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American Morning
Long Fight Culminates at Signing of Intelligence Reform Bill; Pfizer Announces Studies on Celebrex Safety; '90 Second Pop'
Aired December 17, 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.
KELLY WALLACE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning. Now in the news, we told you about a deadly attack in Iraq about an hour ago. CNN now confirming at least four people killed when the car they were in was attacked with small arms fire. You can see the car in flames in these pictures here. Police say three foreigners and their Iraqi driver were among the dead.
In California now, a nine-hour standoff ending very early this morning at the world famous Crystal Cathedral. Police say a church worker, who was holed up inside the church complex, shot and killed himself. The incident began yesterday when the 50-year-old suspect fired shots inside the building. No one else was hurt. The cathedral is home to televangelist Robert Schuller's weekly "Hour of Power" television show.
The nation of Turkey is moving closer today toward its goal of joining the European Union. After months of intense debate, top European diplomats are opening the door to Turkey joining the E.U. by scheduling membership talks for next October. Meetings underway between European Union and Turkish leaders working out some of the details.
And U.S. officials, health officials are holding an emergency meeting today on whether to ease restrictions on flu shots. Despite weeks of concern over a shortage of the vaccine, experts at the Centers for Disease Control are now concerned thousands of flu shots could go unused. CDC officials say that's because some people who should get the vaccine have not tried, believing they would not be eligible. And this is a big concern because flu shots can only be used for the season in which the vaccine is created, so...
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: Kind of ironic, isn't it?
WALLACE: Ironic. They were warning of a shortage, and now a number could go unused.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: All right, Kelly, thanks very much.
WALLACE: Sure.
MILES O'BRIEN: Well, as we said, later this hour, President Bush will sign that 9/11 Reform Bill into law. The intelligence overhaul was set in motion by the 9/11 Commission and approved by Congress earlier this month.
CNN's Ed Henry live in Washington now with more - good morning, Ed.
ED HENRY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Miles. You're right that a long fight culminates this morning with President Bush's signing of this legislation at an auditorium just a couple of blocks from the White House. This comes more than three years after the 9/11 attacks. The legislation institutes some, but not all, of the 41 recommendations that the 9/11 Commission presented to the president and Congress this summer. The bill follows the commission's key recommendation, which is to create a director of national intelligence to oversee the nation's 15 spy agencies. It also gives teeth to a national counter terrorism center.
The legislation provides money for new border patrol agents and sky marshals as well. There's also a civil liberties board to try and ensure that the government does not abuse these new powers.
Just as notable is what has been left out of the legislation. Republican Congressman James Sensenbrenner, as you know, is angry that his tough immigration provisions were not included. 9/11 Commissioner Tim Roemer told CNN this morning that this reform is just a first step, that a lot more needs to be done.
In fact, recently, Senator John McCain, a supporter of this legislation, complained that it only reforms the executive branch, ignoring the 9/11 Commission's finding that Congressional oversight of the intelligence community also needs to be reformed. 9/11 Commissioner John Lehman has charged that some of the old bulls in Congress have just decided it's more important to protect their turf than to actually improve national security - Miles.
MILES O'BRIEN: Ed Henry on Capitol Hill, thank you very much. Soledad.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: Another prominent Republican voicing doubts about Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. Mississippi Senator Trent Lott, speaking in his home state, says the defense chief should be replaced some time in the next year. Lott said in part, "I don't think he listens enough to his uniformed officers. I'm not calling for his resignation but I do think we need a change at some point."
Secretary Rumsfeld angered critics last week with that "you go to war with the army you have," response to a soldier who was asking about armored vehicles. Two other Republicans, Senator John McCain of Arizona and Susan Collins of Maine, have also voiced a lack of confidence in the secretary.
MILES O'BRIEN: The nation's weather, the weekend lies ahead, lots of plans being made. Chad Myers in the weather center with latest - Chad.
(WEATHER REPORT)
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: All right, Chad, thanks. This holiday season, how sweet it is, if you're James Taylor. Plus a check of Wall Street this morning - Andy's "Minding Your Business."
Good morning.
ANDY SERWER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad. We're going to check the markets. We have some breaking news to tell you about involving a major drug company. Let's look at that Big Board first, though, stocks trading up this hour downtown, up about 14 points.
The big news, however, is a statement just coming across the wire from drug giant Pfizer over safety of their drug Celebrex. A new report, they say - Pfizer is I saying this - demonstrated an increased cardiovascular risk over a placebo. Of course, this is interesting and big news because of all that happened to Merck and its drug Vioxx. And Pfizer makes Viagra and Lipitor and a number of other - and Zoloft and other big drugs. The stock is trading down sharply this morning in pre-market trading, down about $4 or 13 percent.
Obviously, this is a very big story, and we're still trying to sort it out for you to know exactly how significant this study is, and we're going to be parsing through the language of that, Soledad, throughout the coming hour, I'm sure.
MILES O'BRIEN: Just to be clear, it hasn't been pulled off the market at this point.
SERWER: Not at all, and this is a very preliminary read on this study and on this press release from Pfizer. So we caution the people to be a little bit careful about this news, and we're going to have to go through it a little bit more.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: At the same time, Celebrex is highly popular. It's an arthritis or muscle pain...
SERWER: It's an arthritis, yes, a pain relief drug, and it's a very big drug, very widely used and prescribed.
Let's talk about James Taylor, though, shifting gears just a little bit here. We've been talking about some very hot Christmas gifts like the iPod. This one kind of a stealth home run for James Taylor and Hallmark - this CD, which Rochelle (ph), our make-up artist just happened to give me the other day, James Taylor's Christmas album only available at Hallmark stores selling 1 million copies.
MILES O'BRIEN: Wow. Wow.
SERWER: It's only available - we went down to the Hallmark store...
MILES O'BRIEN: You can't get it online? You have to go to the store?
