best picture from the L.A. Film Critics Awards on Saturday. It's likely going to win later today from the New York Film Critics. It's the darling of Hollywood and will sweep that side of the awards.
COSTELLO: I love that movie. It was an actually story, and it had a plot and everything.
O'NEIL: It's (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
COSTELLO: It's so unusual. Best comedy musical actor.
O'NEIL: That will be Jamie Foxx from "Ray," of course. He's...
COSTELLO: That's the only actor you have down here.
O'NEIL: Oh, there certainly will be a lot of others. I'm blanking out on who is even nominated. But it's a slam dunk for him. Paul Giamatti will be nominated in this category against him from "Sideways," so he might give him some trouble. But Jamie really pulled off a coup this year by showing his dramatic chops in a big commercial hit.
COSTELLO: Oh, yes. And I hear he's so terrific in that movie. In fact, you would swear it is Ray Charles.
O'NEIL: Yes, it's amazing.
COSTELLO: Tom O'Neil, thank you for joining DAYBREAK this morning. We appreciate it.
When the nominations are announced, by the way, CNN will bring them to you live. So stay tuned at 8:30 Eastern to find out who is up for the Golden Globes.
This is DAYBREAK for a Monday morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: It takes a certain kind of someone to go swimming this time of year in Switzerland. And yet hundreds of swimmers in barely- there water-wear jumped right into this 42-degree lake in Geneva. Contestants in this swimming race wear funny costumes, as you can see, as if jumping into really cold water isn't silly enough.
In Germany, winter sports enthusiasts can enjoy skating not matter what the weather is. This covered ice rink spans 1,000 square meters, illuminated by 100,000 lights. And the best part: it is all free.
And, Rob, just a reminder, you've heard from Chad. He is coming back on Wednesday, right?
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: That's right. He's doing well and feeling well. I don't think he's doing any ice skating right now. Changing diapers, you know, getting the bottles ready and all.
COSTELLO: Yes, I don't think he's getting any more sleep. So, he'll be used to DAYBREAK still.
MARCIANO: Yes. But it will be good to see him.
COSTELLO: All right. Thank you, Rob. From the Time Warner center in New York, I'm Carol Costello. "AMERICAN MORNING" starts right now. 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 13, 2004 - 06:28 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you. Thank you for waking up with us. I'm Carol Costello live from the Time Warner center in New York. Let's get right to the headlines now, shall we?
NASA administrator Sean O'Keefe is expected to announce his resignation today. CNN has learned that O'Keefe will accept an offer to become chancellor at Louisiana State University.
Researchers at Johns Hopkins released a report today on the types of response needed in the case of another anthrax outbreak. The researchers say the best way to handle an attack like this one in 2001 is to quickly get antibiotics to those exposed. They say that's better than mass inoculations.
Nominations for the 62nd annual Golden Globe Awards are to be announced about two hours from now. It's no easy task for the Foreign Press Association to choose from nearly 400 features films, TV series, miniseries and foreign language films.
And powerful winds knock over this 25-foot Christmas tree at the Minnesota governor's mansion. The winds, as high as 60 miles an hour in some areas, also knocked out service for almost 60,000 power customers in the Twin Cities.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: A suicide bomber kills at least 6 people and wounds 15 others this morning at an entrance to Baghdad's Green Zone. To the west of Baghdad, in Al Anbar Province, seven U.S. Marines were killed yesterday in two separate incidents. No details released on those incidents.
And there's more pipeline sabotage. An oil pipeline was set on fire Sunday in northern Iraq; 7.5 million barrels of crude oil were to be shipped last month from northern Iraq. Sabotage cut the shipments to 3.8 million barrels.
You know, some believed such violence would in Iraq once Saddam Hussein was captured. But one year to the day of his capture, the violence and the sabotage continues.
Today, Saddam remains in custody amidst reports that some of Hussein's jailed comrades are conducting a modified hunger strike, and that Saddam himself may be fasting.
More on this from CNN's Chris Lawrence. He's live in Baghdad this morning.
Good morning -- Chris.
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, good morning, Carol.
Just to give you the latest on that what we are hearing, everything we're hearing from the military says Saddam is not fasting. He may have reduced a meal to a snack, as some of these others are doing. But this is more of a diet more than anything, more of a diet more than a hunger strike.
