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American Morning
Another Painkiller Getting a Warning From the FDA; E-mails That Led Police to Lisa Montgomery
Aired December 21, 2004 - 08:00 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: Yet again, another painkiller getting a warning from the FDA. What are the risks that you need to know from taking too much Aleve?
Inside an investigation, e-mails that led police to Lisa Montgomery, accused of killing a mother-to-be and stealing her baby from her womb.
And for holiday travelers, watch out. More snow, more trouble on the way.
And it's ahead on this AMERICAN MORNING.
ANNOUNCER: From the CNN broadcast center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Bill Hemmer and Soledad O'Brien.
HEMMER: Good morning, everybody.
8:00 on the winter solstice and Kelly Wallace's birthday.
We've got two for today, don't we?
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Yes.
HEMMER: Yes.
Soledad is out.
Carol Costello here with us -- good morning to you.
COSTELLO: Good morning.
HEMMER: Nice to see you.
COSTELLO: And happy birthday, Kelly.
HEMMER: Yes.
KELLY WALLACE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They say it's just one of those things you want to keep secret.
COSTELLO: No, you don't look any older than 25, really.
WALLACE: Oh, Carol, I knew I liked you so very much.
Thank you. COSTELLO: We stick together.
WALLACE: Yes, absolutely.
HEMMER: Happy birthday, Kelly.
WALLACE: Thank you.
HEMMER: More on these warnings from Aleve in a moment here.
Also, we'll talk with David Gergen in a few moments about President Bush's plan for the coming year. He talked yesterday on a number of topics, including Iraq, acknowledging insurgents there are having this impact on stability. We'll talk about what can be done about that with the elections now scheduled for a little more than a month from now, end of January.
COSTELLO: Also this morning, the American troops who know someone cares about them because of the letters they receive from strangers. We'll meet a man who started this pen pal program, a soldier himself, who knew all about the isolation of war.
HEMMER: They are great stories, too, one every week for -- one every day of this week for you, too. So -- hey, Jack, what's happening?
Good morning.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Quite a little, actually.
Nice of you to inquire.
Thank you, Bill.
HEMMER: Sure.
CAFFERTY: Coming up in the "Cafferty File" in a little less than an hour, a Christmas tradition that's slipping away. If you're a celebrity, you can sell your fat for big bucks. We have an example of one who is. And new rules for strippers in Texas, including a where to wear the permit, which is now required.
COSTELLO: Really?
HEMMER: You see what you get on this program and not yours at DAYBREAK?
COSTELLO: Yes. Didn't you just say that this was a smarter program than DAYBREAK? And what are you talking about? Strippers and where they place items.
CAFFERTY: What do you want from me? I'm 62 years old. I'm trying to get to Social Security. Leave me alone.
HEMMER: Thank you, Jack.
Let's go to the news now.
Here's Kelly Wallace back with us again -- hey, Kelly, good morning.
WALLACE: Good morning, again.
Good morning, again, everyone.
Now in the news, just about five hours ago, British Prime Minister Tony Blair arriving in Baghdad for talks with Iraq's interim prime minister, Ayad Allawi. During a news conference, both leaders stressed their support for January 30th elections to go as planned. Blair's visit was a surprise due to security reasons. It is his first trip to the Iraqi capital. He is expected in the West Bank later today.
Here in the United States, funeral services planned for today for the victim of a grizzly killing. Bobby Jo Stinnett, eight months pregnant when she was killed and her child ripped from her womb. The infant said to be doing well, is now at home with her father after being released from a Kansas hospital last night. The suspected kidnapper, Lisa Montgomery, is expected to return to court less than three hours from now after an appearance yesterday. Montgomery is facing a federal kidnapping charge resulting in death.
And it will be fun in the summertime for Harry Potter fans. Just about an hour ago, a July 16 release date was announced for author J.K. Rawlings' latest saga in the Potter series. It is the sixth book for those keeping track and it is called "Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince." And she does not need to create any buzz to spur some sales, but she's already creating a buzz. One of the characters not going to survive in this latest book.
HEMMER: Hmmm. Interesting.
COSTELLO: Oh, that's right.
HEMMER: She'll hit the lottery for the sixth time, though, with that book.
WALLACE: Absolutely.
HEMMER: Thanks, Kelly.
WALLACE: Sure.
COSTELLO: The FDA has a warning out for the common over the counter pain reliever naproxen, sold under the brand name Aleve.
Joining us live from Washington with the risks and safety guidelines is Dr. David Graham, a drug safety researcher for the FDA.
Welcome.
DR. DAVID GRAHAM, FDA DRUG SAFETY RESEARCHER: Good morning.
Thank you.
COSTELLO: First of all, how concerned should we be about Aleve?
GRAHAM: I think, well, first, I'm speaking for myself and not the FDA. The commissioner speaks for the FDA. I think the American people need to be somewhat concerned about the safety of all of the pain relievers, but most especially the ones that still remain on the market that have come into the news -- Celebrex, Bextra and now Aleve and naproxen. Aleve is particularly disturbing because it's an over the counter drug. Over the counter drugs are supposed to be the ones that are the absolutely safest.
I think this asks the larger question, why has FDA not done the job it needs to do to protect America from unsafe drugs? The FDA needs...
COSTELLO: Well, can you try to answer that larger question? You're a drug safety researcher yourself.
GRAHAM: Right. I think there's a couple things. One, no one has held FDA accountable. FDA is still in denial that there's a problem with the way they go about evaluating and approving drugs. Until that changes, we will continue to get killer drugs approved and on the market.
