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American Morning
Violence in Iraq; 'They've Got The Goods';
Aired December 20, 2004 - 07:31 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.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back, everybody. It's 7:31 here in New York City. Kelly Wallace is working for Soledad today.
Good morning.
KELLY WALLACE, CNN ANCHOR: Great to see you.
HEMMER: Did you stay warm on the way into work today?
WALLACE: I did. I've my boots and my scarf.
HEMMER: It's well below zero.
WALLACE: I like the snow.
HEMMER: Yes?
WALLACE: You know, maybe white Christmas.
HEMMER: Those sidewalks over the weekend were packed with thousands and thousand of people.
WALLACE: Last-minute holiday shoppers.
HEMMER: It makes it hard to believe some of the stuff Andy is reporting on shopping across the country.
WALLACE: Maybe they're browsing and not buying.
HEMMER: It may be, the crowd in this town anyway. In moment here, serious questions today in Iraq, whether or not the insurgency there was weakened by the U.S. offensive in Falluja; this, after a series of car bombings over the weekend, killing more than 70. We'll get a live update from Baghdad. Karl Penhaul is standing by live. We'll talk to him in a moment.
WALLACE: Also, Bill, as you know, we're starting a new series this week on AMERICAN MORNING. It's called "They've Got the Goods," focusing on the people driving the big stories of the year. San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom is in the spotlight this morning. He started a same-sex marriage crusade. But did it cost Democrats the White House? We'll talk to him and find out.
HEMMER: Carol Costello and a quick little giddy right across town in a cab.
What's happening? Good morning. CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: I jogged down here...
HEMMER: Did you?
COSTELLO: ... in the bitter cold...
WALLACE: Yes, yes.
COSTELLO: ... just to be here with you in person.
WALLACE: My morning exercise routine.
COSTELLO: Exactly.
WALLACE: Exactly.
COSTELLO: Good morning, everyone.
"Now in the News."
The suspect in that grizzly kidnapping in Kansas City, Missouri, is set to be in court this morning. Lisa Montgomery is accused of killing a pregnant woman and then stealing her unborn child. The victim's funeral will be held tomorrow. The infant has now been reunited with her father and is said to be in good condition.
Three of the four suspects in Maryland's largest residential arson case are expected in court today. At least 10 homes were destroyed and more than a dozen others damaged in the December 6 fires. No one was hurt, but the damage is estimated at $10 million. Investigators are still trying to find a motive for the blazes.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair is heading to the Middle East. The trip will make Blair the first foreign head of government to visit the region since the death of the Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat. Blair is expected to arrive in Jerusalem tomorrow for meetings with Israeli and Palestinian officials.
And in sports, the Packers' Robert Ferguson is recovering this hour in a Wisconsin hospital. The wide receiver was knocked unconscious yesterday by the Jaguars' Donovan Darius. He reportedly suffered a sprained neck. It's not clear if he will be up in time for Friday's game against Minnesota. In the meantime, Darius ejected from the game. He says he will appeal any possible fine.
You know, it's just -- did you see it? It was just brutal.
WALLACE: I saw it. It was.
COSTELLO: And, you know, the game of football is brutal, but it's really cold. And there just has to be that line that you just don't cross.
WALLACE: Exactly.
HEMMER: Fortunately for him he was moving his toes on the way to the hospital.
COSTELLO: Yes.
WALLACE: And you saw it, he had a thumbs-up as he was being pulled out of the stadium.
COSTELLO: And he might be back. And Green Bay needs him, because Green Bay needs to win the next game.
HEMMER: That's right. After a loss yesterday.
COSTELLO: Exactly.
HEMMER: You're up-to-date, aren't you, Carol? Thanks.
WALLACE: She does it all, renaissance woman.
COSTELLO: Yes, CNN, are you listening? I'm just kidding.
HEMMER: Resume sent, too. Thank you, Carol.
Thirty-four minutes now past the hour. I want to get to Iraq. It was a bloody weekend in that country. At least 71 were killed yesterday in attacks in Najaf, Karbala and the capital city of Baghdad. Iraqi police say today they've arrested at least 50.
Karl Penhaul is live in the Iraqi capital with more.
Karl -- good afternoon there.
KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Bill.
In the course of this morning, some of the funerals of some of those victims from Najaf and Karbala have been taking place. Those two cities are the holiest cities for Iraq's Shia Muslim majority.
I've been talking to hospital officials this morning down there. They say that in the Najaf blast, at least 52 people were killed and more than 145 others wounded. In the Karbala blast, which came a little over two hours earlier than the Najaf blast, 16 people were killed there and 30 others wounded.
The Najaf blast was obviously the bigger of the two. A car bomber there drove his vehicle into a funeral procession for one of the prominent tribal leader.
Now so far, there has been no claim of responsibility for who was behind that bombing. There are a couple of theories out there, though. One of the theories put about by security officials is that this is the work of Sunni-based radicals trying to target the Shias who are favoring the January 30 elections and trying to stir up sectarian hatred ahead of those elections.
The other theory, though, put about by some Shia leaders is that there are tribal factions within the Shia community that may have carried those bombings out. That would put a little bit of a different perspective on it than some of the factional and sectarian theories that we've heard so far -- Bill.
HEMMER: Karl, on another topic, in broad daylight in Baghdad, there were pictures captured by a camera of insurgents taking election workers out of their vehicles and shooting them in the back of the head. What more can you add on these execution-style killings? And what has been the reaction there that you've gathered in Baghdad as a result?
PENHAUL: Certainly very gruesome photos there take by the Associated Press down on Haifa Street. That's the main thoroughfare here in Baghdad, and it's only about three or four blocks away from the Green Zone, which is the headquarters of the U.S. and Iraqi administration here.