SERWER: That's my understanding. We went downstairs to the hallmark store just around the corner here, and they were completely sold out. They said they sold hundreds and were getting new cases in. They said they anticipate it will sell right out. Does that good for you, Soledad?
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: It does. I'd love to have it.
MILES O'BRIEN: She's been singing all those songs very morning.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: And not very well.
SERWER: This for you. I'll get another one.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: No, no...
SERWER: Come on.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: No, this is a gift from Rochelle (ph).
SERWER: All right, that's true.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: I'll get my own, thank you very much.
SERWER: Good, now I know what to get you.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: There you go. Thanks, Andy.
MILES O'BRIEN: Fine it. Go find it.
SERWER: Yes, right.
MILES O'BRIEN: Still to come, just a few minutes before the president signs that law that will change the way the intelligence community has been operating now for a half century.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: Also, should parents keep younger kids from seeing Jim Carrey's new children's movie? We've got details ahead on "90 Second Pop." Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: "90 Second Pop" for a Friday with our pop tarts this morning, Sarah Bernard, contributing editor for "New York" magazine, our first pop tart. BJ Sigesmund is staff editor for "US Weekly," Jessica Shaw from "Entertainment Weekly."
Good morning.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good morning.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: Nice to see you guys. Let's see how it all ended on "The Apprentice," shall we?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, "THE APPRENTICE": Jennifer, nevertheless, I have to say you're fired. Kelly, you're hired.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: The Donald milking it for all it's worth JESSICA SHAW, REPORTER, "ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY": I thought she was going to get it for a second there because, last year, that's how he hired Bill. He said, I have to say you're hired. But, no, after three long and very tedious hours, Donald Trump decided to hire Kelly the Marine over Jen, the Harvard and Princeton graduate.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: And obnoxious chick all around basically.
BJ SIGESMUND, STAFF EDITOR, "US WEEKLY": If I have to hear one more time her pedigree, not just that she went to Princeton and then Harvard law school, but that she was magna and that she was in the honor society. Don't forget, Donald...
SHAW: And president of her sorority. I have to say that, when Kelly kept talking so much about how he was a Marine and he went to West Point, I just felt like, you know what, like he made it seem like if Donald didn't hire him, Donald was anti-Army and anti-American.
SARAH BERNARD, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR, "NEW YORK": That was his strategy, and it obviously worked. But I think this really proved that it's more important to have people like you than to be, you know...
SIGESMUND: Right.
BERNARD: ... whatever pedigree she had.
SIGESMUND: Well, that is part of...
BERNARD: Because no one liked her on the show.
SIGESMUND: Right.
BERNARD: I mean that was - they kept asking the other people who were off the show, who would you pick, and everyone said Kelly.
SIGESMUND: Right, it was clear. I mean Donald Trump kept saying, hmm, I'm really not sure who I'm going to pick. But...
BERNARD: We all knew.
SIGESMUND: ... it was so obvious who he was going to pick.
SHAW: And the true lesson is that Caroline, his right-hand woman, she said she wanted Kelly. Whatever Caroline says go.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: Exactly, whatever Carline says goes. Next question: A couple of movie openings to talk about. "Lemony Snicket," which stars Jim Carrey.
SIGESMUND: Right.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: It kind of looks scary.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Spooky.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: I mean my kids are too little to go anyway, but...
SIGESMUND: Yes, they're too little.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: ... even for older kids...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think the twins would love it.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: You know what, they probably would. They would sleep right through that. Woo-hoo!
SIGESMUND: This is a movie based on a Lemony Snicket book that's...
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: (INAUDIBLE)
SIGESMUND: It's actually based on the first out of the 11 books. And, like the books, its tone is sword of macaub (ph), and you have to be careful about what kids you take to it. I would say age 10 and up, you could certainly take them. Below 10, you have to watch it. Will this kid understand that these kids aren't really in peril, you know. But there is some assumed violence that happens off screen, but there isn't really much besides a slap of a child. And the movie has gotten very nice reviews, especially people love Jim Carrey in it.
SHAW: I think this might be Jim Carrey's Oscar nomination here.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: Really?
SHAW: Yes.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: How was "The Aviator," speaking of Oscar nominations?
SIGESMUND: Yes.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: Actually Leonardo DiCaprio maybe?
SIGESMUND: Right. Well, "The Aviator "is only opening in 35 screens today, and the it will go to 1,600 on Christmas Day. And I've seen it; I thought it was good, but not great. Leonardo DiCaprio was actually one of the best things about it, surprising to everyone.
BERNARD: Why are you so surprised by that?
SIGESMUND: I mean I liked "Titanic." I didn't have any problems with "Titanic."
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: Didn't you see him in "Growing Pains?" He was fantastic.
BERNARD: He was. That was his best work.
SIGESMUND: But he's very strong, and "The Aviation" scenes like we just saw are also spectacular.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: And the topic, frankly, I think is pretty fascinating. You guys, as always, thank you very much. Miles, back to you.
MILES O'BRIEN: All right. As we've just been telling you, Pfizer, the big pharmaceutical company, is out with a statement this morning, indicating it has learned that its arthritis and pain medication Celebrex may be linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Joining us now with more on this is CNN's Elizabeth Cohen at the CNN Center in Atlanta - Elizabeth.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Miles, Pfizer is announcing the results of two studies. The first was done by the National Cancer Institute, and what they found was that people who were taking Celebrex were two-and-a-half times more likely to have, as they put it, a major cardiovascular event. Sometimes this cardiovascular event was fatal; sometimes it wasn't. When you hear major cardiovascular event, of course, you're thinking of heart or stroke.
And also, a second study they're announcing today, this one done by Pfizer. And Pfizer says that that study found that there was no increase in heart attacks or strokes when people took Celebrex.
Now, as far as the NCI study goes, the National Cancer Institute was trying to see if people, when they take Celebrex, if they actually - if it could prevent them from getting cancer. But now seeing this result, they have canceled that study. No longer are patients in that study taking Celebrex - Miles.