We need to restructure the FDA so that safety has priority. There needs to be, I believe, a separate agency for product safety that would take care of drugs once they're on the market so that we don't have to wait for five years to discover that Vioxx or Celebrex cause heart attacks.
COSTELLO: Well, maybe the FDA is learning a little bit from Vioxx and Celebrex. I mean maybe it's just being cautious about this drug, Aleve, naproxen.
GRAHAM: Well, it's an expensive way to learn. I mean FDA is in the business, it's been in the business for many years of approving drugs. It says when it approves a drug, it's safe and effective. And yet we see with Vioxx that over 100,000 people had heart attacks. As many as 55,000 people died takeoff Vioxx, from heart attacks. That's nearly 20 times as many people as died on 9/11.
Senator Grassley has called for an independent commission similar to the 9/11 Commission to evaluate FDA's drug safety program and to come up with a solution for the United States. And I think I support that. I think that's what America needs now, because FDA is not protecting America from unsafe drugs.
COSTELLO: You're scaring me, actually. I mean what you're saying is really scary.
GRAHAM: Well...
COSTELLO: Is this a crisis?
GRAHAM: Well, I think it is a crisis that has come to light now. This is the -- this has been business as usual for the FDA for the 20 years that I've been there. The 20 years that I've been at FDA, safety has been at the back of the bus, if it's been on the bus at all. And now we are seeing what the result of that is when you get drugs that are used by tens of millions of Americans.
COSTELLO: And a final thought about Aleve, because so many people take this medication.
How dangerous is it?
GRAHAM: Well, the study that they reported that I read in the "New York Times" this morning says there is a 50 percent increase in heart attack risk. But this was a study that was done in a relatively small number of patients that were looked at for a long period of time.
The question is, is what's the risk with short-term use?
I suspect that if they found a 50 percent increase risk over long-term, that we're dealing with a 50 percent risk over the short- term, as well, and the only reason we haven't seen it in the study is the study wasn't big enough to identify the risk happening early on.
COSTELLO: Dr. David Graham, thanks for joining AMERICAN MORNING this morning.
GRAHAM: Thank you for having me.
HEMMER: About seven minutes now past the hour.
To the president now. President Bush yesterday put forth an ambitious agenda for his second term. He also addressed growing violence in Iraq and gave a vote of confidence to the embattled defense secretary, Donald Rumsfeld. A wide ranging press conference from yesterday.
There's a new CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll that shows the president's approval rating back below 50 percent, down 6 points in a month.
So, then, how difficult is the job ahead?
David Gergen, an adviser to four presidents, is my guest live in Watertown, Massachusetts.
And, David, we welcome you back here and good morning to you.
DAVID GERGEN, FORMER WHITE HOUSE ADVISER: Thank you, Bill.
HEMMER: Here was the president from yesterday.
Listen here.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: No question about it, the bombers are having an effect. You know, these people are targeting innocent Iraqis. They're trying to shake the will of the Iraqi people, and, frankly, trying to shake the will of the American people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: Do you get a sense of a change in tone with that statement yesterday, David?
GERGEN: I do, Bill. My sense is that this president is the most audacious we've had since Lyndon Johnson. But like LBJ, he's beginning to worry that time and events could turn swiftly against him as he heads into a second term. I think he feels somewhat on the defensive and he's pushing back. He's tough and he wants to see this through, and I think he came out swinging yesterday because he knows events in Iraq are taking this ugly, ugly turn just on the eve of the elections. He's got at least three cabinet secretaries in positions in some difficulty with defense -- on the defensive with Rumsfeld. He hasn't been able to fill homeland security and he's got somebody at the Treasury Department that his own aides were dumping on just a couple of weeks ago.
So given all that and the fact that public opinion is turning against him, just on the verge of what could be his most important term, when he wants to do so many bold things here at home and overseas, he's running into some real roadblocks.
HEMMER: There are a few more numbers I wanted to put on the screen for our viewers. CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup released these numbers this week. "How has the U.S. handled Iraq in the past few months?" The disapprove number quite alarming, 58 percent there. There's anew poll out from the "Washington Post" and ABC News. They find 56 percent of Americans don't believe that given the costs, that the conflict in Iraq is worth the fight.
What is the impact, then, and the strategy coming out of the White House? Or is this a case of hang on, be patient, or maybe even hold on until the end of January, get to the elections and see how they come out then?
GERGEN: Well, they have to be concerned at the White House that for the first time we now have solid majorities who think that the war was a mistake. They can be reassured that, at the same time, Americans are patient. They want to see this through, for the most part. To be sure, there are some who would like to cut and run. But the president still has a majority with him on sticking it through.
And, Bill, I think their strategy is to do exactly what you're saying, try to get through this election and then find out where we stand.
If, at the end of the election, you've got something that resembles a quasi democracy, then you can begin to turn over responsibility to the new government and say, you know, we're now giving you your chance and we're going to start pulling back. If, on the other hand, you've got, you know, huge boycotts, lots of violence and a government that emerges that is a Shiite government that seems to be in bed with Iran next door, that's a much more difficult situation and I think that -- I think the president right now wants to keep Donald Rumsfeld at his side, no changes, see it through, plow ahead, get through the elections and then see what needs to be done after that.