What we do know is that about 7:00 yesterday morning, insurgent gunmen, who made no effort to mask their faces, they were armed with pistols, dragged these three men out of a vehicle. One of them was a senior election official. The other two men were his bodyguards. They were forced to kneel on this busy thoroughfare. And then the insurgent gunmen proceeded to put bullets in the back of their heads.
It seemed like a well-planned hit, an execution-style killing. It seems that these insurgent gunmen knew very well these election officials were going to be driving through there -- Bill.
HEMMER: Brazen would be an understatement. Karl Penhaul in Baghdad there -- Kelly.
WALLACE: Thanks, Bill.
This morning, we begin a series called "They've Got the Goods." All this week, Soledad will profile people for whom 2004 has been a year to remember.
We begin out west in San Francisco, where gay marriage is the issue that made that city's mayor quite famous.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: (voice over): February 2004, more than 4,000 gay couples say "I do" in San Francisco. Even Rosie O'Donnell and her partner fly in to be married.
The man who started it all? Gavin Newsom, the newly-elected Democratic mayor of San Francisco. His decision to allow the marriages catapulted him into the national spotlight.
"GQ" asked if he was the next Bill Clinton. "Harper's Bazaar" dubbed Newsom and his wife, the TV lawyer Kimberly Guilfoyle Newsom, the new Kennedys. Along with that title came some glitzy photos.
In mid-summer, "Newsweek" said he was one of the bright lights of the Democratic Party. And yet, he didn't speak at the Democratic National Convention. In fact, there were many Democrats who think he pushed for too much too fast.
Shortly after the convention, the California Supreme Court invalidated all of San Francisco's gay marriages.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, it's little unbelievable, you know, that they could basically take the lives of a couple of a thousand people and kind of throw out a decision that meant a lot to them.
O'BRIEN: Then came the elections. Not only did John Kerry lose, but the issue that Newsom championed lost, too. There were 11 states with ballots defining marriage as between a man and woman. They all passed.
What role did Newsom play in the November losses? Any at all? Did he advance the cause of gay marriage or severely damage it?
(on camera): Assess 2004. How was it?
MAYOR GAVIN NEWSOM (D), SAN FRANCISCO: It's been a time that I never could have imagined enjoying, trying to bring the city together and trying to advance some principles that I've longed believed in and long desired to advance.
O'BRIEN: Did you go into office planning to do what you did when it came to gay...
NEWSOM: No.
O'BRIEN: Really? So, what was the moment where you said, I need to run with this ball?
NEWSOM: Well, you know, it was when I went out to the State of the Union, and I had the privilege of being there in Washington D.C. And I listened to the president of the United States talk about the three most important issues on his agenda: steroids, abstinence and gay marriage. Hardly were they consistent with the top-of-mind issues that I believed the president should be focused on.
But I realized then and there that the issue of gay marriage was going to be front and center in this political campaign. And I felt compelled to stand up on the principle that I fought for, and that was to stand up for people that were going to be, I think, used and abused as a political wedge in order to advance the president's agenda.
O'BRIEN: People have said that actually you're the one who put it on the agenda.
NEWSOM: Yes. Hardly, because, remember, the Massachusetts Supreme Court on November 28, 2003 brought this front and center. Karl Rove and a lot of the cultural conservatives were assured by the president that this would become a major issue, and he would support the advancement of a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage.
So, it was on that basis and principle, combined with what the president said early in 2004, that I felt compelled to put a human face on discrimination.
O'BRIEN: But you're a political neophyte, a well-known businessman, but a political neophyte.
NEWSOM: Yes.
O'BRIEN: And there were people who were political heavy-hitters who said don't do it.
NEWSOM: Yes. That's what's wrong with politics today. I mean, you know, maybe it's I'm old-fashioned. Everyone that I used to admire in politics always said get into it to do what you think is right, to say privately what you say publicly, and to be consistent with your values. Stand on principle. Try to advance those values.
And so, you get into office and you do it, and those same people say, well, wait a second. Too much too soon. You should have waited. You've got to consider the political ramifications.
You know, I'm one of these guys, and I think most politicians eventually understand this. I just started, and I do understand this. We're here for a moment in time. Guys like me come and go. We're either turned out or we're kicked out. And there's a thousand better people right behind us. And the point of that is do what you think is right, something that will transcend your tenure, and stand on some principles.
O'BRIEN: Did it transcend your tenure? At the end of the day, the 4,000 marriages or so were nullified. Openly gay Congressman Barney Frank said nothing was accomplished.
NEWSOM: Well, he's wrong. I mean, we did put a human face on this. We had people from 46 states come to San Francisco, from 18 countries, to live their life out loud. They enjoyed an experience they never imagined they could enjoy in their lives.
O'BRIEN: But do you worry that in the short run it's going to damage your career?
NEWSOM: Who cares? As I said, a guy like me come -- I'm a photograph. I mean, there are 42...
O'BRIEN: Come on. At the end of the days, with all due respect, you're a politician. And politicians always say, who cares? It's not about me. It's about the people.
NEWSOM: You know, the day that I say that I care is I'm not longer worried about you and the people I represent in San Francisco. I'm worried about myself. I've grown up around politics and politicians. Some of the most miserable human beings I've ever met in my life are in politics. It is not my aspiration to be a politician. Politicians...
O'BRIEN: Do you want to be governor of the state?
NEWSOM: No, I don't. I mean, I really love what I do. And I don't even like what I'm doing. I'm passionate about San Francisco. I love this city. This is one of the most diverse cities in the world, and people are truly living together and advancing together across their differences.