MILES O'BRIEN: All right, I'm sorry, Elizabeth. There are two studies out there. First of all, this one by - the group is called the Data Safety and Monitoring Board. What is that?
COHEN: Well, the first study was done by the National Cancer Institute, and so the NCI was looking to see if, perhaps, taking Celebrex would prevent getting cancer. But instead, what they found was that it made people two-and-a-half times more likely to have some kind of a major cardiovascular event, such as a heart attack or stroke.
The second study, which showed that Celebrex wasn't a problem, that one was done by Pfizer, which makes Celebrex.
MILES O'BRIEN: OK. That's an important point. The second study, which shows no harm, is a Pfizer in-house kind of study. All right, what people right now watching this, who are taking Celebrex, what are they to do at this moment?
COHEN: Well, what you need to do is talk to your doctor, and you need to keep something in mind. In the study that found that Celebrex was a problem, people were taking both the low and the high dose, the 400 milligram and the 800 milligram dose. In the study that found that it wasn't a problem, people were only taking the low dose. So that could be something you want to talk to your doctor about.
Also important to keep in mind, some people would not be surprised by the results that show that Celebrex is a problem. Celebrex is very similar to Vioxx. It works in the same way. Vioxx, of course, came off the market in September when it was shown to have a link to heart attacks.
MILES O'BRIEN: Yes, and at the time, there was a lot of talk about, well, when will the other shoe drop here with Celebrex, and now it happens. You know, at this juncture, the company is not saying anything about advisories or pulling it off the market, are they?
COHEN: That's right. They have not said that they're going to pull it off the market. They said that they're going to review this data.
MILES O'BRIEN: All right, Elizabeth Cohen - thanks for that. We appreciate it. And people on Celebrex should listen carefully today and the next few days as all of this unfolds - Soledad.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, live coverage of the signing of the 9/11 Intelligence Reform Bill. Plus, more on the business impact of Pfizer's announcement about Celebrex. That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: Pfizer says a new study finds an increased risk of heart problems with taking the painkiller drug Celebrex. For more now on the announcement, Andy Serwer "Minding Your Business."
Hello.
SERWER: Hello, Soledad. This is a blockbuster drug, Celebrex, this arthritis and pain reliever drug by Pfizer, $2.5 billion in sales last year, the eighth largest-selling drug in the United States. And Pfizer has four of the top 10, including the No. 1 drug, Lipitor. But, obviously, this is going to have a tremendous impact on the company. We're seeing it already. The stock is down $4.24, to $24, a 15 percent decline in its stock price.
And you can remember, Soledad, back to late September when Merck pulled Vioxx off of the marketplace, that stock dropped from $44 to $32 and really had a tremendously negative impact on Merck, in terms of its employees and sales. So far, Pfizer has not pulled the drug. There are no indications that it will. There's still a lot to go through, in terms of this study and these various studies, so we're going to have to really watch what unfolds here over the next day or so.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: I was going to say a lot of it has to be related to how the company handles essentially the P.R. behind - the terrible P.R. behind what's happened now. I mean their next steps are critical of what happens to their stock price, isn't it?
SERWER: I think that's right. And also, there's a whole lot of science here involved as well. Both Vioxx and this drug, Celebrex, are COX-2 inhibitors. I'm not a scientist; I don't know exactly how similar these drugs are, but obviously they're the same class of drugs, but they're also different. So we have to understand and the company has to understand how serious the risks are and what it needs to do with this study. SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: It also seems like there's some issue of dosing, that the difficulty was found in the higher dose levels as well. But more of this, as you say, is going to come out from the company - not pulling the drug off the shelves yet.
SERWER: Right. That's right. You can see here this morning already, Soledad, Pfizer just falling off a cliff there, and, you know, some people on Wall Street were saying this was very likely to happen because of the fact that Vioxx and Celebrex are similar.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: Right.
SERWER: So these are some of the worst-case scenarios confirmed here for some people, obviously.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: All right, Andy, thanks.
SERWER: You're welcome.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: Coming up on CNN this morning: special coverage devoted to the historic 9/11 Intelligence Reform Law. That's coming up in the next hour with Rick Sanchez and Betty Nguyen, on "CNN LIVE TODAY." AMERICAN MORNING is back in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: The "Question of the Day" this morning involves the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR, AMERICAN MORNING: The nation's highest civilian honor was given to General Tommy Franks, George Tenet and Paul Bremer earlier this week by the president. Critics of those three recipients suggested that the awarding of those medals to those people was a lowering of the bar. The Pope's gotten it in the past. Mother Teresa's gotten it in the past.
So we said, who would you nominate for these things? Jim in Burlington writes, "of course the bar has been lowered. Why not let Target sell them for Christmas for the person who has almost everything!"
Gary in Charlesville says, "Mr. Cafferty, to suggest that President Bush has reduced the quality of Medal of Freedom recipients by comparing his nominees to the Pope and Mother Teresa is, at best, disingenuous," but certainly another way to slam the president.
And Rex writes in Toronto, "Jack, I don't know, Powell I guess... you know, maybe... whatever." I don't have a CNN coffee mug; I'm not going to get a CNN coffee mug, so why should I knock myself out? You're right, Rex, you get nothing from me - zippo.
SERWER: So who do you think should get a medal, Jack?
CAFFERTY: I think you should, Andy, for the fine work you've done here on the business updates on AMERICAN MORNING and...
SERWER: I'd like to respond, but we're out of time, and I was going to nominate you, but...
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: You guys can do this whole - we're out of time. We're actually going to head to...
MILES O'BRIEN: (INAUDIBLE) elaborations are great. You guys are great. Go have your medals.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: And you're great for helping us out, seriously, this week. We appreciate it.
CAFFERTY: (INAUDIBLE)
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: Yes?
SERWER: Wow.
MILES O'BRIEN: Or maybe not. It's debatable, I think.
