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CNN Live At Daybreak
State of the Union; Pontiff Hospitalized; Improbable Star; I'd Do Anything; Mind/Body Connection
Aired February 02, 2005 - 05:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you, welcome to the second half-hour of DAYBREAK. From the Time Warner Center in New York, I'm Carol Costello, along with Chad Myers.
"Now in the News."
New word this morning on the pope's health. A Vatican spokesman says John Paul II's condition is stable and there is no cause for alarm. The pope is in a Rome hospital with a respiratory infection.
Some alarming intelligence about North Korea. According to published reports this morning, U.S. officials believe North Korea might have exported nuclear material to Libya. The reports say the communist nation has also made more weapons grade plutonium.
Overhauling Social Security and staying the course in Iraq, those are two goals the president will outline in his State of the Union speech. The president addresses a joint session of Congress tonight.
Jesse Jackson joins the effort to free an American hostage in Iraq. Jackson says he'll try to help negotiate the release of Roy Hallums. The American contractor was seen on a recent video pleading for his life at gunpoint.
To the Forecast Center and, Chad, good morning.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Carol.
(WEATHER REPORT)
Carol, back to you.
COSTELLO: All right, Chad, not paying close attention, because we have a bit of developing news to tell people.
The Prime Minister of Israel, Ariel Sharon, has been invited to Egypt for a summit. Also present at the summit will be the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. This summit will take place very soon.
We're trying to get one of our correspondents in that part of the world to join us live. When we get our correspondent, of course we'll bring more information to you. But that is good news.
President Bush is putting the final touches on tonight's State of the Union Address. White House officials offered a preview of what we can expect.
CNN's Kareen Wynter joins us now from Washington with more.
Good morning -- Kareen.
KAREEN WYNTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Carol.
A senior administration aid described this speech that America will be hearing tonight as being unique and that it's very much in line with what we heard a few weeks ago at the president's inaugural address. And that the president will lay out his legislative agenda, his legislative blueprint for his second term agenda with the first part of his speech, Carol, focusing on domestic issues and the second part foreign policy.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WYNTER (voice-over): The White House released these photos of President Bush prepping for tonight's State of the Union. At a recent Republican retreat in West Virginia, Mr. Bush gave a glimpse of what we can expect to hear tonight.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I look forward to addressing the nation. I will remind the country we're still at war. And I want to thank the Congress for providing the necessary support for our troops who are in harm's way.
WYNTER: The commander in chief will also tell the world the way to defeat hatred and terrorism is to spread freedom, a familiar refrain from this year's inaugural address.
Aids say the president will use Sunday's historic election in Iraq as an example of democracy in motion, but that he will not agree with Democrats who continue to press the administration on an exit timetable now that the elections are over.
Mr. Bush will also outline plans to revamp Social Security with personal retirement accounts, but that will be a tough sell with many Democrats.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: President Bush should forget about privatizing Social Security. It will not happen. And the sooner he comes to that realization, the better off we are.
SCOTT MCCLELLAN, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: People can look the other way and stick their head in the sand and think that the problem will go away, but it doesn't, Ken. It gets worse over time.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WYNTER: And aids say we can also expect to hear an upbeat assessment of the prospects of reviving that stalled Middle East peace process with the election of the new Palestinian leadership and perhaps a stronger U.S. involvement here.
In addition to that, Carol, the nuclear threat posed by Iran and North Korea and the possibility of resolving this through diplomacy. A lot to pack in this speech. It's expected to run about 40 minutes, that's without interruptions -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Kareen Wynter, live in Washington this morning, thank you.
Tonight be sure to count on CNN for extensive live coverage of the president's State of the Union Address. Our prime time event begins at 8:00 p.m. Eastern.
And that, again, brings us to our e-mail "Question of the Morning." We want to hear from you this morning, what do you want to hear in tonight's State of the Union Address? What do you want the president to say to you? What's important in your life? Let us know what you think, DAYBREAK@CNN.com. That's DAYBREAK@CNN.com.