O'BRIEN: In the article that "Harper's Bazaar" did on you.
NEWSOM: Well, why do you bring that up?
O'BRIEN: Because it was...
NEWSOM: Why do you bring that up?
O'BRIEN: It was very -- they called you the Kennedys. Do you like that comparison?
NEWSOM: Inevitably, any time there are new politicians, they're compared to the Kennedys, the new Bill Clinton, any time there is a new politician.
O'BRIEN: A millionaire politician, a beautiful wife.
NEWSOM: A millionaire politician. She is beautiful, yes. No, it's -- that's ridiculous.
I will say this: I'm a passionate fan of Bobby Kennedy. And if there is any mentor in my life, it's the words of Bobby Kennedy, his speeches, not the analysis of the speeches. And so, no, there are some convictions and values that I closely identify, particularly with Bobby Kennedy and his social conscience, but also his entrepreneurial spirit.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WALLACE: Soledad's interview with San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom.
Tomorrow in our series, "They've Got the Goods," Mel Karmazin, the former head of Viacom, and the newly-installed CEO at Sirius Satellite Radio -- Bill.
It's about 17 minutes now before the hour.
The annual crash test results are out. One vehicle fell way short. The Kia Spectra received the worst safety rating in the frontal crash test, the first vehicle since 2001 to get the low score.
Kia Motors releasing a statement as a result, saying -- quote: "Occupant safety is a priority for Kia. We're evaluating the results of this current tests on the Spectra and similar vehicles in its class to determine what improvements can be made to enhance overall vehicle safety" -- end quote.
Only two small cars -- the Mazda 3 and the Hyundai Elantra -- earned the highest rating in this frontal testing. Nine other small cars tested earlier scored good ratings as well. They include the Volkswagen New Beetle and Jetta, the Subaru Impreza and Aerio and the Mini Cooper.
The Toyota Corolla, the Ford Focus, the Mitsubishi Lancer and the Honda Civic round out the 10 there. So, now you know.
(WEATHER REPORT)
WALLACE: Still to come on AMERICAN MORNING, what direction are gas prices headed in? Andy is "Minding Your Business."
HEMMER: Also in a moment here, "90-Second Pop," finding out whether or not audiences were sweet or sour on "Lemony Snicket" this weekend.
Back in a moment right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WALLACE: Welcome back. Let's check in with Jack and the "Question of the Day."
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Thank you, ma'am.
The Food and Drug Administration is advising doctors to consider alternatives to Celebrex, which is a leading arthritis painkiller. A study shows that medication increases the risk of heart attack and strokes.
During the last seven years, a growing number of drugs have been pulled from the market after being approved by the FDA, raising questions about that agency's ability to protect the American public from harmful prescriptions. An internal FDA survey made public last week found that about two-thirds of FDA scientists are less than fully confident in that agency's monitoring of the safety of precipitation drugs. That's a settling thought.
Here's the question: What should be done to improve prescription drug safety?
Doug in Bloomfield writes: "Prescription drugs should be introduced to the market slowly over 24 months, and the response time to reports of injurious side effects should be monitored more closely."
Jim in South Carolina: "One answer is to have a physician who cares. On two different occasions, my doctor has changed medications for me, because he was attentive to the side effects. Both medications have since been in question or taken off the market."
John in Florida: "The pharmaceutical companies own the FDA and Congress. We need stop their payoffs and make the FDA an independent agency again rather than continue being employees of the big drug companies."
Kevin writes from Lexington: "Trial lawyers, that's what's wrong with drug safety. How many are planning class-action suits against the makers of Celebrex?"
And Reg in Thunder Bay, Ontario, says: "You need to appoint a new drug czar. I nominate Rush Limbaugh." WALLACE: Moving right along, yes.
CAFFERTY: That was from Reg.
HEMMER: Gas prices are down. Andy Serwer is "Minding Your Business", back with us here.
Good morning.
ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Good morning, Bill.
HEMMER: It's time to hit the road, hey?
SERWER: Yes. Good to see you. We're going to talk about gasoline and football. Hey, it's America.
The price of gas fell a dime over the past week, according to old Lundberg Survey. Now a 1.83 nationally.
I was filling up the old automobile over the weekend and enjoyed it for once.
It's -- what is that -- about, a 21 cent drop over the past couple of weeks since late October when it really peaked up there. But we're still 35 cents above where we were at this time last year. That's the good news.
The bad news, in case you haven't noticed, crude prices have actually ticked up over the past week or so. So, we may be going back the other way.
Now, football.
HEMMER: Yes, give it up.
SERWER: Well, you know, this Soledad O'Brien woman...
WALLACE: She's still at the top.
(CROSSTALK)
SERWER: ... she's amazing. Even though she's not here, she's dominant, we like to say. Ten and five last week, Soledad was. Bill Hemmer was doing OK. Here we go. And Jack and I were -- well, we were busy. We were doing other things besides trying to pick games. I almost matched you this time, Jack.
CAFFERTY: That would be a cause to consider suicide.
SERWER: Yes, well, I was almost there. I got tripped up by Carol Costello's Lions, oh my. The Jags beat the Packs. The Chiefs beat the Broncos.
And finally, what about those Bills beating the Bengals, Bill?
HEMMER: They're playing now, the Bills are. SERWER: Michelle Kumba (ph), one of our producers, is from Buffalo, and she enjoyed this, Bill, while you were out. Bill, while you were in Japan, your football team got trampled, 33-17, trounced.
HEMMER: They got four (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
SERWER: Let's run that again for Bill. Bills beating the Bengals, by the way.
HEMMER: Thank you, Drew.