SERWER: Full of cheer as always.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: All right, you guys, as we've been talking about, we want to take you back to those...
MILES O'BRIEN: How to make friends and influence people, by...
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: ... we want to take you right to the 9/11 ceremonies, the signing of that legislation this morning. Betty Nguyen and Rick Sanchez are at the CNN Center there, take you through the next few hours.
Of course, this is a big topic for you guys today. Good morning.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR, CNN LIVE TODAY: Yes, it certainly is.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR, CNN LIVE TODAY: Absolutely.
SANCHEZ: Thanks, guys. Have a wonderful weekend. This is going to be a huge story. Think about how much things are going to change as a result of the president signing this new piece of legislation. It's the largest overhaul of U.S. Intelligence gathering in some 50 years, the 9/11 Reform Bill, as we've been calling it. And this is the Mellon Auditorium there in Washington, D.C.
Moments from now, the president is going to come out, and he's going to be signing the bill in this ceremony.
NGUYEN: The bill does a number of things. It tightens border. It increases aviation security, which will improve baggage screening. There are a number of different topics within this bill. There are also many questions within this bill, and we're going to be talking to some commissioners about that as well today.
SANCHEZ: Yes, and there has been some question, as we came to this bill. There were two outstanding issues, with two specific representatives who were raising them. One of them pretty much got met, from a Congressional standpoint. One is really still out on the table. Of course, that's Congressman Sensenbrenner's reservations about this.
Suzanne Malveaux has been following this all along and is going to be following along with us today here, as this ceremony begins. It looks like some members of cabinet are out there, and the president I suppose, Suzanne, should be making an entrance any moment right now, right?
In fact, Suzanne, here now, the president of the United States.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Thank you all. Please be seated.
Good morning.
In a few minutes, I will sign into law the most dramatic reform of our nation's intelligence capabilities since President Harry S. Truman signed the National Security Act of 1947.
Under this new law, our vast intelligence enterprise will become more unified, coordinated and effective. It will enable us to better do our duty, which is to protect the American people.
I want to thank the members of Congress who worked hard on this legislation.
I particularly want to thank the leader of the Senate, Bill Frist, Speaker of the House Denny Hastert and their counterparts in both bodies.
I appreciate Senator Susan Collins from Maine and Senator Joe Lieberman from Connecticut for steering this legislation through the United States Senate.
I appreciate Congressman Pete Hoekstra and Congresswoman Jane Harman for their leadership on this important issue as well.
Welcome.
(APPLAUSE)
I want to thank all of the members of Congress who have joined us today for your good work on this legislation.
BUSH: I appreciate the members of my administration who helped, and that would be Director Porter Goss, Director Bob Mueller, Condi Rice and Fran Townsend.
I particularly want to thank the 9/11 Commission, ably led by Tom Kean and Lee Hamilton.
I want to thank the commission members who are here, as well.
(APPLAUSE)
I pay my respects and offer our gratitude to the family members of the victims of September the 11th. Thank you for working hard on this issue and thank you for remembering your loved one.
Nearly six decades ago, our nation and our allies faced the new world of the Cold War and the dangers of a new enemy. To defend the free world from an armed empire bent on conquest, visionary leaders created new institutions, such as the NATO alliance.
BUSH: The NATO alliance was begun by treaty in this very room.
President Truman also implemented a sweeping reorganization of the federal government. He established the Department of Defense, the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Council.
America, in this new century, again faces new threats. Instead of massed armies, we face stateless networks. We face killers who hide in our own cities. We must confront deadly technologies.
To inflict great harm on our country, America's enemies need to be only right once. Our intelligence and law enforcement professionals in our government must be right every single time.
Our government is adapting to confront and defeat these threats. We're staying on the offensive against the enemy. We'll take the fight to the terrorists abroad so we do not have to face them here at home.
And here at home we're strengthening our homeland defenses, created the Department of Homeland Security. We have made the prevention of terror attacks the highest priority of the Department of Justice and the FBI. We'll continue to work with Congress to make sure they've got the resources necessary to do their jobs.
BUSH: We established a National Counterterrorism Center where all of the available intelligence on terrorist threats is brought together in one place and where joint action against the terrorists is planned.
We have strengthened the security of our nation's borders in ports of entry and transportation systems.
The bill I sign today continues the essential reorganization of our government.
Those charged with protecting America must have the best possible intelligence information. And that information must be closely integrated to form the clearest possible picture of the threats to our country.
Key lesson of September the 11th, 2001, is that America's intelligence agencies must work together as a single, unified enterprise.
The Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 creates the position of director of national intelligence, or DNI, to be appointed by the president with the consent of the Senate.
The director will lead a unified intelligence community and will serve as the principal adviser to the president on intelligence matters. The DNI will have the authority to order the collection of new intelligence, to ensure the sharing of information among agencies and to establish common standards for the intelligence community's personnel.
BUSH: It will be the DNI's responsibility to determine the annual budgets for all national intelligence agencies and offices, and to direct how these funds are spent. These authorities vested in a single official who reports directly to me will make all our intelligence efforts better coordinated, more efficient and more effective.
The director of the CIA will report to the DNI.
The CIA will retain its core responsibilities for collecting human intelligence, analyzing intelligence from all sources and supporting American interests abroad at the direction of the president.
The new law will preserve the existing chain of command and leave all our intelligence agencies, organizations and offices in their current departments.
Our military commanders will continue to have quick access to the intelligence they need to achieve victory on the battlefield.
And the law supports our efforts to ensure greater information- sharing among federal departments and agencies, and also with appropriate state and local authorities.
BUSH: The many reforms of this act have a single goal: to ensure that the people in government responsible for defending America have the best possible information to make the best possible decisions.
The men and women of our intelligence community give America their very best every day and in return we owe them our full support.
As we continue to reform and strengthen the intelligence community, we will do all that is necessary to defend this people and the nation we serve.