HEMMER: Take that just a step further on Iraq here. This is the picture, this is the story that seems to be developing now. The Shiites are damned and determined to go ahead and vote at the end of January, no matter how many people die between now and the end of next month, five and a half weeks from now.
GERGEN: Right.
HEMMER: It appears that the big question is how many Sunnis go to the polls when the vote takes place.
Do you read it the same way?
GERGEN: I read it as being at least two questions there, Bill.
One is, and the first one you say, how many Sunnis are going to come out or are they going to boycott? If they boycott, that leaves a much greater likelihood that the new government will not be seen as legitimate by the majority of people in the country or that by a significant minority it will be seen as illegitimate and we'll have some sort of civil war continuing. That kind of gruesome picture that you just flashed up, I think, is going to be very symbolic of what we're facing in Iraq.
But the other question is, we're likely to have a Shiite government. And the other question that's been arising in the last few days is will that new government be, in effect, a much more religious government that will be closely tied into the mullahs in Iran, who have hardly been our friends? And that -- a Shiite government in a sea of Sunnis in that part of the world is a recipe for continuing unrest. And I think it's not what the Americans want.
I mean our government would very much like for Mr. Allawi to win, for example, who is more sectarian -- he's more secular. And that would give us more sense of a -- it would be more like a Turkey rather than like an Iran.
HEMMER: Yes.
GERGEN: But I think that's going to -- right now I think Allawi is in trouble in terms of getting elected.
HEMMER: David, thanks for your thoughts.
GERGEN: Thank you.
HEMMER: The image we put up there was from Sunday. An election worker pulled from his car in central Baghdad, on Haifa Street, executed in broad daylight, another reminder of how tough things are today in that country.
David, thanks.
David Gergen in Watertown.
GERGEN: Thank you.
HEMMER: You've got it.
We'll talk again -- Carol.
COSTELLO: We have to talk about the weather now, because just in time for the Christmas travel season, a major storm is on the horizon.
Let's head to Atlanta and Chad Myers -- good morning.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Carol.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HEMMER: You going home to Ohio?
COSTELLO: I'm going to try.
HEMMER: Yes?
I'll let you know how I do, too.
COSTELLO: Yes.
HEMMER: In a moment here, much more on that baby girl stolen from her mother's womb. One person has been charged, but now questions swirling around about the suspect's husband. We'll get to that in a moment here.
COSTELLO: Also, how a soldier handles the holidays. Find out what one family is doing to make sure dad does not miss Santa.
HEMMER: And next, another soldier honors the people he has left behind. And it's catching on by the thousands. A great story, too. We'll talk about it right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: All week on AMERICAN MORNING, we're hearing stories of special service from Americans who have gone out of their way to support U.S. troops serving overseas. Today we're talking to a sergeant in the U.S. Army who is back from Iraq now, starting a campaign to reach out to the friends he has left behind.
Juan Salas is the creator of the "My Soldier" pen pal campaign.
He's also my guest here.
I love your story, by the way.
SGT. JUAN SALAS, STARTED "MY SOLDIER" CAMPAIGN: Thank you very much.
Good morning.
HEMMER: Really well done.
And welcome home to you.
Fourteen months in Iraq.
What did you see there at the time that told you there is a need for this program?
SALAS: Well, when I was out there, I needed support. And now that I got it, now that I'm back, I was able to start a great program, the "My Soldier" program, to help out my fellow soldiers who are right now in Iraq and in Afghanistan.
HEMMER: I want to know about the program. You've also brought some hats here. This kind of represents the logo for the program you started. But I think what is most interesting are the read wrist bands here. Tell us about those.
SALAS: That's right. When I came back after spending 14 months, I came back and finding out the Lance Armstrong bracelet, the yellow ones, that in 14 months out in Iraq, you don't know what's going on back in the States. So you come back and you say hey, what's going on? What are those yellow ones? And then I said why don't we have one for the soldiers out in Iraq and (UNINTELLIGIBLE)?
HEMMER: What do they represent, though, Juan?
SALAS: They represent that you are supporting the U.S. troops in Iraq, whether you think, whether the war is right or wrong, you still support that soldier who does his duty regardless of the situation.
HEMMER: Tell me about the letter campaign.
What is important about that and what are you trying to accomplish with it?
SALAS: The letter campaign is when you get, receive the bracelet, you adopt a soldier who's out overseas. And you want to become part of his family. And then in return, he becomes part of your family. He becomes your soldier.
HEMMER: Yes. Did you study much about the Vietnam days, when prisoners of war were kept there in northern Vietnam?
SALAS: We, coming back I heard about them, and then I implemented everything together and that's why I started when I did.
HEMMER: Because the bracelets were very popular then, too.
SALAS: The POWs. Yes, they were. Certainly.
HEMMER: Two hundred and fifty thousand people have now been drawn to your program.
SALAS: Yes, 250,000.
HEMMER: Members of the U.S. military or outside the military?
SALAS: Both. Both. Mostly civilians. And, I mean, it's a great program that a lot of people have taken part into it. And the program is free. All we ask is for donations. So we want everybody to get encouraged to participate.
HEMMER: Let's be clear, what does the donations go toward?
SALAS: To buying the hat and the bracelet and then in return you, the actual person, send whatever you think is possible for that soldier.
HEMMER: You've been home.
Has it been hard for you to readjust here? You were in some pretty tough places -- Ramadi and Falluja and Baghdad.