SERWER: You're welcome. Good to see you back.
HEMMER: Talk to you later. Thanks.
In a moment here, Harrison Ford may go off to war for a new movie, but the subject matter is our topic of discussion in "90-Second Pop" right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: Welcome back, everybody. It's time for "90-Second Pop." It's going to feel like 30-second pop today.
Say hello to Andy Borowitz, president and CEO of BorowitzReport.com.
Good morning, Drew.
ANDY BOROWITZ, BOROWITZREPORT.COM: Good morning.
HEMMER: You've got the business card to prove it, don't you? Sarah Bernard, contributing editor for "New York" magazine.
Good morning, Sarah.
SARAH BERNARD, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR, "NEW YORK" MAGAZINE: Good morning.
HEMMER: And Toure is back with us, too, our pop culture correspondent.
What's happening?
TOURE, CNN POP CULTURE CORRESPONDENT: Nothing.
HEMMER: Over the weekend, "Lemony Snicket," I love the name. Jim Carrey is in it. How did it do?
TOURE: Yes, "Lemony Snicket" was the movie of the weekend. It was great. It looks beautiful. Bring the kids, yadda-yadda, whatever. I saw "Million Dollar Baby" last night.
HEMMER: Talk to me.
TOURE: The Oscar race is over. HEMMER: Really?
TOURE: Movie of the year.
HEMMER: Better than "Sideways?"
TOURE: Oh, it knocked "Sideways."
BOROWITZ: A kleenex movie?
BERNARD: Yes, that definitely...
TOURE: No, no, no. It's a boxing movie that becomes a Kleenex movie. But don't bring one or two. Bring the whole box.
HEMMER: Really?
TOURE: I mean, it's this big emotion, big-theme movie. There was not...
BERNARD: And there was nothing in there, at the end of the year, just in time.
TOURE: There was not...
HEMMER: This is...
TOURE: ... a dry eye in the house.
HEMMER: ... Hilary Swank, directed by Clint Eastwood.
TOURE: Morgan Freeman.
HEMMER: Got it. How did "Oceans Twelve," 13 and 14 do over the weekend? Do we care?
TOURE: Just OK. Whatever.
HEMMER: All right.
BERNARD: Not as good as "Oceans Eleven."
HEMMER: Next topic. There is going to be a film possibly made with Harrison Ford about the battle for Falluja last April.
BERNARD: That's right.
HEMMER: What's the low-down on this?
BERNARD: This is going to be first movie, if it happens, based on the war. This actually, I think, has a good shot of being made, because it's based on a book called "No True Glory," which is written by Bing West, who is actually a Marine. His son was a Marine. And he was also a defense department secretary. And he has been over in Falluja. So it's actually a very factual story that's coming out in May. And Universal Production Company has already optioned it. I mean, it doesn't mean that this is definitely going to happen. But Harrison Ford is attached, which means that if it gets made he will star as one of the generals.
HEMMER: The story is based on General James Mattis (ph), commander of the U.S. Marines.
BERNARD: Right.
HEMMER: I was with this man in Kandahar for six weeks.
BERNARD: All right, yes!
HEMMER: He never did an interview with us the entire time. He said, you go talk to my guys...
BERNARD: Oh!
HEMMER: ... and start at the bottom...
BERNARD: OK.
HEMMER: ... to get the lowest-ranking Marines on the air. He would not do interviews at all.
BERNARD: That's kind of cool.
BOROWITZ: Because he was working the movie deal.
HEMMER: Yes.
BERNARD: That's right. He had (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
TOURE: Wouldn't you rather see the Abu Ghraib movie? Like what happened there and why?
BERNARD: I don't know if I want to see that.
TOURE: Like that or what?
BERNARD: But Harrison Ford is perfect.
HEMMER: Yes.
BERNARD: Because he was Jack Ryan in all of the Tom Clancy movies.
HEMMER: Got it.
BERNARD: And it's kind of the "Indiana Jones" thing.
HEMMER: And quite possibly the first of a long line of films that are going to come out of Hollywood based on the Iraq war.
BERNARD: Right. HEMMER: Quickly, "Project Runway" with Heidi Klum?
BOROWITZ: Yes.
HEMMER: What gives on this?
BOROWITZ: Heidi Klum. Yes, it's going to be a search for America's hot new fashion designer, because apparently there's a shortage. So we need to find...
BERNARD: Yes, there aren't enough.
BOROWITZ: Yes, we got the flu shot thing taken care of. So now let's on to fashion design.
HEMMER: I've got a question here. It says the show has a lot of legs.
TOURE: It does. I mean, it's like "Apprentice" meets "Queer Eye For the Straight Guy." It's fun. Heidi is leading it. There are young designers just -- you know, they take them to the supermarket one time and, you know, make a dress out of cornhusks. It's fun.
BERNARD: My favorite thing about it is she said that she was chunky in this taping...
HEMMER: Yes.
BERNARD: ... because she just had a baby.
HEMMER: What's left for reality TV? What hasn't been covered?
BOROWITZ: I have an idea for a show called I'm trading medications. I don't know if it's going to take off. But it's available if Hollywood...
HEMMER: Maybe we should follow you guys to your day jobs after we leave here.
BERNARD: We can do that together.
HEMMER: The poppers on their day jobs.
BOROWITZ: Oh.
HEMMER: Thanks, guys.
BOROWITZ: It's off the hook.
HEMMER: Talk to you later. Here's Kelly.
WALLACE: Always an impossible act to follow. But in a moment, today's top stories. Much of the country is getting slammed with a bitter reminder: winter is almost here. Where is the arctic blast headed next? That's coming up here on AMERICAN MORNING.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
Aired December 20, 2004 - 07:31 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back, everybody. It's 7:31 here in New York City. Kelly Wallace is working for Soledad today.