I'm now pleased and honored to sign into law the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act Of 2004.
(APPLAUSE)
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Aired December 17, 2004 - 09:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KELLY WALLACE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning. Now in the news, we told you about a deadly attack in Iraq about an hour ago. CNN now confirming at least four people killed when the car they were in was attacked with small arms fire. You can see the car in flames in these pictures here. Police say three foreigners and their Iraqi driver were among the dead.
In California now, a nine-hour standoff ending very early this morning at the world famous Crystal Cathedral. Police say a church worker, who was holed up inside the church complex, shot and killed himself. The incident began yesterday when the 50-year-old suspect fired shots inside the building. No one else was hurt. The cathedral is home to televangelist Robert Schuller's weekly "Hour of Power" television show.
The nation of Turkey is moving closer today toward its goal of joining the European Union. After months of intense debate, top European diplomats are opening the door to Turkey joining the E.U. by scheduling membership talks for next October. Meetings underway between European Union and Turkish leaders working out some of the details.
And U.S. officials, health officials are holding an emergency meeting today on whether to ease restrictions on flu shots. Despite weeks of concern over a shortage of the vaccine, experts at the Centers for Disease Control are now concerned thousands of flu shots could go unused. CDC officials say that's because some people who should get the vaccine have not tried, believing they would not be eligible. And this is a big concern because flu shots can only be used for the season in which the vaccine is created, so...
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: Kind of ironic, isn't it?
WALLACE: Ironic. They were warning of a shortage, and now a number could go unused.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: All right, Kelly, thanks very much.
WALLACE: Sure.
MILES O'BRIEN: Well, as we said, later this hour, President Bush will sign that 9/11 Reform Bill into law. The intelligence overhaul was set in motion by the 9/11 Commission and approved by Congress earlier this month.
CNN's Ed Henry live in Washington now with more - good morning, Ed.
ED HENRY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Miles. You're right that a long fight culminates this morning with President Bush's signing of this legislation at an auditorium just a couple of blocks from the White House. This comes more than three years after the 9/11 attacks. The legislation institutes some, but not all, of the 41 recommendations that the 9/11 Commission presented to the president and Congress this summer. The bill follows the commission's key recommendation, which is to create a director of national intelligence to oversee the nation's 15 spy agencies. It also gives teeth to a national counter terrorism center.
The legislation provides money for new border patrol agents and sky marshals as well. There's also a civil liberties board to try and ensure that the government does not abuse these new powers.
Just as notable is what has been left out of the legislation. Republican Congressman James Sensenbrenner, as you know, is angry that his tough immigration provisions were not included. 9/11 Commissioner Tim Roemer told CNN this morning that this reform is just a first step, that a lot more needs to be done.
In fact, recently, Senator John McCain, a supporter of this legislation, complained that it only reforms the executive branch, ignoring the 9/11 Commission's finding that Congressional oversight of the intelligence community also needs to be reformed. 9/11 Commissioner John Lehman has charged that some of the old bulls in Congress have just decided it's more important to protect their turf than to actually improve national security - Miles.
MILES O'BRIEN: Ed Henry on Capitol Hill, thank you very much. Soledad.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: Another prominent Republican voicing doubts about Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. Mississippi Senator Trent Lott, speaking in his home state, says the defense chief should be replaced some time in the next year. Lott said in part, "I don't think he listens enough to his uniformed officers. I'm not calling for his resignation but I do think we need a change at some point."
Secretary Rumsfeld angered critics last week with that "you go to war with the army you have," response to a soldier who was asking about armored vehicles. Two other Republicans, Senator John McCain of Arizona and Susan Collins of Maine, have also voiced a lack of confidence in the secretary.
MILES O'BRIEN: The nation's weather, the weekend lies ahead, lots of plans being made. Chad Myers in the weather center with latest - Chad.
(WEATHER REPORT)
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: All right, Chad, thanks. This holiday season, how sweet it is, if you're James Taylor. Plus a check of Wall Street this morning - Andy's "Minding Your Business."
Good morning.
ANDY SERWER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad. We're going to check the markets. We have some breaking news to tell you about involving a major drug company. Let's look at that Big Board first, though, stocks trading up this hour downtown, up about 14 points.
The big news, however, is a statement just coming across the wire from drug giant Pfizer over safety of their drug Celebrex. A new report, they say - Pfizer is I saying this - demonstrated an increased cardiovascular risk over a placebo. Of course, this is interesting and big news because of all that happened to Merck and its drug Vioxx. And Pfizer makes Viagra and Lipitor and a number of other - and Zoloft and other big drugs. The stock is trading down sharply this morning in pre-market trading, down about $4 or 13 percent.
Obviously, this is a very big story, and we're still trying to sort it out for you to know exactly how significant this study is, and we're going to be parsing through the language of that, Soledad, throughout the coming hour, I'm sure.
MILES O'BRIEN: Just to be clear, it hasn't been pulled off the market at this point.
SERWER: Not at all, and this is a very preliminary read on this study and on this press release from Pfizer. So we caution the people to be a little bit careful about this news, and we're going to have to go through it a little bit more.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: At the same time, Celebrex is highly popular. It's an arthritis or muscle pain...
SERWER: It's an arthritis, yes, a pain relief drug, and it's a very big drug, very widely used and prescribed.
Let's talk about James Taylor, though, shifting gears just a little bit here. We've been talking about some very hot Christmas gifts like the iPod. This one kind of a stealth home run for James Taylor and Hallmark - this CD, which Rochelle (ph), our make-up artist just happened to give me the other day, James Taylor's Christmas album only available at Hallmark stores selling 1 million copies.
MILES O'BRIEN: Wow. Wow.
SERWER: It's only available - we went down to the Hallmark store...
MILES O'BRIEN: You can't get it online? You have to go to the store?
SERWER: That's my understanding. We went downstairs to the hallmark store just around the corner here, and they were completely sold out. They said they sold hundreds and were getting new cases in. They said they anticipate it will sell right out. Does that good for you, Soledad?