SALAS: I mean, don't get me wrong, every time we went through Falluja, we always got attacked. So, you know, I understand what the boys are going through out there. And to get letters in a time of day, like now, especially through the holidays, it means a lot to the soldier and to your follow soldiers that are still out there.
HEMMER: Can the U.S. win there, based on what you know from your experience there, Juan?
SALAS: From my experiences, you know, as a soldier, we do what our country tells us to do, regardless of the situation. And that's what we do as soldiers.
HEMMER: A job well done to you.
SALAS: Thank you, sir.
HEMMER: And good luck, all right?
SALAS: Thank you very much.
HEMMER: I really hope you have much more success with your program.
SALAS: Thank you very much.
HEMMER: All right.
SALAS: Thank you.
HEMMER: And if you'd like to sign up to be a pen pal, nominate a soldier to receive one or simply donate, the Web site for Juan and My Soldier, the campaign, is mville.edu, that's V-I-L-L-E.
And our special series continues tomorrow. We'll hear from a decorated Vietnam vet who helps wounded soldiers get their life back in order when they return home like Juan.
Nice to see you again.
SALAS: Thank you very much.
HEMMER: Here's Carol.
COSTELLO: A cool story.
Still ahead on AMERICAN MORNING, did the president reveal how he really feels about the progress in Iraq? "Political Jab" coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: The picture is beautiful, huh?
Sixteen degrees outside here in New York City.
Welcome back, everybody.
Back to Jack now and the Question of the Day.
CAFFERTY: Was that XMas music that they were playing along with that bumper shot coming in?
HEMMER: XMas music, yes. (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
CAFFERTY: Merry Christmas or happy holidays.
Every December we get into a little bit of a tiff about this stuff. Is it acceptable to give someone a Christmas greeting without fear of offending their religious sensibilities? Can you say Merry Christmas if the person you're speaking to might not be a Christian? The conflict seems to have reached a fever pitch this year.
We've got schools censoring Christmas carols, towns that call their Christmas trees holiday trees. There's also a large public outcry against the secularization of Christmas, though, this year. A lot of the Christian activists who saw that morals issue in the vote tally in the last election are lobbying businesses, schools and towns to include Christian symbols and messages in holiday displays.
In a country that is 75 percent Christian, are we slowly losing Christmas to political correctness?
We're getting a lot of letters.
Jack in Halifax, Nova Scotia: "Political correctness advocates are scared to offend any minority group who might sue them. Do we say happy holidays during Ramadan or Hanukah? Toss happy holidays in the trash bin and let's all have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year."
Grant writes: "We're not slowly losing Christmas to political correctness. We're able to practice our beliefs as we see fit in our homes, but there is a new force mandating religious correctness in public."
This from Michael in Newport, Kentucky: "Is it possible that the same Christians grousing about the decreased influence of Christmas today are the same Christians who complained that their religious holiday should not be so closely associated with crass secular consumerism? They should welcome the p.c. crowd for helping their fellow Christians more clearly identify the reason for the season."
And D.W. weighs in from Crescent City, California: "I don't understand why we cannot all look upon Christmas as a season of celebration."
Do I get one?
COSTELLO: No. None for you.
CAFFERTY: Thank you.
If you're handing out things here, I want to make sure I get mine.
D.W. writes from Crescent City, California: "I don't understand why we cannot all look upon Christmas as a season of celebration. Christians can celebrate the coming of Christ, agnostics can celebrate a historical season of family gift giving, merchants can celebrate a season of profits. We don't have to argue about what we're celebrating. Let's all lighten up a little and just enjoy it."
COSTELLO: See, that's the spirit. You don't like that, though, do you?
CAFFERTY: That's fine. No, I don't care. Whatever he wants.
HEMMER: Sunday morning on CBS...
CAFFERTY: Whatever floats your boat.
What?
HEMMER: Sunday morning on CBS' show, Charles Osgood? He brought the baby grand piano and he played a series of Christmas songs and replaced the word Christmas with holiday in every song and made his point.
COSTELLO: That's just chickening out.
HEMMER: No, no. He was -- the point was if you replaced Christmas with just holiday you would lose the spirit of Christmas.
COSTELLO: Oh, he was trying to prove that?
HEMMER: Correct.
COSTELLO: Got you. HEMMER: A point well taken.
News in from Iraq right now, and not good news, either. In Mosul, in the northern part of the country, a U.S. military spokesperson saying there was an explosion at a U.S. military base there and there are "multiple casualties." Not much more information than that. We don't know the type of explosion or what caused it. Right now that is under investigation. All we do know is that it happened at a U.S. military base and there are multiple casualties.
More from northern Iraq when we get it here.
Also more on the baby stolen from her mother's womb. Why are authorities now asking questions about the suspect's husband? We'll get to that story.
And another FDA drug warning. This time it involves a popular over the counter painkiller. What you need to know as we continue in a moment here on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: 8:30 in New York.
Good morning, everybody.
Welcome back.
Soledad is out today.
Carol Costello here to help us out -- good morning to you.
COSTELLO: Good morning.
HEMMER: Are you having fun?
COSTELLO: I can't tell you how much fun I'm having.
HEMMER: Half way there.
In a moment here, what investigators are learning in the case of the baby stolen from her mother's womb. We'll have a look, in a moment, at the e-mails that led police to the suspected killer. Also, an update today on the baby's condition. Said to be doing OK, by the way, which is really great news.
COSTELLO: Oh, you mean the little baby girl?
HEMMER: Yes.
COSTELLO: Yes, she is doing OK. She's back with her dad today.