Good morning.
KELLY WALLACE, CNN ANCHOR: Great to see you.
HEMMER: Did you stay warm on the way into work today?
WALLACE: I did. I've my boots and my scarf.
HEMMER: It's well below zero.
WALLACE: I like the snow.
HEMMER: Yes?
WALLACE: You know, maybe white Christmas.
HEMMER: Those sidewalks over the weekend were packed with thousands and thousand of people.
WALLACE: Last-minute holiday shoppers.
HEMMER: It makes it hard to believe some of the stuff Andy is reporting on shopping across the country.
WALLACE: Maybe they're browsing and not buying.
HEMMER: It may be, the crowd in this town anyway. In moment here, serious questions today in Iraq, whether or not the insurgency there was weakened by the U.S. offensive in Falluja; this, after a series of car bombings over the weekend, killing more than 70. We'll get a live update from Baghdad. Karl Penhaul is standing by live. We'll talk to him in a moment.
WALLACE: Also, Bill, as you know, we're starting a new series this week on AMERICAN MORNING. It's called "They've Got the Goods," focusing on the people driving the big stories of the year. San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom is in the spotlight this morning. He started a same-sex marriage crusade. But did it cost Democrats the White House? We'll talk to him and find out.
HEMMER: Carol Costello and a quick little giddy right across town in a cab.
What's happening? Good morning. CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: I jogged down here...
HEMMER: Did you?
COSTELLO: ... in the bitter cold...
WALLACE: Yes, yes.
COSTELLO: ... just to be here with you in person.
WALLACE: My morning exercise routine.
COSTELLO: Exactly.
WALLACE: Exactly.
COSTELLO: Good morning, everyone.
"Now in the News."
The suspect in that grizzly kidnapping in Kansas City, Missouri, is set to be in court this morning. Lisa Montgomery is accused of killing a pregnant woman and then stealing her unborn child. The victim's funeral will be held tomorrow. The infant has now been reunited with her father and is said to be in good condition.
Three of the four suspects in Maryland's largest residential arson case are expected in court today. At least 10 homes were destroyed and more than a dozen others damaged in the December 6 fires. No one was hurt, but the damage is estimated at $10 million. Investigators are still trying to find a motive for the blazes.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair is heading to the Middle East. The trip will make Blair the first foreign head of government to visit the region since the death of the Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat. Blair is expected to arrive in Jerusalem tomorrow for meetings with Israeli and Palestinian officials.
And in sports, the Packers' Robert Ferguson is recovering this hour in a Wisconsin hospital. The wide receiver was knocked unconscious yesterday by the Jaguars' Donovan Darius. He reportedly suffered a sprained neck. It's not clear if he will be up in time for Friday's game against Minnesota. In the meantime, Darius ejected from the game. He says he will appeal any possible fine.
You know, it's just -- did you see it? It was just brutal.
WALLACE: I saw it. It was.
COSTELLO: And, you know, the game of football is brutal, but it's really cold. And there just has to be that line that you just don't cross.
WALLACE: Exactly.
HEMMER: Fortunately for him he was moving his toes on the way to the hospital.
COSTELLO: Yes.
WALLACE: And you saw it, he had a thumbs-up as he was being pulled out of the stadium.
COSTELLO: And he might be back. And Green Bay needs him, because Green Bay needs to win the next game.
HEMMER: That's right. After a loss yesterday.
COSTELLO: Exactly.
HEMMER: You're up-to-date, aren't you, Carol? Thanks.
WALLACE: She does it all, renaissance woman.
COSTELLO: Yes, CNN, are you listening? I'm just kidding.
HEMMER: Resume sent, too. Thank you, Carol.
Thirty-four minutes now past the hour. I want to get to Iraq. It was a bloody weekend in that country. At least 71 were killed yesterday in attacks in Najaf, Karbala and the capital city of Baghdad. Iraqi police say today they've arrested at least 50.
Karl Penhaul is live in the Iraqi capital with more.
Karl -- good afternoon there.
KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Bill.
In the course of this morning, some of the funerals of some of those victims from Najaf and Karbala have been taking place. Those two cities are the holiest cities for Iraq's Shia Muslim majority.
I've been talking to hospital officials this morning down there. They say that in the Najaf blast, at least 52 people were killed and more than 145 others wounded. In the Karbala blast, which came a little over two hours earlier than the Najaf blast, 16 people were killed there and 30 others wounded.
The Najaf blast was obviously the bigger of the two. A car bomber there drove his vehicle into a funeral procession for one of the prominent tribal leader.
Now so far, there has been no claim of responsibility for who was behind that bombing. There are a couple of theories out there, though. One of the theories put about by security officials is that this is the work of Sunni-based radicals trying to target the Shias who are favoring the January 30 elections and trying to stir up sectarian hatred ahead of those elections.
The other theory, though, put about by some Shia leaders is that there are tribal factions within the Shia community that may have carried those bombings out. That would put a little bit of a different perspective on it than some of the factional and sectarian theories that we've heard so far -- Bill.
HEMMER: Karl, on another topic, in broad daylight in Baghdad, there were pictures captured by a camera of insurgents taking election workers out of their vehicles and shooting them in the back of the head. What more can you add on these execution-style killings? And what has been the reaction there that you've gathered in Baghdad as a result?
PENHAUL: Certainly very gruesome photos there take by the Associated Press down on Haifa Street. That's the main thoroughfare here in Baghdad, and it's only about three or four blocks away from the Green Zone, which is the headquarters of the U.S. and Iraqi administration here.