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: It does. I'd love to have it.
MILES O'BRIEN: She's been singing all those songs very morning.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: And not very well.
SERWER: This for you. I'll get another one.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: No, no...
SERWER: Come on.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: No, this is a gift from Rochelle (ph).
SERWER: All right, that's true.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: I'll get my own, thank you very much.
SERWER: Good, now I know what to get you.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: There you go. Thanks, Andy.
MILES O'BRIEN: Fine it. Go find it.
SERWER: Yes, right.
MILES O'BRIEN: Still to come, just a few minutes before the president signs that law that will change the way the intelligence community has been operating now for a half century.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: Also, should parents keep younger kids from seeing Jim Carrey's new children's movie? We've got details ahead on "90 Second Pop." Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: "90 Second Pop" for a Friday with our pop tarts this morning, Sarah Bernard, contributing editor for "New York" magazine, our first pop tart. BJ Sigesmund is staff editor for "US Weekly," Jessica Shaw from "Entertainment Weekly."
Good morning.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good morning.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: Nice to see you guys. Let's see how it all ended on "The Apprentice," shall we?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, "THE APPRENTICE": Jennifer, nevertheless, I have to say you're fired. Kelly, you're hired.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: The Donald milking it for all it's worth JESSICA SHAW, REPORTER, "ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY": I thought she was going to get it for a second there because, last year, that's how he hired Bill. He said, I have to say you're hired. But, no, after three long and very tedious hours, Donald Trump decided to hire Kelly the Marine over Jen, the Harvard and Princeton graduate.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: And obnoxious chick all around basically.
BJ SIGESMUND, STAFF EDITOR, "US WEEKLY": If I have to hear one more time her pedigree, not just that she went to Princeton and then Harvard law school, but that she was magna and that she was in the honor society. Don't forget, Donald...
SHAW: And president of her sorority. I have to say that, when Kelly kept talking so much about how he was a Marine and he went to West Point, I just felt like, you know what, like he made it seem like if Donald didn't hire him, Donald was anti-Army and anti-American.
SARAH BERNARD, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR, "NEW YORK": That was his strategy, and it obviously worked. But I think this really proved that it's more important to have people like you than to be, you know...
SIGESMUND: Right.
BERNARD: ... whatever pedigree she had.
SIGESMUND: Well, that is part of...
BERNARD: Because no one liked her on the show.
SIGESMUND: Right.
BERNARD: I mean that was - they kept asking the other people who were off the show, who would you pick, and everyone said Kelly.
SIGESMUND: Right, it was clear. I mean Donald Trump kept saying, hmm, I'm really not sure who I'm going to pick. But...
BERNARD: We all knew.
SIGESMUND: ... it was so obvious who he was going to pick.
SHAW: And the true lesson is that Caroline, his right-hand woman, she said she wanted Kelly. Whatever Caroline says go.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: Exactly, whatever Carline says goes. Next question: A couple of movie openings to talk about. "Lemony Snicket," which stars Jim Carrey.
SIGESMUND: Right.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: It kind of looks scary.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Spooky.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: I mean my kids are too little to go anyway, but...
SIGESMUND: Yes, they're too little.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: ... even for older kids...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think the twins would love it.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: You know what, they probably would. They would sleep right through that. Woo-hoo!
SIGESMUND: This is a movie based on a Lemony Snicket book that's...
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: (INAUDIBLE)
SIGESMUND: It's actually based on the first out of the 11 books. And, like the books, its tone is sword of macaub (ph), and you have to be careful about what kids you take to it. I would say age 10 and up, you could certainly take them. Below 10, you have to watch it. Will this kid understand that these kids aren't really in peril, you know. But there is some assumed violence that happens off screen, but there isn't really much besides a slap of a child. And the movie has gotten very nice reviews, especially people love Jim Carrey in it.
SHAW: I think this might be Jim Carrey's Oscar nomination here.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: Really?
SHAW: Yes.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: How was "The Aviator," speaking of Oscar nominations?
SIGESMUND: Yes.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: Actually Leonardo DiCaprio maybe?
SIGESMUND: Right. Well, "The Aviator "is only opening in 35 screens today, and the it will go to 1,600 on Christmas Day. And I've seen it; I thought it was good, but not great. Leonardo DiCaprio was actually one of the best things about it, surprising to everyone.
BERNARD: Why are you so surprised by that?
SIGESMUND: I mean I liked "Titanic." I didn't have any problems with "Titanic."
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: Didn't you see him in "Growing Pains?" He was fantastic.
BERNARD: He was. That was his best work.
SIGESMUND: But he's very strong, and "The Aviation" scenes like we just saw are also spectacular.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: And the topic, frankly, I think is pretty fascinating. You guys, as always, thank you very much. Miles, back to you.
MILES O'BRIEN: All right. As we've just been telling you, Pfizer, the big pharmaceutical company, is out with a statement this morning, indicating it has learned that its arthritis and pain medication Celebrex may be linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Joining us now with more on this is CNN's Elizabeth Cohen at the CNN Center in Atlanta - Elizabeth.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Miles, Pfizer is announcing the results of two studies. The first was done by the National Cancer Institute, and what they found was that people who were taking Celebrex were two-and-a-half times more likely to have, as they put it, a major cardiovascular event. Sometimes this cardiovascular event was fatal; sometimes it wasn't. When you hear major cardiovascular event, of course, you're thinking of heart or stroke.
And also, a second study they're announcing today, this one done by Pfizer. And Pfizer says that that study found that there was no increase in heart attacks or strokes when people took Celebrex.
Now, as far as the NCI study goes, the National Cancer Institute was trying to see if people, when they take Celebrex, if they actually - if it could prevent them from getting cancer. But now seeing this result, they have canceled that study. No longer are patients in that study taking Celebrex - Miles.