Another health scare for Pope John Paul II, but a spokesman now says the situation is calm and there's no reason for alarm.
CNN Rome bureau chief Alessio Vinci reports on the pope's health scares.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALESSIO VINCI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When the Pope wants to know how he is feeling, Vatican officials like to say he reads the newspapers. It may sound like a punch line, but John Paul II's health is perhaps the most scrutinized and talked about since Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev.
The media began talking and writing about his ailments more than two decades ago, when he first underwent surgery after an assassination attempt. He went through surgery five times to remove, first a tumor, then his appendix, and then to replace a broken hip after a bad fall.
In the mid-'90s, observers began noticing a tremor in his left hand, triggering speculation he suffers from Parkinson's Disease.
JOHN ALLEN, VATICAN ANALYST: If you read the papers on a day-to- day basis, you would think he's about to drop any time. Anyone who watches him in a sustained way knows that just isn't true.
VINCI: Clearly the pope is aging and increasingly frail. His facial expression is a palette of pain. Yet from trips abroad to long open air masses, the pope is proving he is still able to work and the Vatican says still calling the shots.
CARDINAL EDMUND SZOKA, VATICAN GOVERNOR: He still continues his studying, reading. He reads voraciously. And he can read two or three books almost simultaneously in different languages.
VINCI: His physical limitations at times prevent him from attending events or delivering speeches. But when the pope's fragility makes front page news, Vatican officials highlight his sheer determination. ARCHBISHOP JOHN FOLEY, VATICAN OFFICIAL: I think that since he keeps going with such a will of iron gives hope and encouragement to people who are elderly and who are sick.
VINCI: However, many wonder if the pope's ailments are not making it harder for him to get his message across.
ALLEN: At what stage do his physical struggles stop being admirable and start becoming almost pathetic? And when you cross that line, you know the message becomes forgotten.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VINCI: And while the Pope has been hospitalized many times before in this clinic here behind me, the fact that he was brought in such a hurry late last night is a first, which left many here wonder really about his medical condition.
Back to you -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Well, Alessio, the Vatican released a statement about 15, 20 minutes ago, and really it's calmed people's fears. They're almost saying that he's feeling better and he may go back to the Vatican soon.
VINCI: Well, the Vatican has been all along trying to play down concerns, not just among the members of the media, but as well as the wide Catholic public around the world.
Joaquin Navarro-Valls, the chief Vatican spokesman, met reporters earlier today at the press office at the Vatican. He basically confirmed the original diagnosis of respiratory infection. He also said that the pope really never lost conscience throughout this time. He said that he had a few hours of sleep overnight. And he also said that this morning he ate a small breakfast, including coffee.
And finally as the chief spokesman was ready to leave, the hospital he said that the pope was ready to celebrate mass with his private secretary. So certainly there is an attempt here by the Vatican to alleviate some fears.
At the same time, one should always remember that the pope only last night has been admitted to this hospital with serious respiratory problem. I just spoke earlier today with a top Vatican official who told me that the simple reason why he had to come to the hospital was because simply the pope could not breathe easily.
Back to you -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Alessio Vinci, live in Rome this morning, thank you.
Are you willing to put your money where your mouth is? At 43 minutes past the hour, we'll meet a football fan who's willing to bet the farm, literally, to see his favorite team play. It's a crazy story.
And whatever happened to the music in music television? MTV goes under the microscope. A look at what your kids are watching.
But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Wednesday morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Remember last week we told you about a guy who is taking a vacation from his construction job to play for the Eagles in the Super Bowl? Well now he's become one of the most sought after stars both on and off the field.
CNN's Sports' Larry Smith has more from Jacksonville on this improbable star.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LARRY SMITH, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: It used to be stars were made on Super Bowl Sunday. Not this year, meet Jeff Thomason.
JEFF THOMASON, EAGLES TIGHT END: It's my 15 minutes of fame, and I'm enjoying it. So I know weeks from now I'll be sitting back at my desk and it'll be like what just happened to me.