What we do know is that about 7:00 yesterday morning, insurgent gunmen, who made no effort to mask their faces, they were armed with pistols, dragged these three men out of a vehicle. One of them was a senior election official. The other two men were his bodyguards. They were forced to kneel on this busy thoroughfare. And then the insurgent gunmen proceeded to put bullets in the back of their heads.
It seemed like a well-planned hit, an execution-style killing. It seems that these insurgent gunmen knew very well these election officials were going to be driving through there -- Bill.
HEMMER: Brazen would be an understatement. Karl Penhaul in Baghdad there -- Kelly.
WALLACE: Thanks, Bill.
This morning, we begin a series called "They've Got the Goods." All this week, Soledad will profile people for whom 2004 has been a year to remember.
We begin out west in San Francisco, where gay marriage is the issue that made that city's mayor quite famous.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: (voice over): February 2004, more than 4,000 gay couples say "I do" in San Francisco. Even Rosie O'Donnell and her partner fly in to be married.
The man who started it all? Gavin Newsom, the newly-elected Democratic mayor of San Francisco. His decision to allow the marriages catapulted him into the national spotlight.
"GQ" asked if he was the next Bill Clinton. "Harper's Bazaar" dubbed Newsom and his wife, the TV lawyer Kimberly Guilfoyle Newsom, the new Kennedys. Along with that title came some glitzy photos.
In mid-summer, "Newsweek" said he was one of the bright lights of the Democratic Party. And yet, he didn't speak at the Democratic National Convention. In fact, there were many Democrats who think he pushed for too much too fast.
Shortly after the convention, the California Supreme Court invalidated all of San Francisco's gay marriages.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, it's little unbelievable, you know, that they could basically take the lives of a couple of a thousand people and kind of throw out a decision that meant a lot to them.
O'BRIEN: Then came the elections. Not only did John Kerry lose, but the issue that Newsom championed lost, too. There were 11 states with ballots defining marriage as between a man and woman. They all passed.
What role did Newsom play in the November losses? Any at all? Did he advance the cause of gay marriage or severely damage it?
(on camera): Assess 2004. How was it?
MAYOR GAVIN NEWSOM (D), SAN FRANCISCO: It's been a time that I never could have imagined enjoying, trying to bring the city together and trying to advance some principles that I've longed believed in and long desired to advance.
O'BRIEN: Did you go into office planning to do what you did when it came to gay...
NEWSOM: No.
O'BRIEN: Really? So, what was the moment where you said, I need to run with this ball?
NEWSOM: Well, you know, it was when I went out to the State of the Union, and I had the privilege of being there in Washington D.C. And I listened to the president of the United States talk about the three most important issues on his agenda: steroids, abstinence and gay marriage. Hardly were they consistent with the top-of-mind issues that I believed the president should be focused on.
But I realized then and there that the issue of gay marriage was going to be front and center in this political campaign. And I felt compelled to stand up on the principle that I fought for, and that was to stand up for people that were going to be, I think, used and abused as a political wedge in order to advance the president's agenda.
O'BRIEN: People have said that actually you're the one who put it on the agenda.
NEWSOM: Yes. Hardly, because, remember, the Massachusetts Supreme Court on November 28, 2003 brought this front and center. Karl Rove and a lot of the cultural conservatives were assured by the president that this would become a major issue, and he would support the advancement of a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage.
So, it was on that basis and principle, combined with what the president said early in 2004, that I felt compelled to put a human face on discrimination.
O'BRIEN: But you're a political neophyte, a well-known businessman, but a political neophyte.
NEWSOM: Yes.
O'BRIEN: And there were people who were political heavy-hitters who said don't do it.
NEWSOM: Yes. That's what's wrong with politics today. I mean, you know, maybe it's I'm old-fashioned. Everyone that I used to admire in politics always said get into it to do what you think is right, to say privately what you say publicly, and to be consistent with your values. Stand on principle. Try to advance those values.
And so, you get into office and you do it, and those same people say, well, wait a second. Too much too soon. You should have waited. You've got to consider the political ramifications.
You know, I'm one of these guys, and I think most politicians eventually understand this. I just started, and I do understand this. We're here for a moment in time. Guys like me come and go. We're either turned out or we're kicked out. And there's a thousand better people right behind us. And the point of that is do what you think is right, something that will transcend your tenure, and stand on some principles.
O'BRIEN: Did it transcend your tenure? At the end of the day, the 4,000 marriages or so were nullified. Openly gay Congressman Barney Frank said nothing was accomplished.
NEWSOM: Well, he's wrong. I mean, we did put a human face on this. We had people from 46 states come to San Francisco, from 18 countries, to live their life out loud. They enjoyed an experience they never imagined they could enjoy in their lives.
O'BRIEN: But do you worry that in the short run it's going to damage your career?
NEWSOM: Who cares? As I said, a guy like me come -- I'm a photograph. I mean, there are 42...
O'BRIEN: Come on. At the end of the days, with all due respect, you're a politician. And politicians always say, who cares? It's not about me. It's about the people.
NEWSOM: You know, the day that I say that I care is I'm not longer worried about you and the people I represent in San Francisco. I'm worried about myself. I've grown up around politics and politicians. Some of the most miserable human beings I've ever met in my life are in politics. It is not my aspiration to be a politician. Politicians...
O'BRIEN: Do you want to be governor of the state?
NEWSOM: No, I don't. I mean, I really love what I do. And I don't even like what I'm doing. I'm passionate about San Francisco. I love this city. This is one of the most diverse cities in the world, and people are truly living together and advancing together across their differences.
