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American Morning
Doctor's Recommendations for Dealing With Jetlag; '90-Second Pop'
Aired December 15, 2004 - 09:30 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: That's kind of a nice shot of the west side, the upper west side in New York City.
Welcome back, everybody. Just about half past the hour on this AMERICAN MORNING.
Coming up in just a few moments, we're going to take a look at the hostage demands being made by gunmen in Greece. About 20 passengers are being held on a hijacked city bus. Mike Brooks, a former hostage negotiator himself, is with us to explain just how police might try to end the standoff.
Also, something we thought might help Bill in Japan, might help you as well. Sanjay's going to give us a doctor's recommendations for dealing with jet lag. Did you know that what you eat could help you cope on a long flight? We're going to talk about you that, many other tips as well.
But first, the headlines with Kelly Wallace.
Good morning again.
KELLY WALLACE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning again, Soledad. Good morning, everyone.
Now in the news, a White House economic summit under way in Washington, D.C. Vice President Dick Cheney has opened that summit. You are looking at some live pictures right now. President Bush will appear later today. The meetings will focus on proposals, like expanding tax cuts and partially privatizing Social Security, some of the items of the president's second-term agenda.
Federal investigators looking very closely at a package that may hold clothes to a decade's old serial killing. Among the items inside that package, what appears to be the driver's license of one of the victims of the killer who calls himself BTK, which stands for bind, torture, kill. the killer is linked to eight murders, dating all the way back to 1974. He resurfaced in March, writing letters to the media and police.
News about actor Robert Blake. In the next three hours, he will appear in a Los Angeles court for what may be the final hearing before his murder trial. Blake is accused of killing his wife, Bonny Lee Bakley 3 1/2 years ago. Several pretrial motions will be discussed today. Opening arguments scheduled to begin Monday.
Meanwhile, in another development, police recovering computer equipment that was allegedly stolen from Blake's lawyer's apartment.
And in Hawaii, residents are being warned to stay clear of the coast. The reason? Officials warning that waves -- look at these -- they could reach as high as 50 feet, thanks to strong winds and unusual high-tide levels. Serious surfers, though, expected to take advantage of the conditions. In fact, one group that meets only one waves reach 20 feet, has scheduled a tournament for today. So clearly they are very, very happy out there, if you like to surf.
O'BRIEN: Invariably, don't they always say stay away from the coast? And of course that draws every single real surfer.
WALLACE: It's like awe news flash for surfers.
O'BRIEN: They head right there. All right, Kelly, thanks.
WALLACE: Sure.
O'BRIEN: The hostage standoff that's unfolding in Athens, Greece to talk about now. Authorities say at least two armed men are holding at least 19 passengers hostage on a commuter bus. Also, the prime minister of Greece has postponed his departure for the E.U. summit due to the crisis.
CNN law enforcement analyst Mike Brooks joins us from Atlanta.
Mike, welcome back.
Let's, quick, talk about hostage negotiations that you've done in the past. What happens now, as the standoff continues? Are they -- what steps are police doing to try to deal with these hostage-takers?
MIKE BROOKS, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Well, the police want to keep the negotiations ongoing. They have provided them with a phone to keep the negotiations ongoing. And as soon as they stop releasing hostages, that's when you have to worry about what may be going on inside the bus. But for now, Soledad, it looks as if the negotiations are ongoing and are going successfully. Whenever hostages are released, that's a success on the negotiator's side.
Now, on the tactical side of things, there are preparations, just in case things do go bad inside the bus, and they have to prepare for a tactical resolution. But negotiators hope that does not happen, but they are preparing for contingencies should that happen, but hopefully it won't.
O'BRIEN: All right, well, realistically speaking, it's getting to be nighttime there. Is that a moment of opportunity for the negotiators, because lose visibility, they can spring an attack on the hostage-takers? Is that a fair guess?
Well, we know that the police there and the tactical teams do have night vision in Greece. They had them because of the Olympics. They were supplied with a lot more equipment than they used to have prior to the Olympics. They are extremely well trained, as are the negotiators. Negotiators have been trained by the FBI, and also by the metropolitan police in London; they've been trained by the best.
But as night falls there in Greece, they will continue with the negotiations. They're not going to screw that up, if they can. They will continue for that, continue to ask for more hostages to be released. We don't know exactly what's going on inside that bus. But if something bad should happen inside that bus, nightfall will not affect it. They can use nightvision gear. In fact, it will help the tactical operators approach the bus from all different sides in the nighttime, other than the daytime, because you've got at least -- almost 360-degree view outside the bus. But there are reports that they have closed the curtains. So they might have trouble seeing inside that bus. And, again, that's also another trouble for negotiators -- for tactical operators approaching the bus.
O'BRIEN: Mike Brooks for us in Atlanta this morning. Mike, thanks.