Saddam Hussein remains in a place called Camp Cropper here in Baghdad in a detention facility. He's isolated from the other inmates. And basically, his day to day routine consists of taking his meals, tending to a small garden, reading the Qoran and waiting for his trial.
What we're told is he gets some time outside every day, fresh air, very benign conditions, especially when you consider the treatment that a lot of prisoners received during Saddam's reign.
As far as his health is concerned, he does suffer from a prostate infection and high blood pressure. But other than that, doctors say he is in fairly good health.
COSTELLO: We understand, too, he's writing poetry, Chris.
LAWRENCE: Yes, that's right. He's taking up his time. He's tending to a small garden that he's made there. He is filling his days as he continues to wait for that trial, which a lot of people thought may have happened by now. The interim government here in Iraq did at one time promise that it would be a very speedy trial. That it could have happened by this time already.
Obviously, that has not happened. And we don't expect anything along those lines until at least after an elected government is in place by the end of next month. And even then, what we're hearing is it could be as late as this time next year before Saddam is actually put on trial.
COSTELLO: And a final question for you. What do Iraqis think? Do they even realize it's the one-year anniversary of Saddam's capture?
LAWRENCE: Carol, we had a lot of people, a lot of our CNN staff here translating the Arabic-language newspapers of today, and only one of them actually even mentioned this being the one-year mark. The rest did not. There are no major events planned here in the city of Baghdad.
And we were out on the streets earlier this morning talking to a lot of Iraqis. They basically tell us that they expected so many more changes after his capture. They expected things to be a lot different. They seemed to have only gotten worse, and they're very discouraged by what's happened in the past year.
COSTELLO: Chris Lawrence live in Baghdad this morning.
They're talking a lot on "AMERICAN MORNING" about the one-year anniversary of the capture of Saddam Hussein. So, let's head live to the "AMERICAN MORNING" studios to check in with Soledad.
Good morning -- Soledad.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, Carol, no question about that. We'll talk more about that this morning.
Also, we're talking more about that poisoning of the Ukrainian presidential candidate, Viktor Yushchenko. This morning, we talk with his chief of staff about who he thinks might be the prime suspects in this poisoning. Also, we're going to talk about that investigation that is now under way. We'll find out what exactly it's going to entail. And we're going to check in with Sanjay Gupta about dioxin poisoning. What is it exactly, and what is the long-term prognosis for the presidential candidate?
All of that and much, much more coming up on "AMERICAN MORNING" at the top of the hour.
Carol -- back to you.
COSTELLO: All right, we'll see you then. Thank you, Soledad.
The politics of baseball. Legendary baseball manager Tom Lasorda is weighing in on the steroid scandal that's rocked his sport. In an interview on CBS's "Face the Nation," Lasorda called steroid use by Major League Baseball players a very, very sad situation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TOMMY LASORDA, FORMER LOS ANGELES DODGERS MANAGER: The players are going to have to do this themselves. They don't need to have Congress come in. All they have to do is allow the commissioner to impose the rule that he's done with the Minor Leagues. We've had great success with that: testing any player at random. And if we could do that in the Major Leagues, we'll stop a lot of that taking of steroids.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Oh, but will they? You know, steroids have become quite the hot topic in the world of politics. But is it resonating with you? We ask this question of our political analyst, Vaughn Ververs, of "The National Journal's" online "Hotline."
Good morning, Vaughn.
VAUGHN VERVERS, EDITOR "THE HOTLINE": Good morning, Carol.
COSTELLO: Hey, let me take you back to the president's State of the Union address. Remember when he said this?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: To help children make right choices, they need good examples. Athletics plays such an important role in our society. But unfortunately, some in professional sports are not setting much of an example. The use of performance-enhancing drugs like steroids in baseball, football and other sports is dangerous and it sends the wrong message: that there are shortcuts to accomplishment and that performance is more important than character.
So tonight, I call on team owners, union representatives, coaches and players to take the lead, to send the right signal, to get tough and to get rid of steroids now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Now, remember, Vaughn, we were all scratching our heads when the president said that thing? Is he crazy? Aren't there more important issues to be dealing with right now?
VERVERS: Well, exactly. I remember that, and also his proposal to send a manned mission to Mars in the future. Both of those things widely were sort of ridiculed around the political circles, because we were in a time of a war. The election season was heating up. And the entire speech that he gave last year just sort of seemed to fall flat on those topics.