O'BRIEN: In the article that "Harper's Bazaar" did on you.
NEWSOM: Well, why do you bring that up?
O'BRIEN: Because it was...
NEWSOM: Why do you bring that up?
O'BRIEN: It was very -- they called you the Kennedys. Do you like that comparison?
NEWSOM: Inevitably, any time there are new politicians, they're compared to the Kennedys, the new Bill Clinton, any time there is a new politician.
O'BRIEN: A millionaire politician, a beautiful wife.
NEWSOM: A millionaire politician. She is beautiful, yes. No, it's -- that's ridiculous.
I will say this: I'm a passionate fan of Bobby Kennedy. And if there is any mentor in my life, it's the words of Bobby Kennedy, his speeches, not the analysis of the speeches. And so, no, there are some convictions and values that I closely identify, particularly with Bobby Kennedy and his social conscience, but also his entrepreneurial spirit.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WALLACE: Soledad's interview with San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom.
Tomorrow in our series, "They've Got the Goods," Mel Karmazin, the former head of Viacom, and the newly-installed CEO at Sirius Satellite Radio -- Bill.
It's about 17 minutes now before the hour.
The annual crash test results are out. One vehicle fell way short. The Kia Spectra received the worst safety rating in the frontal crash test, the first vehicle since 2001 to get the low score.
Kia Motors releasing a statement as a result, saying -- quote: "Occupant safety is a priority for Kia. We're evaluating the results of this current tests on the Spectra and similar vehicles in its class to determine what improvements can be made to enhance overall vehicle safety" -- end quote.
Only two small cars -- the Mazda 3 and the Hyundai Elantra -- earned the highest rating in this frontal testing. Nine other small cars tested earlier scored good ratings as well. They include the Volkswagen New Beetle and Jetta, the Subaru Impreza and Aerio and the Mini Cooper.
The Toyota Corolla, the Ford Focus, the Mitsubishi Lancer and the Honda Civic round out the 10 there. So, now you know.
(WEATHER REPORT)
WALLACE: Still to come on AMERICAN MORNING, what direction are gas prices headed in? Andy is "Minding Your Business."
HEMMER: Also in a moment here, "90-Second Pop," finding out whether or not audiences were sweet or sour on "Lemony Snicket" this weekend.
Back in a moment right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WALLACE: Welcome back. Let's check in with Jack and the "Question of the Day."
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Thank you, ma'am.
The Food and Drug Administration is advising doctors to consider alternatives to Celebrex, which is a leading arthritis painkiller. A study shows that medication increases the risk of heart attack and strokes.
During the last seven years, a growing number of drugs have been pulled from the market after being approved by the FDA, raising questions about that agency's ability to protect the American public from harmful prescriptions. An internal FDA survey made public last week found that about two-thirds of FDA scientists are less than fully confident in that agency's monitoring of the safety of precipitation drugs. That's a settling thought.
Here's the question: What should be done to improve prescription drug safety?
Doug in Bloomfield writes: "Prescription drugs should be introduced to the market slowly over 24 months, and the response time to reports of injurious side effects should be monitored more closely."
Jim in South Carolina: "One answer is to have a physician who cares. On two different occasions, my doctor has changed medications for me, because he was attentive to the side effects. Both medications have since been in question or taken off the market."
John in Florida: "The pharmaceutical companies own the FDA and Congress. We need stop their payoffs and make the FDA an independent agency again rather than continue being employees of the big drug companies."
Kevin writes from Lexington: "Trial lawyers, that's what's wrong with drug safety. How many are planning class-action suits against the makers of Celebrex?"
And Reg in Thunder Bay, Ontario, says: "You need to appoint a new drug czar. I nominate Rush Limbaugh." WALLACE: Moving right along, yes.
CAFFERTY: That was from Reg.
HEMMER: Gas prices are down. Andy Serwer is "Minding Your Business", back with us here.
Good morning.
ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Good morning, Bill.
HEMMER: It's time to hit the road, hey?
SERWER: Yes. Good to see you. We're going to talk about gasoline and football. Hey, it's America.
The price of gas fell a dime over the past week, according to old Lundberg Survey. Now a 1.83 nationally.
I was filling up the old automobile over the weekend and enjoyed it for once.
It's -- what is that -- about, a 21 cent drop over the past couple of weeks since late October when it really peaked up there. But we're still 35 cents above where we were at this time last year. That's the good news.
The bad news, in case you haven't noticed, crude prices have actually ticked up over the past week or so. So, we may be going back the other way.
Now, football.
HEMMER: Yes, give it up.
SERWER: Well, you know, this Soledad O'Brien woman...
WALLACE: She's still at the top.
(CROSSTALK)
SERWER: ... she's amazing. Even though she's not here, she's dominant, we like to say. Ten and five last week, Soledad was. Bill Hemmer was doing OK. Here we go. And Jack and I were -- well, we were busy. We were doing other things besides trying to pick games. I almost matched you this time, Jack.
CAFFERTY: That would be a cause to consider suicide.
SERWER: Yes, well, I was almost there. I got tripped up by Carol Costello's Lions, oh my. The Jags beat the Packs. The Chiefs beat the Broncos.
And finally, what about those Bills beating the Bengals, Bill?
HEMMER: They're playing now, the Bills are. SERWER: Michelle Kumba (ph), one of our producers, is from Buffalo, and she enjoyed this, Bill, while you were out. Bill, while you were in Japan, your football team got trampled, 33-17, trounced.
HEMMER: They got four (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
SERWER: Let's run that again for Bill. Bills beating the Bengals, by the way.
HEMMER: Thank you, Drew.