SMITH: It started when Eagles tight end Chad Lewis broke his foot in the NFC Championship game. In urgent need of a replacement, the Eagles called this 35-year-old project manager for a construction company in New Jersey.
THOMASON: Initially I thought it was just a joke. And when I told people, they thought the same thing. You know I had to tell them three or four times before it actually sunk in.
TONY CASAPULLA, TOLL BROTHERS CONSTRUCTION: He said I'm going to the Super Bowl. And I said, cool, great, you got tickets. He says no, I'm going to play in the Super Bowl. And I nearly fell out of my chair.
THOMASON: And they said come on in, run around, run, catch some balls for us and see if you can still do it. And luckily I could.
SMITH: The "Today" show, "David Letterman," "60 Minutes" and on and on have all been clamoring for the guy who swapped his hard hat for a helmet. His 15 minutes of fame is now entering day nine.
THOMASON: Definitely more media than I ever had, you know, in 10 years in the NFL.
DEREK BOYKO, EAGLES PUBLIC RELATIONS DIRECTOR: Marino, Steve Young, Brett Favre, there isn't a more requested player in a week of a Super Bowl than Jeff Thomason. The guy is a star.
IKE REESE, EAGLES LINEBACKER: I thought I would have a booth, I mean a podium down here. They don't want to give me a podium, but that's OK. Jeff Thomason has a podium because we picked him up off the street two weeks ago.
JEVON KEARSE, EAGLES DEFENSIVE END: Jeff is the man. He's cashing in right now.
REESE: I tell you what, if he goes out there and scores the game-winning touchdown Sunday, he's really going to blow up.
QUESTION: So, Jeff, is Sunday your last football game?
THOMASON: I believe it is. Yes, I believe it is. I don't know if I've got 16 games in my body, but I definitely have one.
SMITH: And where will it end? How can the latest and most famous player in Super Bowl history top off this joyride? Well he won't be going to Disney World.
QUESTION: You're coming back, right?
THOMASON: Yes.
SMITH: He's got to be back at work on Monday when his two week's vacation are up.
Larry Smith, CNN, Jacksonville.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: Is that not a terrific story?
MYERS: It is. And you know what would be best, if he ran out on the field with a construction hat on that was painted the Eagles colors with the little eagle. Hey, are you going to be an Eagles fan this weekend?
COSTELLO: I'm going to try, because you know I always like the underdog to win, but I just think the Patriots are so good it will be tough to beat them.
MYERS: I have this for you. Someone sent this for you, but it came to my office.
COSTELLO: What is it?
MYERS: Can you see it? It's a pink Eagles hat.
COSTELLO: They sent it to me?
MYERS: Yes. I don't even know who. It's not even signed in there, so, but it's...
COSTELLO: I'm honored, thank you, whoever did that.
MYERS: ... official NFL stuff. I'll send it to you.
COSTELLO: Don't throw it around.
MYERS: I just put it on my desk.
COSTELLO: OK. Well let's talk about this now, Chad. Super Bowl security teams have a different challenge for this year's game, it's the river.
MYERS: Yes.
COSTELLO: The St. John's River runs right past the stadium. Water traffic will be severely restricted. Also, Coast Guard divers will routinely sweep the river and they'll inspect the bottoms of five cruise ships that will be used as makeshift hotels.
MYERS: Wow.
COSTELLO: So they're taking every precaution to keep people safe at the Super Bowl.
MYERS: Bay Street pretty much already shut down there in the River City, yes. They're not going to take any chances this year, of course.
COSTELLO: For good reason, as we know, unfortunately, sadly.
Also come Sunday, you'll be able to see the Super Bowl the way the bugs see it, as in insect. Fox, which is broadcasting the game, is placing tiny little cameras in the turf. Can you believe this? Four of the turf cams will give viewers a long angle lens, while eight more of the cameras will be placed in the end zone. So can you imagine the shots they will be able to get when people score?
MYERS: Carol, if you're a NASCAR fan, sure you can imagine that, because they've been doing that on the NASCAR circuit for a long time now.