And you would think that somebody who, if there is a politician uniquely qualified to talk about this topic, it would be the former owner of a baseball team. It turns out the president was just way ahead of the curve on this.
COSTELLO: OK. But now it's seemingly so important. I mean, John McCain is coming out saying that he wants to pass legislation in January if the players union doesn't shape up. Is this really resonating with American voters now? Do they really care that Congress may get involved?
VERVERS: Well, this is the perfect sort of an issue. Yes, they do care if Congress gets involved. The last thing they want to do is be hauled up to Capitol Hill and be put in front of a committee with a lot of senators and congressmen asking them all kinds of questions and trying to get on the evening news that night. I think the owners in particular will try to do anything they can to avoid that, and we've already seen some movement.
So, yes, it does have an impact. It does matter to some extent. Now, whether this is an issue that is really resonating among the American people or whether it's one that politicians are using to get on the news are two different stories.
COSTELLO: Yes, but, Vaughn, some people are actually saying that this issue could catapult John McCain into the forefront in 2008.
VERVERS: Well, this is -- John McCain is a unique politician in himself. He's somebody who doesn't really need an issue to catapult him into it. He's almost the kind of politician who can put an issue onto the table itself instead of using it to catapult himself.
But certainly any time he comes out -- and he's been very out front on this -- he is going to get a lot of attention as a presidential candidate. I think he was going to be one anyway, or at least he certainly is looking at it. He's already been up to New Hampshire. He's somebody that everybody pays attention to whenever he says anything.
And so, we'll be keeping a close eye on him. I'm not sure this issue is going to put him at the front of the pack, though.
COSTELLO: Yes, I don't know. Vaughn Ververs live from Washington, thanks so much.
There are some big "for sale" signs going up this week. We're talking three little letter: IPO. See if you'd be willing to gamble on one of them.
And later, the ladies of the big screen duke it out. Which two Hollywood lovelies could face off in a repeat bout when today's Golden Globes are announced?
But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Monday morning.
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COSTELLO: It's time now for a little business buzz. While you may be doing some last-minute holiday shopping, several companies are also taking care of a little last-minute business of their own before year's end.
Carrie Lee has the story live from the Nasdaq Marketsite.
Good morning -- Carrie.
LEE: Hi, Carol.
The IPO craze is back. That's what it's looking like. As many as 17 companies are slated to go public this week, including the glitzy casino operator, Las Vegas Sands. Of course, that's the owner of the Venetian and Sands Hotels.
If we see 17 IPOs this week, that would be the most we've seen in a single week since mid-2000 when there were actually 26. So, a lot of companies wanting to get out there and get public before the end of the year.
As far as the Sands is concerned, the ticker symbol is expected to be LVS, trading downtown at the New York Stock Exchange.
Quite a few companies have gone public already this year: 196 in total. And the gains have been pretty strong. IPOs this year are up 31 percent on average. So, usually when IPOs start to come out it means the market is doing well, and that's certainly been the case at the Nasdaq. The composite here is soaring 22 percent from its August low.
So, we'll see if these companies come out, Carol, and we'll keep an eye on them going forward.
COSTELLO: Wow!
LEE: Quite a lot.
COSTELLO: Anymore word on the futures this morning?
LEE: Yes. Things are looking pretty strong. It's looking like a solidly higher open today. We'll get numbers on November retail sales. We're expecting a pretty flat rating from the prior look, in part because of gasoline prices. That's had an effect.
Also, of course, tomorrow is the Federal Reserve meeting. A lot of people are expecting another quarter-point hike, making it 5 for 5. So, we'll be watching for that tomorrow.
COSTELLO: We sure will. Carrie Lee live from the Nasdaq Marketsite, thank you.
If you're stumped for a holiday gift, consider something really personal, like having a doll made to look like your child. Oh, yes, scary. Or sneakers you design yourself.
DAYBREAK contributor J.J. Ramberg is filling in for Ali Velshi today.
Oh, that's spooky.
J.J. RAMBERG, CNN DAYBREAK CONTRIBUTOR: Isn't it? Creepy. I know, I had the same exact reaction when I heard about it. It's a Web site called MyTwin.com. And you send in a picture of your daughter or your son, and they'll make a doll that looks exactly like them. Even just copying the freckles on their face. I agree. It's just creepy, right?
COSTELLO: Creepy.