Turning no to homeland security in this country. A shocking new indictment really of the readiness to respond to any kind of bioterrorist attack. That is the focus of our Security Watch at this hour. Only six states now have the capability to quickly distribute vaccines and antidotes in an emergency. That's according to a new study.
National correspondent Bob Franken has more.
... are considered though the best states prepared, preparation- wise --Minnesota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Virginia close behind. Massachusetts and Alaska are cited as among the worst. Indiana, Pennsylvania, Washington D.C., Wyoming also grade pretty poorly. New Jersey, though, is ranked in the middle. And earlier this morning on AMERICAN MORNING, I spoke with New Jersey Senator Jon Corzine about his state's grade.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JON CORZINE (D), NEW JERSEY: I think that we are not preparing adequately for these kinds of attacks. We had the anthrax attack, which originated in New Jersey, and we still hadn't found the people. We haven't really developed the techniques to respond to it. I think you saw probably, as opposed to a study, you heard from Secretary Thompson when he stepped down, saying, we're totally unprepared to deal with an infection of our food supply. and I think that there are tremendous exposures here. We're not putting enough resources into it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: That was Senator Corzine, talking a little bit earlier to us on AMERICAN MORNING. He has announced plans he wants to run for governor of New Jersey next year.
(WEATHER REPORT)
O'BRIEN: Let's go back to Bill in Tokyo.
Hey, Bill.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Hi.
Time for your to hold your ears a second here. Earlier today, in talking with the prime minister, at the end of our 40-minute conversation, I knew he was a big Elvis Presley fan, but I was not aware he was this much of a fan.
Have a listen.
(SINGING)
HEMMER: Well, we gave it a good shot, anyway. Kind of trailed off at the end. About three years ago, the prime minister put out his favorite 25 songs from Elvis Presley on to a CD and they sold it throughout the country here in Japan. So a big fan today, as was evidenced today at the end of our...
O'BRIEN: Hey, Bill...
HEMMER: Hey, what?
O'BRIEN: You got an e-mail about that. Can I read it to you?
HEMMER: How bad is it?
O'BRIEN: It's actually e-mail to Jack about the cell phones, should they be allowed on airplanes, but he goes on this guy, and says -- his name is Kevin. In other news, "After watching Bill Hemmer do karaoke with the prime minister, I am left with the satisfaction that America has finally evened the score for that 'she bangs, she bangs' dude on 'American Idol.'" I think he liked it.
HEMMER: I like that Kevin. That was my version of Japanese idol, Soledad.
O'BRIEN: You pulled it off swimmingly.
HEMMER: I think we were bounced if Simon were there. It was fun, and good fun for him for being such a good sport with it at the end.
You know, Soledad, the other thing we have to deal with now, since we're coming home is jetlag. Some say it takes three weeks to adjust, including our friend Dave from Japan, who only does it now once a year, he says, and will not fly unless he has at least three weeks back in his hometown of Ottawa, Canada.
Flying from New York to Tokyo, east to west, up over Canada and Alaska, takes 14 hours and 30 minutes. The return flight -- oh, it's short, Tokyo to New York City, only 12 hours and 30 minutes. And Sanjay's here now at the CNN Center with some tips on how I hopefully can recover from this one.
How are you, Sanjay? DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm doing well, Bill. And that nice private jet of yours, everything should be just fine, I think, Bill.
HEMMER: G-5 right.
GUPTA: That's right.
Hey, listen, jet lag is something everyone endures at some point or another. It really has to did with night and day, and what your brain -- how your brain actually responded to that. You have a gland in your brain called the pinyo (ph) gland that makes melatonin. It's all about the melatonin as far as jetlag goes. All sorts of things change -- your temperature, hormones, digestion, heart rate, blood pressure, mental alertness. Those who have symptoms jetlag have these symptoms -- headaches, fatigue, uncontrollable drowsiness, possible insomnia afterwards, irritability and impaired decision-making.
A couple of points, Bill, you mentioned east versus west, west versus east, when you're coming and going. If you're going for rather short trips, like coast to coast in the United States, for example, westward is actually easier to adjust -- you're moving with the sun. Eastward typically is harder to adjust; you're moving against the sun.
And the per-time zone difference generally about a day to adjust. You're crossing 11 time zones, Bill, I counted. Typically, would take you 11 days to adjust. For most people, though, for short trips, if they're traveling that far away, as you did, they typically stay on their home clock. I don't know if you did that or not, but if you did, you're going to have a much easier time adjusting, bill.
HEMMER: I did not, by the way. You know what the hotels here in Japan have, Sanjay, that are excellent? They have blackout shades that truly block out all element of light anytime of the day. Middle of the afternoon, it can be pitch black in there. Here's my question there for you. On the screen, you just showed us, if you go a time zone, it takes a day to recover. But if you fly from New York to L.A., that's three time zones, doesn't take three days there. Is it true that it takes you about a day for every hour?