COSTELLO: You know, silly me, I had forgotten about that, but you're absolutely right.
MYERS: They put them right on where the tires run over them. It's kind of fun to watch.
COSTELLO: When does the Daytona 500 run?
MYERS: Two weeks, four days and about 12 hours.
COSTELLO: I know it's been agony for you waiting.
MYERS: It is.
COSTELLO: How many times have you heard football fans say I'd do anything to go to the Super Bowl? Well...
MYERS: Mortgage your house.
COSTELLO: Yes. One Pennsylvania man put his money and his house where his mouth is. Chad is absolutely right, he mortgaged his house.
Tom Burlington of our Philadelphia affiliate WTXF has the rest of the story. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Touchdown, and they will celebrate.
KEVIN O'DONOGHUE, EAGLES FAN: I can still remember back in 1981, I was devastated as a little boy. And I always told myself that I would go to the Super Bowl if my Eagles were there.
TOM BURLINGTON, WTXF-TV REPORTER (voice-over): But 13-year-old Kevin wasn't thinking about how to finance a Super Bowl experience back in '81. Fast forward to 2005, and as Kevin watched his Eagles win the NFC Championship, along with his wife and six children, that boyhood dream of sitting in the stands came rushing back.
KE. O'DONOGHUE: I was just talking to my wife, just saying, you know, yes, I'll do anything, you know, mortgage our house. And you know then we kind of came up with the idea of an equity line of credit.
BURLINGTON: So the house in Concord Township is now collateral for a $4,000 five-day, four-night trip to the Super Bowl. And Mrs. O'Donoghue is OK with it.
KRISTEN O'DONOGHUE, WIFE: I am, because it's a dream of his and that's priceless. So I'm willing to put up the house, I guess.
KE. O'DONOGHUE: It's cheap money. It's -- you know I got it at a real good rate and I just figured that you know this only comes once in a lifetime sometimes and I didn't want to miss it.
BURLINGTON: And the guy in Florida who OK'd the loan knows exactly how Kevin feels.
SHESTACK (ph): I've been waiting 25 years for this. You better believe I'm going. Fifth row, baby.
BURLINGTON: Shestack is a Philly native and lifelong Eagles fan who thinks Super Bowl memories are worth the money.
SHESTACK: I don't know that the intrinsic value in going to the Super Bowl and passing that down to your family isn't worth as much as something else that other people would label as more practical.
BURLINGTON: Practical or not, Kevin is going to the most important Eagles game of his life.
KE. O'DONOGHUE: It feels great. I'm really excited. I can't believe it. And I've got to say thanks to my wife, I love you, Kristen.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: That was Tom Burlington of our Philadelphia affiliate WTXF.
And I have to say, Chad, if the Detroit Lions were to go to the Super Bowl, I would do anything to go. So I totally get that story.
MYERS: I think you have a long way to wait -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Thanks -- Chad.
MYERS: But maybe not. You know there's always next year.
COSTELLO: Exactly. I think the team showed signs of improvement...
MYERS: They did.
COSTELLO: ... last year, don't you,...
MYERS: I do.
COSTELLO: ... or this past year?
MYERS: I do.
COSTELLO: Yes, sure, right.
MYERS: OK.
COSTELLO: Thanks a lot -- Chad.
MYERS: Sorry.
COSTELLO: We're going to take a break. We'll be right back.
MYERS: Sorry, Detroit. Still love you up there.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: For both men and women, doctors are finding new links between mental health and physical well being.
And as CNN medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta reports, depression can affect much more than your mood.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A walk in the park is more like a trudge, and a nice day might be viewed in darkish hues when 46-year-old Matt Grimes becomes depressed.
MATT GRIMES, SUFFERS FROM DEPRESSION: Sometimes, I'm even struggling to make it out into the day. It's like I have to a lot of times push myself to get up and get going. Once I get going, normally I'm OK, but it's kind of like -- sometimes it's a real struggle to just do everyday things, you know.