RAMBERG: But it's really popular. A lot of people are getting it.
But this customization is really just a trend that's going on all over the Web right now. There are all kinds of places you can go to make your own very personalized clothing or dolls or cookie baskets.
One of them you can look at NikeID.com. You can go on there. It's really interesting. You choose a pair of shoes. Then you pick the color. You pick the design. You pick what color you want the inside of it to be. And you even pick the color of the laces. And then as a finishing touch, you can put your name on it.
COSTELLO: So, is this stuff expensive?
RAMBERG: It depends where you're going. If you go to get some of these shoes, there are some places at Land's End or some items at LandsEnd.com as well. They're not that much more expensive than they are if you get the normal clothing that aren't customized.
And the reason for this is that there have been so many software developments that there are two things going on. One is it's really cheap for companies to actually take measurements or take colors, put them in a compute and ship them off to wherever the manufacturer is. The other thing is, is it's really easy for a customer to go online, pick what it is that they want, and then take a look at it on the computer from all sides, because the software is so developed right now.
COSTELLO: Interesting. So, there's enough time before Christmas to get this done, even the likeness of your child in a doll.
RAMBERG: There is still enough -- I know. Again, creepy. It is creepy.
COSTELLO: It is. J.J. Ramberg, thanks for joining DAYBREAK this morning.
"AMERICAN MORNING" broadcasts live from Japan today, at least in part. So, let's head overseas and check in with Bill Hemmer. He's in Tokyo.
Good morning -- Bill.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, Carol. Good evening from Tokyo. I've been here a few days now, and it has been a wonderful, wonderful trip for us. We've got a whole lot of things planned, not just for today, but for the rest of the week here as we broadcast live throughout the country of Japan, because we're on here in the evenings, Carol. And a number of viewers, too, check in for our program here.
Among the many topics that we'll be discussing is this whole new defense posture that break over -- broke over the weekend, rather, while we were here. Japan's new defense strategy, as the world watches to see how this all unfolds, putting more -- some would suggest, more offense into its defense, which is really contrary to what we've seen for the past 50 years.
China is already raising its objections to this. And what does it mean for U.S. forces here, 50,000 strong throughout the country of Japan? We'll talk with the head of the U.S. forces on our program coming up here live in Tokyo.
COSTELLO: Interesting.
HEMMER: It's going to be great, Carol. Lots and lots of fun, too.
COSTELLO: Who are your friends?
HEMMER: So back to you now in New York.
COSTELLO: Who are your friends? Who are the friends surrounding you, Bill?
HEMMER: We're drawing a crowd already, Carol. CNNJ, which is our network here in Japan, carries "AMERICAN MORNING" in primetime. You see, it's 9:00 in the evening just about here. So, so many of us get to see our program on "AMERICAN MORNING," and they've come out in good force, too. So, we'll have it all for you live in Tokyo.
COSTELLO: They also watch DAYBREAK, because we've had many cup winners from Japan.
HEMMER: All right! Well, come on over!
COSTELLO: I wish I could. Thank you, Bill.
HEMMER: Sure.
COSTELLO: Eastwood, DiCaprio are names we all know. Which Hollywood heavyweights will square off? Our movie buff makes his picks ahead of today's Golden Globe nominations. You are watching DAYBREAK.
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COSTELLO: In just a little while, we'll know which films and TV shows are getting the Golden Globe nod this year. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association announces its choices in less than two hours.
And Tom O'Neil of "In-Touch Weekly" is here with his predictions.
Good morning, Tom.
TOM O'NEIL, EDITOR, "IN-TOUCH WEEKLY": And my own globe, Carol.
COSTELLO: I cannot believe he brings in a Golden Globe.
O'NEIL: And not just any globe. This is the one that Ben-Hur won for best picture in 1960. And what's so remarkable about it is since it's bestowed by journalists, they misspelled the word, "foreign."
COSTELLO: Oh, that doesn't surprise me. Why do you have this Golden Globe?
O'NEIL: I'm obsessed with show business awards. I own Katharine Hepburn's Oscar memorabilia. I own Bette Midler's old Emmy, Fleetwood Macs' Grammys. I have written books on all of these. And I run a Web site called GoldDerby.com, where later today you can get our race track odds on who is going to win the globes.
COSTELLO: Cool!
O'NEIL: I'm really sick.