HEMMER: Yes.
COSTELLO: So that's good news.
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 21, 2004 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Yet again, another painkiller getting a warning from the FDA. What are the risks that you need to know from taking too much Aleve?
Inside an investigation, e-mails that led police to Lisa Montgomery, accused of killing a mother-to-be and stealing her baby from her womb.
And for holiday travelers, watch out. More snow, more trouble on the way.
And it's ahead on this AMERICAN MORNING.
ANNOUNCER: From the CNN broadcast center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Bill Hemmer and Soledad O'Brien.
HEMMER: Good morning, everybody.
8:00 on the winter solstice and Kelly Wallace's birthday.
We've got two for today, don't we?
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Yes.
HEMMER: Yes.
Soledad is out.
Carol Costello here with us -- good morning to you.
COSTELLO: Good morning.
HEMMER: Nice to see you.
COSTELLO: And happy birthday, Kelly.
HEMMER: Yes.
KELLY WALLACE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They say it's just one of those things you want to keep secret.
COSTELLO: No, you don't look any older than 25, really.
WALLACE: Oh, Carol, I knew I liked you so very much.
Thank you. COSTELLO: We stick together.
WALLACE: Yes, absolutely.
HEMMER: Happy birthday, Kelly.
WALLACE: Thank you.
HEMMER: More on these warnings from Aleve in a moment here.
Also, we'll talk with David Gergen in a few moments about President Bush's plan for the coming year. He talked yesterday on a number of topics, including Iraq, acknowledging insurgents there are having this impact on stability. We'll talk about what can be done about that with the elections now scheduled for a little more than a month from now, end of January.
COSTELLO: Also this morning, the American troops who know someone cares about them because of the letters they receive from strangers. We'll meet a man who started this pen pal program, a soldier himself, who knew all about the isolation of war.
HEMMER: They are great stories, too, one every week for -- one every day of this week for you, too. So -- hey, Jack, what's happening?
Good morning.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Quite a little, actually.
Nice of you to inquire.
Thank you, Bill.
HEMMER: Sure.
CAFFERTY: Coming up in the "Cafferty File" in a little less than an hour, a Christmas tradition that's slipping away. If you're a celebrity, you can sell your fat for big bucks. We have an example of one who is. And new rules for strippers in Texas, including a where to wear the permit, which is now required.
COSTELLO: Really?
HEMMER: You see what you get on this program and not yours at DAYBREAK?
COSTELLO: Yes. Didn't you just say that this was a smarter program than DAYBREAK? And what are you talking about? Strippers and where they place items.
CAFFERTY: What do you want from me? I'm 62 years old. I'm trying to get to Social Security. Leave me alone.
HEMMER: Thank you, Jack.
Let's go to the news now.
Here's Kelly Wallace back with us again -- hey, Kelly, good morning.
WALLACE: Good morning, again.
Good morning, again, everyone.
Now in the news, just about five hours ago, British Prime Minister Tony Blair arriving in Baghdad for talks with Iraq's interim prime minister, Ayad Allawi. During a news conference, both leaders stressed their support for January 30th elections to go as planned. Blair's visit was a surprise due to security reasons. It is his first trip to the Iraqi capital. He is expected in the West Bank later today.
Here in the United States, funeral services planned for today for the victim of a grizzly killing. Bobby Jo Stinnett, eight months pregnant when she was killed and her child ripped from her womb. The infant said to be doing well, is now at home with her father after being released from a Kansas hospital last night. The suspected kidnapper, Lisa Montgomery, is expected to return to court less than three hours from now after an appearance yesterday. Montgomery is facing a federal kidnapping charge resulting in death.
And it will be fun in the summertime for Harry Potter fans. Just about an hour ago, a July 16 release date was announced for author J.K. Rawlings' latest saga in the Potter series. It is the sixth book for those keeping track and it is called "Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince." And she does not need to create any buzz to spur some sales, but she's already creating a buzz. One of the characters not going to survive in this latest book.
HEMMER: Hmmm. Interesting.
COSTELLO: Oh, that's right.
HEMMER: She'll hit the lottery for the sixth time, though, with that book.
WALLACE: Absolutely.
HEMMER: Thanks, Kelly.
WALLACE: Sure.
COSTELLO: The FDA has a warning out for the common over the counter pain reliever naproxen, sold under the brand name Aleve.
Joining us live from Washington with the risks and safety guidelines is Dr. David Graham, a drug safety researcher for the FDA.
Welcome.
DR. DAVID GRAHAM, FDA DRUG SAFETY RESEARCHER: Good morning.
Thank you.
COSTELLO: First of all, how concerned should we be about Aleve?
GRAHAM: I think, well, first, I'm speaking for myself and not the FDA. The commissioner speaks for the FDA. I think the American people need to be somewhat concerned about the safety of all of the pain relievers, but most especially the ones that still remain on the market that have come into the news -- Celebrex, Bextra and now Aleve and naproxen. Aleve is particularly disturbing because it's an over the counter drug. Over the counter drugs are supposed to be the ones that are the absolutely safest.
I think this asks the larger question, why has FDA not done the job it needs to do to protect America from unsafe drugs? The FDA needs...
COSTELLO: Well, can you try to answer that larger question? You're a drug safety researcher yourself.
GRAHAM: Right. I think there's a couple things. One, no one has held FDA accountable. FDA is still in denial that there's a problem with the way they go about evaluating and approving drugs. Until that changes, we will continue to get killer drugs approved and on the market.