MILES O'BRIEN: All right, I'm sorry, Elizabeth. There are two studies out there. First of all, this one by - the group is called the Data Safety and Monitoring Board. What is that?
COHEN: Well, the first study was done by the National Cancer Institute, and so the NCI was looking to see if, perhaps, taking Celebrex would prevent getting cancer. But instead, what they found was that it made people two-and-a-half times more likely to have some kind of a major cardiovascular event, such as a heart attack or stroke.
The second study, which showed that Celebrex wasn't a problem, that one was done by Pfizer, which makes Celebrex.
MILES O'BRIEN: OK. That's an important point. The second study, which shows no harm, is a Pfizer in-house kind of study. All right, what people right now watching this, who are taking Celebrex, what are they to do at this moment?
COHEN: Well, what you need to do is talk to your doctor, and you need to keep something in mind. In the study that found that Celebrex was a problem, people were taking both the low and the high dose, the 400 milligram and the 800 milligram dose. In the study that found that it wasn't a problem, people were only taking the low dose. So that could be something you want to talk to your doctor about.
Also important to keep in mind, some people would not be surprised by the results that show that Celebrex is a problem. Celebrex is very similar to Vioxx. It works in the same way. Vioxx, of course, came off the market in September when it was shown to have a link to heart attacks.
MILES O'BRIEN: Yes, and at the time, there was a lot of talk about, well, when will the other shoe drop here with Celebrex, and now it happens. You know, at this juncture, the company is not saying anything about advisories or pulling it off the market, are they?
COHEN: That's right. They have not said that they're going to pull it off the market. They said that they're going to review this data.
MILES O'BRIEN: All right, Elizabeth Cohen - thanks for that. We appreciate it. And people on Celebrex should listen carefully today and the next few days as all of this unfolds - Soledad.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, live coverage of the signing of the 9/11 Intelligence Reform Bill. Plus, more on the business impact of Pfizer's announcement about Celebrex. That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: Pfizer says a new study finds an increased risk of heart problems with taking the painkiller drug Celebrex. For more now on the announcement, Andy Serwer "Minding Your Business."
Hello.
SERWER: Hello, Soledad. This is a blockbuster drug, Celebrex, this arthritis and pain reliever drug by Pfizer, $2.5 billion in sales last year, the eighth largest-selling drug in the United States. And Pfizer has four of the top 10, including the No. 1 drug, Lipitor. But, obviously, this is going to have a tremendous impact on the company. We're seeing it already. The stock is down $4.24, to $24, a 15 percent decline in its stock price.
And you can remember, Soledad, back to late September when Merck pulled Vioxx off of the marketplace, that stock dropped from $44 to $32 and really had a tremendously negative impact on Merck, in terms of its employees and sales. So far, Pfizer has not pulled the drug. There are no indications that it will. There's still a lot to go through, in terms of this study and these various studies, so we're going to have to really watch what unfolds here over the next day or so.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: I was going to say a lot of it has to be related to how the company handles essentially the P.R. behind - the terrible P.R. behind what's happened now. I mean their next steps are critical of what happens to their stock price, isn't it?
SERWER: I think that's right. And also, there's a whole lot of science here involved as well. Both Vioxx and this drug, Celebrex, are COX-2 inhibitors. I'm not a scientist; I don't know exactly how similar these drugs are, but obviously they're the same class of drugs, but they're also different. So we have to understand and the company has to understand how serious the risks are and what it needs to do with this study. SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: It also seems like there's some issue of dosing, that the difficulty was found in the higher dose levels as well. But more of this, as you say, is going to come out from the company - not pulling the drug off the shelves yet.
SERWER: Right. That's right. You can see here this morning already, Soledad, Pfizer just falling off a cliff there, and, you know, some people on Wall Street were saying this was very likely to happen because of the fact that Vioxx and Celebrex are similar.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: Right.
SERWER: So these are some of the worst-case scenarios confirmed here for some people, obviously.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: All right, Andy, thanks.
SERWER: You're welcome.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: Coming up on CNN this morning: special coverage devoted to the historic 9/11 Intelligence Reform Law. That's coming up in the next hour with Rick Sanchez and Betty Nguyen, on "CNN LIVE TODAY." AMERICAN MORNING is back in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: The "Question of the Day" this morning involves the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR, AMERICAN MORNING: The nation's highest civilian honor was given to General Tommy Franks, George Tenet and Paul Bremer earlier this week by the president. Critics of those three recipients suggested that the awarding of those medals to those people was a lowering of the bar. The Pope's gotten it in the past. Mother Teresa's gotten it in the past.
So we said, who would you nominate for these things? Jim in Burlington writes, "of course the bar has been lowered. Why not let Target sell them for Christmas for the person who has almost everything!"
Gary in Charlesville says, "Mr. Cafferty, to suggest that President Bush has reduced the quality of Medal of Freedom recipients by comparing his nominees to the Pope and Mother Teresa is, at best, disingenuous," but certainly another way to slam the president.
And Rex writes in Toronto, "Jack, I don't know, Powell I guess... you know, maybe... whatever." I don't have a CNN coffee mug; I'm not going to get a CNN coffee mug, so why should I knock myself out? You're right, Rex, you get nothing from me - zippo.
SERWER: So who do you think should get a medal, Jack?
CAFFERTY: I think you should, Andy, for the fine work you've done here on the business updates on AMERICAN MORNING and...
SERWER: I'd like to respond, but we're out of time, and I was going to nominate you, but...
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: You guys can do this whole - we're out of time. We're actually going to head to...
MILES O'BRIEN: (INAUDIBLE) elaborations are great. You guys are great. Go have your medals.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: And you're great for helping us out, seriously, this week. We appreciate it.
CAFFERTY: (INAUDIBLE)
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: Yes?
SERWER: Wow.
MILES O'BRIEN: Or maybe not. It's debatable, I think.
SERWER: Full of cheer as always.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: All right, you guys, as we've been talking about, we want to take you back to those...