GUPTA: It does typically take about a day for every hour. But it really depends on your length of stay as well. For example, you just brought up New York to L.A. If you typically stay only for a short time, you really -- almost are truly staying on your own clock still, going to bed early, waking up early, that sort of thing. So maybe a little bit easier. But there are ways to minimize the effects of jet lag as well, especially in a case like yours, when you're traveling so far. As soon as you arrive there, expose your body to daylight; don't use those blackout curtains you were just talking about. Stretch and exercise on the plane.
Also, I mentioned melatonin earlier, Bill. Some doctors will actually advocate taking melatonin supplements or over-the-counter sleep aids. Of course talk over those things with your doctor, and take those naps if you're sleepy. Those 10 to 30 minute naps is what pilots use to help them overcome jet lags, as well -- Bill. HEMMER: Good advice, I'll let you know if it works, is that a deal?
GUPTA: Yes, you should get 11 days off according to my calculations. Is that going to happen?
HEMMER: I'll take that. E-mail the boss. No.
Sanjay, thanks. Back here in Tokyo, want to introduce some young ladies tonight.
How are you guys doing?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good.
HEMMER: You're from Virginia, right?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
HEMMER: Whose T-shirt did you steal?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My dad's.
HEMMER: Your dad's. I've got to imagine he's pretty cold at this point.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
HEMMER: You guys staying warm?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I can't feel my toes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I know.
HEMMER: She's your friend; you can take her heat. Nice to see you guys tonight.
Konbanwa. English? How are you tonight?
HEMMER: Little bit, little bit.
Ogenki des.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ogenki des.
HEMMER: You're fine?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm fine.
HEMMER: Thanks for coming out tonight. Great to see you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I love CNN. I love so much. HEMMER: Well, just go out and tell a million more people. Nice to see you all, OK?
Back to Soledad now in New York.
Good crowd, again, here, in Tokyo.
O'BRIEN: Looks like a great crowd. As for the 11 days off Sanjay just gave you, I'm canceling that vacation, OK. Don't bother to submit that.
All right, Bill, still to come this morning, our "90-Second Pop" team thinks that Madonna might be making the same mistake with her current husband Guy Richie that she made with Sean Penn and Warren Beatty. We'll explain ahead, on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: Oh, another time, another chapter with "90-Second Pop" -- whatever it says there on the prompter. Sorry. We're off to a good start. That's what I love about this segment.
Let's get right to the guests, shall we? And they can save me. Andy Borowitz, the head of humor at BorowitzReport.com. Sarah Bernard, contributing editor for "New York" magazine. Toure, CNN's pop culture correspondent.
Good morning. Good morning. Good morning.
Anna Kournikova and -- what's his face? -- Inglesias...
TOURE, CNN POP CULTURE CORRESPONDENT: Enrique.
SARAH BERNARD, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR, "NEW YORK" MAGAZINE: Enrique.
O'BRIEN: Enrique, Enrique. True? Not true? Breaking news here?
BERNARD: Apparently, they have gotten married earlier this month in a secret ceremony. This is the news from "US Weekly" that we're hearing. And...
O'BRIEN: In Puerto Vallarta, the Love Boat.
BERNARD: Puerto Vallarta, I know, it's what I think of every time. On the Love Boat.
ANDY BOROWITZ, BOROWITZREPORT.COM: It was fabulous, by the way.
BERNARD: There were three people there, and Anna, Andy and Enrique.
BOROWITZ: I (UNINTELLIGIBLE). BERNARD: Now, this is the funny celebrity trend, right? It used to be that you had these lavish weddings. Remember Madonna's first wedding, where the helicopters were circling overhead? And now...
BOROWITZ: Sean Penn.
BERNARD: Right. Now it's like you have to have the quiet secret, did they get married, did they not?
O'BRIEN: To avoid the paparazzi.
BERNARD: Right.
BOROWITZ: Right.
BERNARD: So, it proves all the more that Star and Al got it totally wrong.
BOROWITZ: Wrong.
BERNARD: Totally the opposite.
O'BRIEN: Here's the curve and here's where they are, way behind it.
BERNARD: Exactly. Now, the funny thing about this is the way they met is that she was actually starring as his girlfriend in one of his videos. So, from then on they were together. This is a new way for rock stars to find girls, don't you think? You just cast them in your video.
O'BRIEN: A new way? A new way?
BERNARD: Well, they don't always end up in marriage.
O'BRIEN: That's true. But please.
BOROWITZ: I don't know about this marriage.
BERNARD: You don't know about it?
BOROWITZ: No, because she's hot and he's not. So, how are they going to raise the kids?
BERNARD: Oh!
O'BRIEN: He's not, not hot.
TOURE: But they have a lot to talk about, because they're both people who are way more famous than they're good. So, they can really come together on that.
O'BRIEN: And good thing for them. Let's move on. Madonna, guess what, is doing another movie? How great is that?