GUPTA: His depression would have a tight grip on his mind and eventually his heart. Ten years ago, he was diagnosed with clinical depression. Six years later, blockages in his heart. Dr. Viola Vaccarino believes there's a link. She heads a study at Emory University finding strong connections between markers for depression and later heart disease.
DR. VIOLA VACCARINO, EMORY UNIVERSITY: And the more depressed the people are, the more abnormalities we are finding.
GUPTA: No doubt, the mind and the body are connected. And we're proving it more than ever before. A recent study found that women with depression also had high levels of insulin resistance, which can lead to type II diabetes. And a National Institutes of Health study finds that women who were depressed had significantly higher rates of bone mass loss than women who were not depressed.
DR. PHILIP GOLD, NATL. INSTITUTES OF MENTAL HEALTH: The premenopausal women who are quite young, who have had episodes of major depression had lost a significant amount of bone. Some enough bone that would qualify for osteoporosis.
GUPTA: One reason may be that depressed people generate large amounts of a hormone called cortisol. It's released when you're stressed and when you're depressed.
GOLD: And depression where this stress response gets locked in the on position, then bone is lost really over time, perhaps continually, and ultimately, enough bone is lost so that it becomes pathological.
GUPTA: And the result is depression of body's immune system, the body's ability to fend off disease.
GRIMES: I think when the spirit is broken, it affects your bodily function.
GUPTA: As Matt Grimes discovered, he's turned to both mental and physical therapies in the hope of a brighter future.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: For more on this or any other health story, head to our Web site. The address, CNN.com/health.
Here's what we're working on for you in the next hour of DAYBREAK.
Those cool white earphones you're wearing could be a target for thieves. A warning for you Podheads out there.
Also, we'll get an idea from a trial expert just how tough it will be for Michael Jackson to find a jury of his peers.
You are watching DAYBREAK.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) COSTELLO: Time to check out the "Web Clicks" this morning, what stories are getting your attention on CNN.com.
And one of the most clicked on stories is a birdbrain really isn't so stupid.
MYERS: That's right, if you call somebody a birdbrain, Carol, that may actually be a compliment.
COSTELLO: Yes, because scientists have now found out that bird's brains, I don't know, it's so difficult to explain. But suffice it to say that birds are smarter than you think, especially birds, like parrots, who can mimic like speech patters in humans.
MYERS: Well considering the size of their brain compared to the size of ours and how much they do and they can get from one place to another and back to the exact same place they were born, that's pretty amazing.
COSTELLO: It is amazing. So birds are smarter than you think.
The second most clicked on story on CNN.com is about former U.S. President Bill Clinton. He'll serve as the U.N. envoy for tsunami reconstruction efforts in south Asia. Kofi Annan asked him to do that because of his enthusiasm.
MYERS: Found out that Kofi Annan also said that he could think of no one else that was more up to the task than Bill Clinton.
COSTELLO: Yes.
OK, let's get to our e-mail "Question of the Day," speaking of U.S. presidents, because, as you know,...
MYERS: Yes.
COSTELLO: ... President Bush is going to deliver his State of the Union Address tonight. And we wanted to know what issues you wanted to hear him talk about.
And, well, we got a lot of nasty ones and a lot of nice ones. They're kind of split 50-50 this morning.
So you want to read yours first -- Chad?
MYERS: Sure. I've got one from Carol (ph) in Tennessee. I look forward to just having anything that the president has to say, as long as he doesn't talk about Michael Jackson.
COSTELLO: I was going to read that one, too. That was my favorite one.
MYERS: Judith (ph) in Santa Rosa, California, she wants to hear him say I'm resigning so I can spend more time with my daughters.
COSTELLO: Oh jeez. This is from Patsy (ph) from Loganville, Georgia. She says one thing I want the president to do tonight is take a moment to tell the United States senators, congressmen and women to stop wasting their time arguing with each other and put together some good legislation for Social Security and health care.
MYERS: Bill from San Francisco wants to listen to the State of the Union to hear all the words that George mispronounces.
COSTELLO: Oh jeez.