We need to restructure the FDA so that safety has priority. There needs to be, I believe, a separate agency for product safety that would take care of drugs once they're on the market so that we don't have to wait for five years to discover that Vioxx or Celebrex cause heart attacks.
COSTELLO: Well, maybe the FDA is learning a little bit from Vioxx and Celebrex. I mean maybe it's just being cautious about this drug, Aleve, naproxen.
GRAHAM: Well, it's an expensive way to learn. I mean FDA is in the business, it's been in the business for many years of approving drugs. It says when it approves a drug, it's safe and effective. And yet we see with Vioxx that over 100,000 people had heart attacks. As many as 55,000 people died takeoff Vioxx, from heart attacks. That's nearly 20 times as many people as died on 9/11.
Senator Grassley has called for an independent commission similar to the 9/11 Commission to evaluate FDA's drug safety program and to come up with a solution for the United States. And I think I support that. I think that's what America needs now, because FDA is not protecting America from unsafe drugs.
COSTELLO: You're scaring me, actually. I mean what you're saying is really scary.
GRAHAM: Well...
COSTELLO: Is this a crisis?
GRAHAM: Well, I think it is a crisis that has come to light now. This is the -- this has been business as usual for the FDA for the 20 years that I've been there. The 20 years that I've been at FDA, safety has been at the back of the bus, if it's been on the bus at all. And now we are seeing what the result of that is when you get drugs that are used by tens of millions of Americans.
COSTELLO: And a final thought about Aleve, because so many people take this medication.
How dangerous is it?
GRAHAM: Well, the study that they reported that I read in the "New York Times" this morning says there is a 50 percent increase in heart attack risk. But this was a study that was done in a relatively small number of patients that were looked at for a long period of time.
The question is, is what's the risk with short-term use?
I suspect that if they found a 50 percent increase risk over long-term, that we're dealing with a 50 percent risk over the short- term, as well, and the only reason we haven't seen it in the study is the study wasn't big enough to identify the risk happening early on.
COSTELLO: Dr. David Graham, thanks for joining AMERICAN MORNING this morning.
GRAHAM: Thank you for having me.
HEMMER: About seven minutes now past the hour.
To the president now. President Bush yesterday put forth an ambitious agenda for his second term. He also addressed growing violence in Iraq and gave a vote of confidence to the embattled defense secretary, Donald Rumsfeld. A wide ranging press conference from yesterday.
There's a new CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll that shows the president's approval rating back below 50 percent, down 6 points in a month.
So, then, how difficult is the job ahead?
David Gergen, an adviser to four presidents, is my guest live in Watertown, Massachusetts.
And, David, we welcome you back here and good morning to you.
DAVID GERGEN, FORMER WHITE HOUSE ADVISER: Thank you, Bill.
HEMMER: Here was the president from yesterday.
Listen here.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: No question about it, the bombers are having an effect. You know, these people are targeting innocent Iraqis. They're trying to shake the will of the Iraqi people, and, frankly, trying to shake the will of the American people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: Do you get a sense of a change in tone with that statement yesterday, David?
GERGEN: I do, Bill. My sense is that this president is the most audacious we've had since Lyndon Johnson. But like LBJ, he's beginning to worry that time and events could turn swiftly against him as he heads into a second term. I think he feels somewhat on the defensive and he's pushing back. He's tough and he wants to see this through, and I think he came out swinging yesterday because he knows events in Iraq are taking this ugly, ugly turn just on the eve of the elections. He's got at least three cabinet secretaries in positions in some difficulty with defense -- on the defensive with Rumsfeld. He hasn't been able to fill homeland security and he's got somebody at the Treasury Department that his own aides were dumping on just a couple of weeks ago.
So given all that and the fact that public opinion is turning against him, just on the verge of what could be his most important term, when he wants to do so many bold things here at home and overseas, he's running into some real roadblocks.
HEMMER: There are a few more numbers I wanted to put on the screen for our viewers. CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup released these numbers this week. "How has the U.S. handled Iraq in the past few months?" The disapprove number quite alarming, 58 percent there. There's anew poll out from the "Washington Post" and ABC News. They find 56 percent of Americans don't believe that given the costs, that the conflict in Iraq is worth the fight.
What is the impact, then, and the strategy coming out of the White House? Or is this a case of hang on, be patient, or maybe even hold on until the end of January, get to the elections and see how they come out then?
GERGEN: Well, they have to be concerned at the White House that for the first time we now have solid majorities who think that the war was a mistake. They can be reassured that, at the same time, Americans are patient. They want to see this through, for the most part. To be sure, there are some who would like to cut and run. But the president still has a majority with him on sticking it through.
And, Bill, I think their strategy is to do exactly what you're saying, try to get through this election and then find out where we stand.
If, at the end of the election, you've got something that resembles a quasi democracy, then you can begin to turn over responsibility to the new government and say, you know, we're now giving you your chance and we're going to start pulling back. If, on the other hand, you've got, you know, huge boycotts, lots of violence and a government that emerges that is a Shiite government that seems to be in bed with Iran next door, that's a much more difficult situation and I think that -- I think the president right now wants to keep Donald Rumsfeld at his side, no changes, see it through, plow ahead, get through the elections and then see what needs to be done after that.
HEMMER: Take that just a step further on Iraq here. This is the picture, this is the story that seems to be developing now. The Shiites are damned and determined to go ahead and vote at the end of January, no matter how many people die between now and the end of next month, five and a half weeks from now.