BOROWITZ: That's right. Well, it's with her husband, Guy Richie. I guess it's a gangster film called "Revolver." I just -- you know, I've looked into this, and I just don't think that couples make good movies. And I'm not singling out Madonna and Guy Richie, also Madonna and Sean Penn, and Madonna and Warren Beatty. It always (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
BERNARD: Right.
BOROWITZ: So...
BERNARD: Ben and Jen.
BOROWITZ: Really, the only couple that's made good films, I think, is, like, Paris Hilton and her boyfriend. I mean, that's like the only one thing that stands the test of time. That's in my view.
TOURE: Pam and Tommy Lee, they made a film together.
BERNARD: That's right.
(CROSSTALK)
O'BRIEN: OK. All right. You know what? I said we're going to keep...
TOURE: We're dipping low, low, low today.
O'BRIEN: Circling the drain, as my girlfriend says. Circling the drain this morning on "90-Second Pop."
BOROWITZ: It's another name for this segment.
O'BRIEN: We're going to call it...
TOURE: Hello, can we change the segment?
O'BRIEN: Call it circling the drain. Interesting. We'll take that on advisement.
With that, we go. Guys, as always, thank you. Let's go back to Mr. Hemmer in Tokyo -- Bill.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: All right, Soledad, thanks for that. In a moment here, the gardens in the sky in central Tokyo.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: Welcome back to Tokyo. The Japanese, we know, take great pride in their connection with nature. And here in central Tokyo, where the population is well over 10 million, nature can be in short supply. Luckily, imagination, though, is not.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER (voice-over): Tokyo can be a vertical city. In places, it only goes up, with steel and concrete.
(on camera): But if you get above the steel and concrete, high above the busy streets of Tokyo, you find up here that nature is growing.
(voice-over) And in a place you'd least expect it. On the rooftops of more than a dozen buildings in Rapunge Hills (ph), small patches of greenery catch the sunlight. Toru Nagamori works for the Mori Company that helped plant the idea.
TORU NAGAMORI, MORI COMPANY: Our mentality is that when we have nature near us, we feel relaxed and we have more energy to walk to tomorrow.
HEMMER: In this garden, Nagamori is most proud of the rice patty, fleshly planted. Rice, he boasts, is the spirit of Japan. The other gardens have their own design and in the blazing summer heat, some claim the greenery lowers the temperature by as much as 30 degrees.
NAGAMORI: There's no opportunities or possibilities for them to see something like this in the central area of Tokyo, but when they see it, they love it.
HEMMER: And what would any garden be if it did not have its own Japanese maple tree? Sometimes they think of everything.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: It's almost midnight here in Tokyo. You're looking at the Mori building live now, in the nighttime pictures here. It is the highest point in all of Tokyo, 52 stories tall, but it's built on a hill so it gets it a bit more elevation. In this area, Soledad, they built 13 of those rooftop gardens. They hope to get seven more, very soon. It looks like they'll get just that. Back to you now in New York.
O'BRIEN: All right, Bill, thank you. Wouldn't it be relaxing to sit in those gardens on your cell phone, chatting away, getting stuff done?
CAFFERTY: Maybe better there...
O'BRIEN: Poke, poke, needle, needle, needle for you today.
CAFFERTY: Maybe better there than on the airplanes. That's the question we're fooling with, should the use of cell phones be allowed on airplanes? The government is thinking about allowing it.
Joe in Gaithersburg, Maryland, writes, "My nerves are shot enough just having to fly. I certainly don't need the added distraction of 50 jangling cell phones and loud conversations interrupting my prayer vigil at 30,000 feet."
Reg in Thunder Bay, Ontario: "I would definitely ban them, Jack, and also those electric light thingys, too. Candles were just fine." And Don writes, "Hey, Jack, I live in a remote location in the Blue Ridge mountains of Virginia where cell phones don't work. I get a real hoot out of watching frantic visitors trying to get a call out. What a world you guys live in. Thanks for staying away." You're welcome, Don, and you got it.
O'BRIEN: We're happy to oblige.
CAFFERTY: Yes, the Blue Ridge mountains are beautiful.
O'BRIEN: That's true. All right, Jack, thank you. Short break, we'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: As we close out our time here in Tokyo, we have to thank the folks at TV Asahay (ph) for being so good to us this past week in our Tokyo bureau here in CNNJ. So wonderful and helpful. And anytime we have new experiences, we create new memories. And what are my memories from Japan? Well, I'll remember the clean streets and the spotless taxis, and I'll remember the people who were on time here for just about everything. I'll remember the patience of the Japanese, sitting in miles of traffic and not hearing a single horn.
I'll remember the deliberate pace of Tokyo, never fast, never speedy, always steady. And I'll remember the sushi. Who could forget the octopus and salmon eggs? And then I'll remember again that I like steak, after all. And I'll remember the respect of the people that has been developed and nurtured here for generations. So here's to you, Tokyo, cheers, kumpai (ph), your arms were open wide for our arrival and they are waiting for us to come back as we leave. And we will. Sayonara from Tokyo. We'll see you soon, Soledad. Back in New York.