MYERS: That's from Bill in San Francisco.
And Bill from Alabama, a lot of Bills this morning, I want to hear President Bush say he was wrong about stem cell research and that he will now approve federal funds.
COSTELLO: Interesting. I don't think that will be in his speech, though.
MYERS: Probably not, it's the State of the Union.
COSTELLO: This is from Boyd (ph). He says the No. 1 taxes, No. 2 Social Security, No. 3 health insurance. And I think all of those things will be mentioned in the president's State of the Union tonight.
MYERS: We talked a little about tsunami relief and former President Bill Clinton. Remember that Harley that was for auction -- Carol?
COSTELLO: Yes.
MYERS: There it is. It is on eBay now. I checked yesterday, the current bid was about $165,000.
COSTELLO: Great.
MYERS: The retail value on the bike is $22,000 from Harley. So, obviously, this is all going to a much worthwhile cause. You do have to be a qualified bidder, according to eBay. You just can't get on there and start bidding numbers, so.
COSTELLO: So that's the one that Jay Leno had on his show and it's signed by all the movie stars.
MYERS: Signed by, I don't know, like 50 or 80 people, something like that, yes.
COSTELLO: That is terrific.
MYERS: That is going well.
COSTELLO: See how generous people are.
MYERS: And you can go right onto the eBay site. It's one of those the first clicked on things, it pops right up.
COSTELLO: We'll do.
MYERS: OK.
COSTELLO: Thank you -- Chad.
MYERS: You're welcome.
COSTELLO: The next hour of DAYBREAK starts right now.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: The world's on watch as Pope John Paul II recovers from a bout with the flu. We'll take you live to Rome for the latest details straight ahead.
At first glance, it looks like a U.S. soldier in Iraq, but look again. We'll tell you about this bizarre hoax.
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Aired February 2, 2005 - 05:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you, welcome to the second half-hour of DAYBREAK. From the Time Warner Center in New York, I'm Carol Costello, along with Chad Myers.
"Now in the News."
New word this morning on the pope's health. A Vatican spokesman says John Paul II's condition is stable and there is no cause for alarm. The pope is in a Rome hospital with a respiratory infection.
Some alarming intelligence about North Korea. According to published reports this morning, U.S. officials believe North Korea might have exported nuclear material to Libya. The reports say the communist nation has also made more weapons grade plutonium.
Overhauling Social Security and staying the course in Iraq, those are two goals the president will outline in his State of the Union speech. The president addresses a joint session of Congress tonight.
Jesse Jackson joins the effort to free an American hostage in Iraq. Jackson says he'll try to help negotiate the release of Roy Hallums. The American contractor was seen on a recent video pleading for his life at gunpoint.
To the Forecast Center and, Chad, good morning.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Carol.
(WEATHER REPORT)
Carol, back to you.
COSTELLO: All right, Chad, not paying close attention, because we have a bit of developing news to tell people.
The Prime Minister of Israel, Ariel Sharon, has been invited to Egypt for a summit. Also present at the summit will be the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. This summit will take place very soon.
We're trying to get one of our correspondents in that part of the world to join us live. When we get our correspondent, of course we'll bring more information to you. But that is good news.
President Bush is putting the final touches on tonight's State of the Union Address. White House officials offered a preview of what we can expect.
CNN's Kareen Wynter joins us now from Washington with more.
Good morning -- Kareen.
KAREEN WYNTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Carol.
A senior administration aid described this speech that America will be hearing tonight as being unique and that it's very much in line with what we heard a few weeks ago at the president's inaugural address. And that the president will lay out his legislative agenda, his legislative blueprint for his second term agenda with the first part of his speech, Carol, focusing on domestic issues and the second part foreign policy.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WYNTER (voice-over): The White House released these photos of President Bush prepping for tonight's State of the Union. At a recent Republican retreat in West Virginia, Mr. Bush gave a glimpse of what we can expect to hear tonight.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I look forward to addressing the nation. I will remind the country we're still at war. And I want to thank the Congress for providing the necessary support for our troops who are in harm's way.