GERGEN: Right.
HEMMER: It appears that the big question is how many Sunnis go to the polls when the vote takes place.
Do you read it the same way?
GERGEN: I read it as being at least two questions there, Bill.
One is, and the first one you say, how many Sunnis are going to come out or are they going to boycott? If they boycott, that leaves a much greater likelihood that the new government will not be seen as legitimate by the majority of people in the country or that by a significant minority it will be seen as illegitimate and we'll have some sort of civil war continuing. That kind of gruesome picture that you just flashed up, I think, is going to be very symbolic of what we're facing in Iraq.
But the other question is, we're likely to have a Shiite government. And the other question that's been arising in the last few days is will that new government be, in effect, a much more religious government that will be closely tied into the mullahs in Iran, who have hardly been our friends? And that -- a Shiite government in a sea of Sunnis in that part of the world is a recipe for continuing unrest. And I think it's not what the Americans want.
I mean our government would very much like for Mr. Allawi to win, for example, who is more sectarian -- he's more secular. And that would give us more sense of a -- it would be more like a Turkey rather than like an Iran.
HEMMER: Yes.
GERGEN: But I think that's going to -- right now I think Allawi is in trouble in terms of getting elected.
HEMMER: David, thanks for your thoughts.
GERGEN: Thank you.
HEMMER: The image we put up there was from Sunday. An election worker pulled from his car in central Baghdad, on Haifa Street, executed in broad daylight, another reminder of how tough things are today in that country.
David, thanks.
David Gergen in Watertown.
GERGEN: Thank you.
HEMMER: You've got it.
We'll talk again -- Carol.
COSTELLO: We have to talk about the weather now, because just in time for the Christmas travel season, a major storm is on the horizon.
Let's head to Atlanta and Chad Myers -- good morning.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Carol.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HEMMER: You going home to Ohio?
COSTELLO: I'm going to try.
HEMMER: Yes?
I'll let you know how I do, too.
COSTELLO: Yes.
HEMMER: In a moment here, much more on that baby girl stolen from her mother's womb. One person has been charged, but now questions swirling around about the suspect's husband. We'll get to that in a moment here.
COSTELLO: Also, how a soldier handles the holidays. Find out what one family is doing to make sure dad does not miss Santa.
HEMMER: And next, another soldier honors the people he has left behind. And it's catching on by the thousands. A great story, too. We'll talk about it right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: All week on AMERICAN MORNING, we're hearing stories of special service from Americans who have gone out of their way to support U.S. troops serving overseas. Today we're talking to a sergeant in the U.S. Army who is back from Iraq now, starting a campaign to reach out to the friends he has left behind.
Juan Salas is the creator of the "My Soldier" pen pal campaign.
He's also my guest here.
I love your story, by the way.
SGT. JUAN SALAS, STARTED "MY SOLDIER" CAMPAIGN: Thank you very much.
Good morning.
HEMMER: Really well done.
And welcome home to you.
Fourteen months in Iraq.
What did you see there at the time that told you there is a need for this program?
SALAS: Well, when I was out there, I needed support. And now that I got it, now that I'm back, I was able to start a great program, the "My Soldier" program, to help out my fellow soldiers who are right now in Iraq and in Afghanistan.
HEMMER: I want to know about the program. You've also brought some hats here. This kind of represents the logo for the program you started. But I think what is most interesting are the read wrist bands here. Tell us about those.
SALAS: That's right. When I came back after spending 14 months, I came back and finding out the Lance Armstrong bracelet, the yellow ones, that in 14 months out in Iraq, you don't know what's going on back in the States. So you come back and you say hey, what's going on? What are those yellow ones? And then I said why don't we have one for the soldiers out in Iraq and (UNINTELLIGIBLE)?
HEMMER: What do they represent, though, Juan?
SALAS: They represent that you are supporting the U.S. troops in Iraq, whether you think, whether the war is right or wrong, you still support that soldier who does his duty regardless of the situation.
HEMMER: Tell me about the letter campaign.
What is important about that and what are you trying to accomplish with it?
SALAS: The letter campaign is when you get, receive the bracelet, you adopt a soldier who's out overseas. And you want to become part of his family. And then in return, he becomes part of your family. He becomes your soldier.
HEMMER: Yes. Did you study much about the Vietnam days, when prisoners of war were kept there in northern Vietnam?
SALAS: We, coming back I heard about them, and then I implemented everything together and that's why I started when I did.
HEMMER: Because the bracelets were very popular then, too.
SALAS: The POWs. Yes, they were. Certainly.
HEMMER: Two hundred and fifty thousand people have now been drawn to your program.
SALAS: Yes, 250,000.
HEMMER: Members of the U.S. military or outside the military?
SALAS: Both. Both. Mostly civilians. And, I mean, it's a great program that a lot of people have taken part into it. And the program is free. All we ask is for donations. So we want everybody to get encouraged to participate.
HEMMER: Let's be clear, what does the donations go toward?
SALAS: To buying the hat and the bracelet and then in return you, the actual person, send whatever you think is possible for that soldier.
HEMMER: You've been home.
Has it been hard for you to readjust here? You were in some pretty tough places -- Ramadi and Falluja and Baghdad.
SALAS: I mean, don't get me wrong, every time we went through Falluja, we always got attacked. So, you know, I understand what the boys are going through out there. And to get letters in a time of day, like now, especially through the holidays, it means a lot to the soldier and to your follow soldiers that are still out there.