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Aired December 15, 2004 - 09:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: That's kind of a nice shot of the west side, the upper west side in New York City.
Welcome back, everybody. Just about half past the hour on this AMERICAN MORNING.
Coming up in just a few moments, we're going to take a look at the hostage demands being made by gunmen in Greece. About 20 passengers are being held on a hijacked city bus. Mike Brooks, a former hostage negotiator himself, is with us to explain just how police might try to end the standoff.
Also, something we thought might help Bill in Japan, might help you as well. Sanjay's going to give us a doctor's recommendations for dealing with jet lag. Did you know that what you eat could help you cope on a long flight? We're going to talk about you that, many other tips as well.
But first, the headlines with Kelly Wallace.
Good morning again.
KELLY WALLACE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning again, Soledad. Good morning, everyone.
Now in the news, a White House economic summit under way in Washington, D.C. Vice President Dick Cheney has opened that summit. You are looking at some live pictures right now. President Bush will appear later today. The meetings will focus on proposals, like expanding tax cuts and partially privatizing Social Security, some of the items of the president's second-term agenda.
Federal investigators looking very closely at a package that may hold clothes to a decade's old serial killing. Among the items inside that package, what appears to be the driver's license of one of the victims of the killer who calls himself BTK, which stands for bind, torture, kill. the killer is linked to eight murders, dating all the way back to 1974. He resurfaced in March, writing letters to the media and police.
News about actor Robert Blake. In the next three hours, he will appear in a Los Angeles court for what may be the final hearing before his murder trial. Blake is accused of killing his wife, Bonny Lee Bakley 3 1/2 years ago. Several pretrial motions will be discussed today. Opening arguments scheduled to begin Monday.
Meanwhile, in another development, police recovering computer equipment that was allegedly stolen from Blake's lawyer's apartment.
And in Hawaii, residents are being warned to stay clear of the coast. The reason? Officials warning that waves -- look at these -- they could reach as high as 50 feet, thanks to strong winds and unusual high-tide levels. Serious surfers, though, expected to take advantage of the conditions. In fact, one group that meets only one waves reach 20 feet, has scheduled a tournament for today. So clearly they are very, very happy out there, if you like to surf.
O'BRIEN: Invariably, don't they always say stay away from the coast? And of course that draws every single real surfer.
WALLACE: It's like awe news flash for surfers.
O'BRIEN: They head right there. All right, Kelly, thanks.
WALLACE: Sure.
O'BRIEN: The hostage standoff that's unfolding in Athens, Greece to talk about now. Authorities say at least two armed men are holding at least 19 passengers hostage on a commuter bus. Also, the prime minister of Greece has postponed his departure for the E.U. summit due to the crisis.
CNN law enforcement analyst Mike Brooks joins us from Atlanta.
Mike, welcome back.
Let's, quick, talk about hostage negotiations that you've done in the past. What happens now, as the standoff continues? Are they -- what steps are police doing to try to deal with these hostage-takers?
MIKE BROOKS, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Well, the police want to keep the negotiations ongoing. They have provided them with a phone to keep the negotiations ongoing. And as soon as they stop releasing hostages, that's when you have to worry about what may be going on inside the bus. But for now, Soledad, it looks as if the negotiations are ongoing and are going successfully. Whenever hostages are released, that's a success on the negotiator's side.
Now, on the tactical side of things, there are preparations, just in case things do go bad inside the bus, and they have to prepare for a tactical resolution. But negotiators hope that does not happen, but they are preparing for contingencies should that happen, but hopefully it won't.
O'BRIEN: All right, well, realistically speaking, it's getting to be nighttime there. Is that a moment of opportunity for the negotiators, because lose visibility, they can spring an attack on the hostage-takers? Is that a fair guess?
Well, we know that the police there and the tactical teams do have night vision in Greece. They had them because of the Olympics. They were supplied with a lot more equipment than they used to have prior to the Olympics. They are extremely well trained, as are the negotiators. Negotiators have been trained by the FBI, and also by the metropolitan police in London; they've been trained by the best.
But as night falls there in Greece, they will continue with the negotiations. They're not going to screw that up, if they can. They will continue for that, continue to ask for more hostages to be released. We don't know exactly what's going on inside that bus. But if something bad should happen inside that bus, nightfall will not affect it. They can use nightvision gear. In fact, it will help the tactical operators approach the bus from all different sides in the nighttime, other than the daytime, because you've got at least -- almost 360-degree view outside the bus. But there are reports that they have closed the curtains. So they might have trouble seeing inside that bus. And, again, that's also another trouble for negotiators -- for tactical operators approaching the bus.
O'BRIEN: Mike Brooks for us in Atlanta this morning. Mike, thanks.
Turning no to homeland security in this country. A shocking new indictment really of the readiness to respond to any kind of bioterrorist attack. That is the focus of our Security Watch at this hour. Only six states now have the capability to quickly distribute vaccines and antidotes in an emergency. That's according to a new study.