SERWER: You're welcome. Good to see you back.
HEMMER: Talk to you later. Thanks.
In a moment here, Harrison Ford may go off to war for a new movie, but the subject matter is our topic of discussion in "90-Second Pop" right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: Welcome back, everybody. It's time for "90-Second Pop." It's going to feel like 30-second pop today.
Say hello to Andy Borowitz, president and CEO of BorowitzReport.com.
Good morning, Drew.
ANDY BOROWITZ, BOROWITZREPORT.COM: Good morning.
HEMMER: You've got the business card to prove it, don't you? Sarah Bernard, contributing editor for "New York" magazine.
Good morning, Sarah.
SARAH BERNARD, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR, "NEW YORK" MAGAZINE: Good morning.
HEMMER: And Toure is back with us, too, our pop culture correspondent.
What's happening?
TOURE, CNN POP CULTURE CORRESPONDENT: Nothing.
HEMMER: Over the weekend, "Lemony Snicket," I love the name. Jim Carrey is in it. How did it do?
TOURE: Yes, "Lemony Snicket" was the movie of the weekend. It was great. It looks beautiful. Bring the kids, yadda-yadda, whatever. I saw "Million Dollar Baby" last night.
HEMMER: Talk to me.
TOURE: The Oscar race is over. HEMMER: Really?
TOURE: Movie of the year.
HEMMER: Better than "Sideways?"
TOURE: Oh, it knocked "Sideways."
BOROWITZ: A kleenex movie?
BERNARD: Yes, that definitely...
TOURE: No, no, no. It's a boxing movie that becomes a Kleenex movie. But don't bring one or two. Bring the whole box.
HEMMER: Really?
TOURE: I mean, it's this big emotion, big-theme movie. There was not...
BERNARD: And there was nothing in there, at the end of the year, just in time.
TOURE: There was not...
HEMMER: This is...
TOURE: ... a dry eye in the house.
HEMMER: ... Hilary Swank, directed by Clint Eastwood.
TOURE: Morgan Freeman.
HEMMER: Got it. How did "Oceans Twelve," 13 and 14 do over the weekend? Do we care?
TOURE: Just OK. Whatever.
HEMMER: All right.
BERNARD: Not as good as "Oceans Eleven."
HEMMER: Next topic. There is going to be a film possibly made with Harrison Ford about the battle for Falluja last April.
BERNARD: That's right.
HEMMER: What's the low-down on this?
BERNARD: This is going to be first movie, if it happens, based on the war. This actually, I think, has a good shot of being made, because it's based on a book called "No True Glory," which is written by Bing West, who is actually a Marine. His son was a Marine. And he was also a defense department secretary. And he has been over in Falluja. So it's actually a very factual story that's coming out in May. And Universal Production Company has already optioned it. I mean, it doesn't mean that this is definitely going to happen. But Harrison Ford is attached, which means that if it gets made he will star as one of the generals.
HEMMER: The story is based on General James Mattis (ph), commander of the U.S. Marines.
BERNARD: Right.
HEMMER: I was with this man in Kandahar for six weeks.
BERNARD: All right, yes!
HEMMER: He never did an interview with us the entire time. He said, you go talk to my guys...
BERNARD: Oh!
HEMMER: ... and start at the bottom...
BERNARD: OK.
HEMMER: ... to get the lowest-ranking Marines on the air. He would not do interviews at all.
BERNARD: That's kind of cool.
BOROWITZ: Because he was working the movie deal.
HEMMER: Yes.
BERNARD: That's right. He had (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
TOURE: Wouldn't you rather see the Abu Ghraib movie? Like what happened there and why?
BERNARD: I don't know if I want to see that.
TOURE: Like that or what?
BERNARD: But Harrison Ford is perfect.
HEMMER: Yes.
BERNARD: Because he was Jack Ryan in all of the Tom Clancy movies.
HEMMER: Got it.
BERNARD: And it's kind of the "Indiana Jones" thing.
HEMMER: And quite possibly the first of a long line of films that are going to come out of Hollywood based on the Iraq war.
BERNARD: Right. HEMMER: Quickly, "Project Runway" with Heidi Klum?
BOROWITZ: Yes.
HEMMER: What gives on this?
BOROWITZ: Heidi Klum. Yes, it's going to be a search for America's hot new fashion designer, because apparently there's a shortage. So we need to find...
BERNARD: Yes, there aren't enough.
BOROWITZ: Yes, we got the flu shot thing taken care of. So now let's on to fashion design.
HEMMER: I've got a question here. It says the show has a lot of legs.
TOURE: It does. I mean, it's like "Apprentice" meets "Queer Eye For the Straight Guy." It's fun. Heidi is leading it. There are young designers just -- you know, they take them to the supermarket one time and, you know, make a dress out of cornhusks. It's fun.
BERNARD: My favorite thing about it is she said that she was chunky in this taping...
HEMMER: Yes.
BERNARD: ... because she just had a baby.
HEMMER: What's left for reality TV? What hasn't been covered?
BOROWITZ: I have an idea for a show called I'm trading medications. I don't know if it's going to take off. But it's available if Hollywood...
HEMMER: Maybe we should follow you guys to your day jobs after we leave here.
BERNARD: We can do that together.
HEMMER: The poppers on their day jobs.
BOROWITZ: Oh.
HEMMER: Thanks, guys.
BOROWITZ: It's off the hook.
HEMMER: Talk to you later. Here's Kelly.
WALLACE: Always an impossible act to follow. But in a moment, today's top stories. Much of the country is getting slammed with a bitter reminder: winter is almost here. Where is the arctic blast headed next? That's coming up here on AMERICAN MORNING.
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