MILES O'BRIEN: How to make friends and influence people, by...
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: ... we want to take you right to the 9/11 ceremonies, the signing of that legislation this morning. Betty Nguyen and Rick Sanchez are at the CNN Center there, take you through the next few hours.
Of course, this is a big topic for you guys today. Good morning.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR, CNN LIVE TODAY: Yes, it certainly is.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR, CNN LIVE TODAY: Absolutely.
SANCHEZ: Thanks, guys. Have a wonderful weekend. This is going to be a huge story. Think about how much things are going to change as a result of the president signing this new piece of legislation. It's the largest overhaul of U.S. Intelligence gathering in some 50 years, the 9/11 Reform Bill, as we've been calling it. And this is the Mellon Auditorium there in Washington, D.C.
Moments from now, the president is going to come out, and he's going to be signing the bill in this ceremony.
NGUYEN: The bill does a number of things. It tightens border. It increases aviation security, which will improve baggage screening. There are a number of different topics within this bill. There are also many questions within this bill, and we're going to be talking to some commissioners about that as well today.
SANCHEZ: Yes, and there has been some question, as we came to this bill. There were two outstanding issues, with two specific representatives who were raising them. One of them pretty much got met, from a Congressional standpoint. One is really still out on the table. Of course, that's Congressman Sensenbrenner's reservations about this.
Suzanne Malveaux has been following this all along and is going to be following along with us today here, as this ceremony begins. It looks like some members of cabinet are out there, and the president I suppose, Suzanne, should be making an entrance any moment right now, right?
In fact, Suzanne, here now, the president of the United States.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Thank you all. Please be seated.
Good morning.
In a few minutes, I will sign into law the most dramatic reform of our nation's intelligence capabilities since President Harry S. Truman signed the National Security Act of 1947.
Under this new law, our vast intelligence enterprise will become more unified, coordinated and effective. It will enable us to better do our duty, which is to protect the American people.
I want to thank the members of Congress who worked hard on this legislation.
I particularly want to thank the leader of the Senate, Bill Frist, Speaker of the House Denny Hastert and their counterparts in both bodies.
I appreciate Senator Susan Collins from Maine and Senator Joe Lieberman from Connecticut for steering this legislation through the United States Senate.
I appreciate Congressman Pete Hoekstra and Congresswoman Jane Harman for their leadership on this important issue as well.
Welcome.
(APPLAUSE)
I want to thank all of the members of Congress who have joined us today for your good work on this legislation.
BUSH: I appreciate the members of my administration who helped, and that would be Director Porter Goss, Director Bob Mueller, Condi Rice and Fran Townsend.
I particularly want to thank the 9/11 Commission, ably led by Tom Kean and Lee Hamilton.
I want to thank the commission members who are here, as well.
(APPLAUSE)
I pay my respects and offer our gratitude to the family members of the victims of September the 11th. Thank you for working hard on this issue and thank you for remembering your loved one.
Nearly six decades ago, our nation and our allies faced the new world of the Cold War and the dangers of a new enemy. To defend the free world from an armed empire bent on conquest, visionary leaders created new institutions, such as the NATO alliance.
BUSH: The NATO alliance was begun by treaty in this very room.
President Truman also implemented a sweeping reorganization of the federal government. He established the Department of Defense, the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Council.
America, in this new century, again faces new threats. Instead of massed armies, we face stateless networks. We face killers who hide in our own cities. We must confront deadly technologies.
To inflict great harm on our country, America's enemies need to be only right once. Our intelligence and law enforcement professionals in our government must be right every single time.
Our government is adapting to confront and defeat these threats. We're staying on the offensive against the enemy. We'll take the fight to the terrorists abroad so we do not have to face them here at home.
And here at home we're strengthening our homeland defenses, created the Department of Homeland Security. We have made the prevention of terror attacks the highest priority of the Department of Justice and the FBI. We'll continue to work with Congress to make sure they've got the resources necessary to do their jobs.
BUSH: We established a National Counterterrorism Center where all of the available intelligence on terrorist threats is brought together in one place and where joint action against the terrorists is planned.
We have strengthened the security of our nation's borders in ports of entry and transportation systems.
The bill I sign today continues the essential reorganization of our government.
Those charged with protecting America must have the best possible intelligence information. And that information must be closely integrated to form the clearest possible picture of the threats to our country.
Key lesson of September the 11th, 2001, is that America's intelligence agencies must work together as a single, unified enterprise.
The Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 creates the position of director of national intelligence, or DNI, to be appointed by the president with the consent of the Senate.
The director will lead a unified intelligence community and will serve as the principal adviser to the president on intelligence matters. The DNI will have the authority to order the collection of new intelligence, to ensure the sharing of information among agencies and to establish common standards for the intelligence community's personnel.
BUSH: It will be the DNI's responsibility to determine the annual budgets for all national intelligence agencies and offices, and to direct how these funds are spent. These authorities vested in a single official who reports directly to me will make all our intelligence efforts better coordinated, more efficient and more effective.
The director of the CIA will report to the DNI.
The CIA will retain its core responsibilities for collecting human intelligence, analyzing intelligence from all sources and supporting American interests abroad at the direction of the president.
The new law will preserve the existing chain of command and leave all our intelligence agencies, organizations and offices in their current departments.
Our military commanders will continue to have quick access to the intelligence they need to achieve victory on the battlefield.
And the law supports our efforts to ensure greater information- sharing among federal departments and agencies, and also with appropriate state and local authorities.
BUSH: The many reforms of this act have a single goal: to ensure that the people in government responsible for defending America have the best possible information to make the best possible decisions.
The men and women of our intelligence community give America their very best every day and in return we owe them our full support.
As we continue to reform and strengthen the intelligence community, we will do all that is necessary to defend this people and the nation we serve.
I'm now pleased and honored to sign into law the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act Of 2004.
(APPLAUSE)
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