National correspondent Bob Franken has more.
... are considered though the best states prepared, preparation- wise --Minnesota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Virginia close behind. Massachusetts and Alaska are cited as among the worst. Indiana, Pennsylvania, Washington D.C., Wyoming also grade pretty poorly. New Jersey, though, is ranked in the middle. And earlier this morning on AMERICAN MORNING, I spoke with New Jersey Senator Jon Corzine about his state's grade.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JON CORZINE (D), NEW JERSEY: I think that we are not preparing adequately for these kinds of attacks. We had the anthrax attack, which originated in New Jersey, and we still hadn't found the people. We haven't really developed the techniques to respond to it. I think you saw probably, as opposed to a study, you heard from Secretary Thompson when he stepped down, saying, we're totally unprepared to deal with an infection of our food supply. and I think that there are tremendous exposures here. We're not putting enough resources into it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: That was Senator Corzine, talking a little bit earlier to us on AMERICAN MORNING. He has announced plans he wants to run for governor of New Jersey next year.
(WEATHER REPORT)
O'BRIEN: Let's go back to Bill in Tokyo.
Hey, Bill.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Hi.
Time for your to hold your ears a second here. Earlier today, in talking with the prime minister, at the end of our 40-minute conversation, I knew he was a big Elvis Presley fan, but I was not aware he was this much of a fan.
Have a listen.
(SINGING)
HEMMER: Well, we gave it a good shot, anyway. Kind of trailed off at the end. About three years ago, the prime minister put out his favorite 25 songs from Elvis Presley on to a CD and they sold it throughout the country here in Japan. So a big fan today, as was evidenced today at the end of our...
O'BRIEN: Hey, Bill...
HEMMER: Hey, what?
O'BRIEN: You got an e-mail about that. Can I read it to you?
HEMMER: How bad is it?
O'BRIEN: It's actually e-mail to Jack about the cell phones, should they be allowed on airplanes, but he goes on this guy, and says -- his name is Kevin. In other news, "After watching Bill Hemmer do karaoke with the prime minister, I am left with the satisfaction that America has finally evened the score for that 'she bangs, she bangs' dude on 'American Idol.'" I think he liked it.
HEMMER: I like that Kevin. That was my version of Japanese idol, Soledad.
O'BRIEN: You pulled it off swimmingly.
HEMMER: I think we were bounced if Simon were there. It was fun, and good fun for him for being such a good sport with it at the end.
You know, Soledad, the other thing we have to deal with now, since we're coming home is jetlag. Some say it takes three weeks to adjust, including our friend Dave from Japan, who only does it now once a year, he says, and will not fly unless he has at least three weeks back in his hometown of Ottawa, Canada.
Flying from New York to Tokyo, east to west, up over Canada and Alaska, takes 14 hours and 30 minutes. The return flight -- oh, it's short, Tokyo to New York City, only 12 hours and 30 minutes. And Sanjay's here now at the CNN Center with some tips on how I hopefully can recover from this one.
How are you, Sanjay? DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm doing well, Bill. And that nice private jet of yours, everything should be just fine, I think, Bill.
HEMMER: G-5 right.
GUPTA: That's right.
Hey, listen, jet lag is something everyone endures at some point or another. It really has to did with night and day, and what your brain -- how your brain actually responded to that. You have a gland in your brain called the pinyo (ph) gland that makes melatonin. It's all about the melatonin as far as jetlag goes. All sorts of things change -- your temperature, hormones, digestion, heart rate, blood pressure, mental alertness. Those who have symptoms jetlag have these symptoms -- headaches, fatigue, uncontrollable drowsiness, possible insomnia afterwards, irritability and impaired decision-making.
A couple of points, Bill, you mentioned east versus west, west versus east, when you're coming and going. If you're going for rather short trips, like coast to coast in the United States, for example, westward is actually easier to adjust -- you're moving with the sun. Eastward typically is harder to adjust; you're moving against the sun.
And the per-time zone difference generally about a day to adjust. You're crossing 11 time zones, Bill, I counted. Typically, would take you 11 days to adjust. For most people, though, for short trips, if they're traveling that far away, as you did, they typically stay on their home clock. I don't know if you did that or not, but if you did, you're going to have a much easier time adjusting, bill.
HEMMER: I did not, by the way. You know what the hotels here in Japan have, Sanjay, that are excellent? They have blackout shades that truly block out all element of light anytime of the day. Middle of the afternoon, it can be pitch black in there. Here's my question there for you. On the screen, you just showed us, if you go a time zone, it takes a day to recover. But if you fly from New York to L.A., that's three time zones, doesn't take three days there. Is it true that it takes you about a day for every hour?