COSTELLO: You are sick. But that's really cool. So, let's talk about the race for the Golden Globes. Of course, "The Aviator" is going to be tops on the list.
O'NEIL: It is. We're giving it 6 to 5 odds to win actually at Gold Derby, not just the globe, but the Oscars, because it's rare that we have that big blockbuster epic film that's being so well-received so well by critics. And behind it is Martin Scorsese, and no movie of his has ever swept the globes before. And Leo has never won.
COSTELLO: That's really surprising to me, because you would think with the "Godfather" movies...
O'NEIL: Sure.
COSTELLO: ... and you mentioned Jim Carrey was nominated for three Golden Globes, and it's like, you've got to be kidding!
O'NEIL: Jim Carrey has won three Golden Globes. But all of these people up for globes this year in the best drama actor race, including Clint Eastwood, who has never won a globe for acting and has never even been nominated on the acting side, Johnny Depp, it's amazing.
COSTELLO: That is amazing. So, let's talk about the best drama actor, Leonardo DiCaprio, Clint Eastwood, Johnny Depp.
O'NEIL: Javiar Bardem from "The Sea Inside." Those will be the frontrunners to win. None of them have ever won before. And that's remarkable, considering, as you were mentioning, Jim Carrey has three of these things.
COSTELLO: Let's talk about best actress.
O'NEIL: Best actress is going to be a showdown in different categories between Annette Bening on the comedy-drama side for "Being Julia" and Hilary Swank on the drama side for "Million Dollar Baby." If they do end up winning, we're going to see a rematch of four years ago at the Oscars, where Hilary Swank dealt "American Beauty" the only loss it had in a lead category. So, Annette is out for revenge.
COSTELLO: That's right. Is there anything to the comedy aspect of it as far as Annette Bening as the winner goes?
O'NEIL: No, because it also has some dramatic pretensions to it, "Being Julia" does. I loved it. It's a great movie.
COSTELLO: I haven't seen it. I'm going to have to go see it. OK. Best comedy musical picture.
O'NEIL: This one is going to make your husband very happy, Carol, because I know he's a big fan of "Sideways." "Sideways" just won best picture from the L.A. Film Critics Awards on Saturday. It's likely going to win later today from the New York Film Critics. It's the darling of Hollywood and will sweep that side of the awards.
COSTELLO: I love that movie. It was an actually story, and it had a plot and everything.
O'NEIL: It's (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
COSTELLO: It's so unusual. Best comedy musical actor.
O'NEIL: That will be Jamie Foxx from "Ray," of course. He's...
COSTELLO: That's the only actor you have down here.
O'NEIL: Oh, there certainly will be a lot of others. I'm blanking out on who is even nominated. But it's a slam dunk for him. Paul Giamatti will be nominated in this category against him from "Sideways," so he might give him some trouble. But Jamie really pulled off a coup this year by showing his dramatic chops in a big commercial hit.
COSTELLO: Oh, yes. And I hear he's so terrific in that movie. In fact, you would swear it is Ray Charles.
O'NEIL: Yes, it's amazing.
COSTELLO: Tom O'Neil, thank you for joining DAYBREAK this morning. We appreciate it.
When the nominations are announced, by the way, CNN will bring them to you live. So stay tuned at 8:30 Eastern to find out who is up for the Golden Globes.
This is DAYBREAK for a Monday morning.
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COSTELLO: It takes a certain kind of someone to go swimming this time of year in Switzerland. And yet hundreds of swimmers in barely- there water-wear jumped right into this 42-degree lake in Geneva. Contestants in this swimming race wear funny costumes, as you can see, as if jumping into really cold water isn't silly enough.
In Germany, winter sports enthusiasts can enjoy skating not matter what the weather is. This covered ice rink spans 1,000 square meters, illuminated by 100,000 lights. And the best part: it is all free.
And, Rob, just a reminder, you've heard from Chad. He is coming back on Wednesday, right?
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: That's right. He's doing well and feeling well. I don't think he's doing any ice skating right now. Changing diapers, you know, getting the bottles ready and all.
COSTELLO: Yes, I don't think he's getting any more sleep. So, he'll be used to DAYBREAK still.
MARCIANO: Yes. But it will be good to see him.
COSTELLO: All right. Thank you, Rob. From the Time Warner center in New York, I'm Carol Costello. "AMERICAN MORNING" starts right now. TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