HEMMER: Can the U.S. win there, based on what you know from your experience there, Juan?
SALAS: From my experiences, you know, as a soldier, we do what our country tells us to do, regardless of the situation. And that's what we do as soldiers.
HEMMER: A job well done to you.
SALAS: Thank you, sir.
HEMMER: And good luck, all right?
SALAS: Thank you very much.
HEMMER: I really hope you have much more success with your program.
SALAS: Thank you very much.
HEMMER: All right.
SALAS: Thank you.
HEMMER: And if you'd like to sign up to be a pen pal, nominate a soldier to receive one or simply donate, the Web site for Juan and My Soldier, the campaign, is mville.edu, that's V-I-L-L-E.
And our special series continues tomorrow. We'll hear from a decorated Vietnam vet who helps wounded soldiers get their life back in order when they return home like Juan.
Nice to see you again.
SALAS: Thank you very much.
HEMMER: Here's Carol.
COSTELLO: A cool story.
Still ahead on AMERICAN MORNING, did the president reveal how he really feels about the progress in Iraq? "Political Jab" coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: The picture is beautiful, huh?
Sixteen degrees outside here in New York City.
Welcome back, everybody.
Back to Jack now and the Question of the Day.
CAFFERTY: Was that XMas music that they were playing along with that bumper shot coming in?
HEMMER: XMas music, yes. (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
CAFFERTY: Merry Christmas or happy holidays.
Every December we get into a little bit of a tiff about this stuff. Is it acceptable to give someone a Christmas greeting without fear of offending their religious sensibilities? Can you say Merry Christmas if the person you're speaking to might not be a Christian? The conflict seems to have reached a fever pitch this year.
We've got schools censoring Christmas carols, towns that call their Christmas trees holiday trees. There's also a large public outcry against the secularization of Christmas, though, this year. A lot of the Christian activists who saw that morals issue in the vote tally in the last election are lobbying businesses, schools and towns to include Christian symbols and messages in holiday displays.
In a country that is 75 percent Christian, are we slowly losing Christmas to political correctness?
We're getting a lot of letters.
Jack in Halifax, Nova Scotia: "Political correctness advocates are scared to offend any minority group who might sue them. Do we say happy holidays during Ramadan or Hanukah? Toss happy holidays in the trash bin and let's all have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year."
Grant writes: "We're not slowly losing Christmas to political correctness. We're able to practice our beliefs as we see fit in our homes, but there is a new force mandating religious correctness in public."
This from Michael in Newport, Kentucky: "Is it possible that the same Christians grousing about the decreased influence of Christmas today are the same Christians who complained that their religious holiday should not be so closely associated with crass secular consumerism? They should welcome the p.c. crowd for helping their fellow Christians more clearly identify the reason for the season."
And D.W. weighs in from Crescent City, California: "I don't understand why we cannot all look upon Christmas as a season of celebration."
Do I get one?
COSTELLO: No. None for you.
CAFFERTY: Thank you.
If you're handing out things here, I want to make sure I get mine.
D.W. writes from Crescent City, California: "I don't understand why we cannot all look upon Christmas as a season of celebration. Christians can celebrate the coming of Christ, agnostics can celebrate a historical season of family gift giving, merchants can celebrate a season of profits. We don't have to argue about what we're celebrating. Let's all lighten up a little and just enjoy it."
COSTELLO: See, that's the spirit. You don't like that, though, do you?
CAFFERTY: That's fine. No, I don't care. Whatever he wants.
HEMMER: Sunday morning on CBS...
CAFFERTY: Whatever floats your boat.
What?
HEMMER: Sunday morning on CBS' show, Charles Osgood? He brought the baby grand piano and he played a series of Christmas songs and replaced the word Christmas with holiday in every song and made his point.
COSTELLO: That's just chickening out.
HEMMER: No, no. He was -- the point was if you replaced Christmas with just holiday you would lose the spirit of Christmas.
COSTELLO: Oh, he was trying to prove that?
HEMMER: Correct.
COSTELLO: Got you. HEMMER: A point well taken.
News in from Iraq right now, and not good news, either. In Mosul, in the northern part of the country, a U.S. military spokesperson saying there was an explosion at a U.S. military base there and there are "multiple casualties." Not much more information than that. We don't know the type of explosion or what caused it. Right now that is under investigation. All we do know is that it happened at a U.S. military base and there are multiple casualties.
More from northern Iraq when we get it here.
Also more on the baby stolen from her mother's womb. Why are authorities now asking questions about the suspect's husband? We'll get to that story.
And another FDA drug warning. This time it involves a popular over the counter painkiller. What you need to know as we continue in a moment here on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: 8:30 in New York.
Good morning, everybody.
Welcome back.
Soledad is out today.
Carol Costello here to help us out -- good morning to you.
COSTELLO: Good morning.
HEMMER: Are you having fun?
COSTELLO: I can't tell you how much fun I'm having.
HEMMER: Half way there.
In a moment here, what investigators are learning in the case of the baby stolen from her mother's womb. We'll have a look, in a moment, at the e-mails that led police to the suspected killer. Also, an update today on the baby's condition. Said to be doing OK, by the way, which is really great news.
COSTELLO: Oh, you mean the little baby girl?
HEMMER: Yes.
COSTELLO: Yes, she is doing OK. She's back with her dad today.
HEMMER: Yes.
COSTELLO: So that's good news.
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