GUPTA: It does typically take about a day for every hour. But it really depends on your length of stay as well. For example, you just brought up New York to L.A. If you typically stay only for a short time, you really -- almost are truly staying on your own clock still, going to bed early, waking up early, that sort of thing. So maybe a little bit easier. But there are ways to minimize the effects of jet lag as well, especially in a case like yours, when you're traveling so far. As soon as you arrive there, expose your body to daylight; don't use those blackout curtains you were just talking about. Stretch and exercise on the plane.
Also, I mentioned melatonin earlier, Bill. Some doctors will actually advocate taking melatonin supplements or over-the-counter sleep aids. Of course talk over those things with your doctor, and take those naps if you're sleepy. Those 10 to 30 minute naps is what pilots use to help them overcome jet lags, as well -- Bill. HEMMER: Good advice, I'll let you know if it works, is that a deal?
GUPTA: Yes, you should get 11 days off according to my calculations. Is that going to happen?
HEMMER: I'll take that. E-mail the boss. No.
Sanjay, thanks. Back here in Tokyo, want to introduce some young ladies tonight.
How are you guys doing?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good.
HEMMER: You're from Virginia, right?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
HEMMER: Whose T-shirt did you steal?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My dad's.
HEMMER: Your dad's. I've got to imagine he's pretty cold at this point.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
HEMMER: You guys staying warm?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I can't feel my toes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I know.
HEMMER: She's your friend; you can take her heat. Nice to see you guys tonight.
Konbanwa. English? How are you tonight?
HEMMER: Little bit, little bit.
Ogenki des.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ogenki des.
HEMMER: You're fine?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm fine.
HEMMER: Thanks for coming out tonight. Great to see you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I love CNN. I love so much. HEMMER: Well, just go out and tell a million more people. Nice to see you all, OK?
Back to Soledad now in New York.
Good crowd, again, here, in Tokyo.
O'BRIEN: Looks like a great crowd. As for the 11 days off Sanjay just gave you, I'm canceling that vacation, OK. Don't bother to submit that.
All right, Bill, still to come this morning, our "90-Second Pop" team thinks that Madonna might be making the same mistake with her current husband Guy Richie that she made with Sean Penn and Warren Beatty. We'll explain ahead, on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: Oh, another time, another chapter with "90-Second Pop" -- whatever it says there on the prompter. Sorry. We're off to a good start. That's what I love about this segment.
Let's get right to the guests, shall we? And they can save me. Andy Borowitz, the head of humor at BorowitzReport.com. Sarah Bernard, contributing editor for "New York" magazine. Toure, CNN's pop culture correspondent.
Good morning. Good morning. Good morning.
Anna Kournikova and -- what's his face? -- Inglesias...
TOURE, CNN POP CULTURE CORRESPONDENT: Enrique.
SARAH BERNARD, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR, "NEW YORK" MAGAZINE: Enrique.
O'BRIEN: Enrique, Enrique. True? Not true? Breaking news here?
BERNARD: Apparently, they have gotten married earlier this month in a secret ceremony. This is the news from "US Weekly" that we're hearing. And...
O'BRIEN: In Puerto Vallarta, the Love Boat.
BERNARD: Puerto Vallarta, I know, it's what I think of every time. On the Love Boat.
ANDY BOROWITZ, BOROWITZREPORT.COM: It was fabulous, by the way.
BERNARD: There were three people there, and Anna, Andy and Enrique.
BOROWITZ: I (UNINTELLIGIBLE). BERNARD: Now, this is the funny celebrity trend, right? It used to be that you had these lavish weddings. Remember Madonna's first wedding, where the helicopters were circling overhead? And now...
BOROWITZ: Sean Penn.
BERNARD: Right. Now it's like you have to have the quiet secret, did they get married, did they not?
O'BRIEN: To avoid the paparazzi.
BERNARD: Right.
BOROWITZ: Right.
BERNARD: So, it proves all the more that Star and Al got it totally wrong.
BOROWITZ: Wrong.
BERNARD: Totally the opposite.
O'BRIEN: Here's the curve and here's where they are, way behind it.
BERNARD: Exactly. Now, the funny thing about this is the way they met is that she was actually starring as his girlfriend in one of his videos. So, from then on they were together. This is a new way for rock stars to find girls, don't you think? You just cast them in your video.
O'BRIEN: A new way? A new way?
BERNARD: Well, they don't always end up in marriage.
O'BRIEN: That's true. But please.
BOROWITZ: I don't know about this marriage.
BERNARD: You don't know about it?
BOROWITZ: No, because she's hot and he's not. So, how are they going to raise the kids?
BERNARD: Oh!
O'BRIEN: He's not, not hot.
TOURE: But they have a lot to talk about, because they're both people who are way more famous than they're good. So, they can really come together on that.
O'BRIEN: And good thing for them. Let's move on. Madonna, guess what, is doing another movie? How great is that?
BOROWITZ: That's right. Well, it's with her husband, Guy Richie. I guess it's a gangster film called "Revolver." I just -- you know, I've looked into this, and I just don't think that couples make good movies. And I'm not singling out Madonna and Guy Richie, also Madonna and Sean Penn, and Madonna and Warren Beatty. It always (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
BERNARD: Right.
BOROWITZ: So...
BERNARD: Ben and Jen.
BOROWITZ: Really, the only couple that's made good films, I think, is, like, Paris Hilton and her boyfriend. I mean, that's like the only one thing that stands the test of time. That's in my view.
TOURE: Pam and Tommy Lee, they made a film together.
BERNARD: That's right.
(CROSSTALK)
O'BRIEN: OK. All right. You know what? I said we're going to keep...
TOURE: We're dipping low, low, low today.
O'BRIEN: Circling the drain, as my girlfriend says. Circling the drain this morning on "90-Second Pop."
BOROWITZ: It's another name for this segment.
O'BRIEN: We're going to call it...
TOURE: Hello, can we change the segment?
O'BRIEN: Call it circling the drain. Interesting. We'll take that on advisement.
With that, we go. Guys, as always, thank you. Let's go back to Mr. Hemmer in Tokyo -- Bill.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: All right, Soledad, thanks for that. In a moment here, the gardens in the sky in central Tokyo.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: Welcome back to Tokyo. The Japanese, we know, take great pride in their connection with nature. And here in central Tokyo, where the population is well over 10 million, nature can be in short supply. Luckily, imagination, though, is not.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER (voice-over): Tokyo can be a vertical city. In places, it only goes up, with steel and concrete.
(on camera): But if you get above the steel and concrete, high above the busy streets of Tokyo, you find up here that nature is growing.
(voice-over) And in a place you'd least expect it. On the rooftops of more than a dozen buildings in Rapunge Hills (ph), small patches of greenery catch the sunlight. Toru Nagamori works for the Mori Company that helped plant the idea.
TORU NAGAMORI, MORI COMPANY: Our mentality is that when we have nature near us, we feel relaxed and we have more energy to walk to tomorrow.
HEMMER: In this garden, Nagamori is most proud of the rice patty, fleshly planted. Rice, he boasts, is the spirit of Japan. The other gardens have their own design and in the blazing summer heat, some claim the greenery lowers the temperature by as much as 30 degrees.
NAGAMORI: There's no opportunities or possibilities for them to see something like this in the central area of Tokyo, but when they see it, they love it.
HEMMER: And what would any garden be if it did not have its own Japanese maple tree? Sometimes they think of everything.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: It's almost midnight here in Tokyo. You're looking at the Mori building live now, in the nighttime pictures here. It is the highest point in all of Tokyo, 52 stories tall, but it's built on a hill so it gets it a bit more elevation. In this area, Soledad, they built 13 of those rooftop gardens. They hope to get seven more, very soon. It looks like they'll get just that. Back to you now in New York.
O'BRIEN: All right, Bill, thank you. Wouldn't it be relaxing to sit in those gardens on your cell phone, chatting away, getting stuff done?
CAFFERTY: Maybe better there...
O'BRIEN: Poke, poke, needle, needle, needle for you today.
CAFFERTY: Maybe better there than on the airplanes. That's the question we're fooling with, should the use of cell phones be allowed on airplanes? The government is thinking about allowing it.
Joe in Gaithersburg, Maryland, writes, "My nerves are shot enough just having to fly. I certainly don't need the added distraction of 50 jangling cell phones and loud conversations interrupting my prayer vigil at 30,000 feet."
Reg in Thunder Bay, Ontario: "I would definitely ban them, Jack, and also those electric light thingys, too. Candles were just fine." And Don writes, "Hey, Jack, I live in a remote location in the Blue Ridge mountains of Virginia where cell phones don't work. I get a real hoot out of watching frantic visitors trying to get a call out. What a world you guys live in. Thanks for staying away." You're welcome, Don, and you got it.
O'BRIEN: We're happy to oblige.
CAFFERTY: Yes, the Blue Ridge mountains are beautiful.
O'BRIEN: That's true. All right, Jack, thank you. Short break, we'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: As we close out our time here in Tokyo, we have to thank the folks at TV Asahay (ph) for being so good to us this past week in our Tokyo bureau here in CNNJ. So wonderful and helpful. And anytime we have new experiences, we create new memories. And what are my memories from Japan? Well, I'll remember the clean streets and the spotless taxis, and I'll remember the people who were on time here for just about everything. I'll remember the patience of the Japanese, sitting in miles of traffic and not hearing a single horn.
I'll remember the deliberate pace of Tokyo, never fast, never speedy, always steady. And I'll remember the sushi. Who could forget the octopus and salmon eggs? And then I'll remember again that I like steak, after all. And I'll remember the respect of the people that has been developed and nurtured here for generations. So here's to you, Tokyo, cheers, kumpai (ph), your arms were open wide for our arrival and they are waiting for us to come back as we leave. And we will. Sayonara from Tokyo. We'll see you soon, Soledad. Back in New York.
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