WYNTER: The commander in chief will also tell the world the way to defeat hatred and terrorism is to spread freedom, a familiar refrain from this year's inaugural address.
Aids say the president will use Sunday's historic election in Iraq as an example of democracy in motion, but that he will not agree with Democrats who continue to press the administration on an exit timetable now that the elections are over.
Mr. Bush will also outline plans to revamp Social Security with personal retirement accounts, but that will be a tough sell with many Democrats.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: President Bush should forget about privatizing Social Security. It will not happen. And the sooner he comes to that realization, the better off we are.
SCOTT MCCLELLAN, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: People can look the other way and stick their head in the sand and think that the problem will go away, but it doesn't, Ken. It gets worse over time.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WYNTER: And aids say we can also expect to hear an upbeat assessment of the prospects of reviving that stalled Middle East peace process with the election of the new Palestinian leadership and perhaps a stronger U.S. involvement here.
In addition to that, Carol, the nuclear threat posed by Iran and North Korea and the possibility of resolving this through diplomacy. A lot to pack in this speech. It's expected to run about 40 minutes, that's without interruptions -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Kareen Wynter, live in Washington this morning, thank you.
Tonight be sure to count on CNN for extensive live coverage of the president's State of the Union Address. Our prime time event begins at 8:00 p.m. Eastern.
And that, again, brings us to our e-mail "Question of the Morning." We want to hear from you this morning, what do you want to hear in tonight's State of the Union Address? What do you want the president to say to you? What's important in your life? Let us know what you think, DAYBREAK@CNN.com. That's DAYBREAK@CNN.com.
Another health scare for Pope John Paul II, but a spokesman now says the situation is calm and there's no reason for alarm.
CNN Rome bureau chief Alessio Vinci reports on the pope's health scares.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALESSIO VINCI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When the Pope wants to know how he is feeling, Vatican officials like to say he reads the newspapers. It may sound like a punch line, but John Paul II's health is perhaps the most scrutinized and talked about since Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev.
The media began talking and writing about his ailments more than two decades ago, when he first underwent surgery after an assassination attempt. He went through surgery five times to remove, first a tumor, then his appendix, and then to replace a broken hip after a bad fall.
In the mid-'90s, observers began noticing a tremor in his left hand, triggering speculation he suffers from Parkinson's Disease.
JOHN ALLEN, VATICAN ANALYST: If you read the papers on a day-to- day basis, you would think he's about to drop any time. Anyone who watches him in a sustained way knows that just isn't true.
VINCI: Clearly the pope is aging and increasingly frail. His facial expression is a palette of pain. Yet from trips abroad to long open air masses, the pope is proving he is still able to work and the Vatican says still calling the shots.
CARDINAL EDMUND SZOKA, VATICAN GOVERNOR: He still continues his studying, reading. He reads voraciously. And he can read two or three books almost simultaneously in different languages.
VINCI: His physical limitations at times prevent him from attending events or delivering speeches. But when the pope's fragility makes front page news, Vatican officials highlight his sheer determination. ARCHBISHOP JOHN FOLEY, VATICAN OFFICIAL: I think that since he keeps going with such a will of iron gives hope and encouragement to people who are elderly and who are sick.
VINCI: However, many wonder if the pope's ailments are not making it harder for him to get his message across.
ALLEN: At what stage do his physical struggles stop being admirable and start becoming almost pathetic? And when you cross that line, you know the message becomes forgotten.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VINCI: And while the Pope has been hospitalized many times before in this clinic here behind me, the fact that he was brought in such a hurry late last night is a first, which left many here wonder really about his medical condition.
Back to you -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Well, Alessio, the Vatican released a statement about 15, 20 minutes ago, and really it's calmed people's fears. They're almost saying that he's feeling better and he may go back to the Vatican soon.
VINCI: Well, the Vatican has been all along trying to play down concerns, not just among the members of the media, but as well as the wide Catholic public around the world.
Joaquin Navarro-Valls, the chief Vatican spokesman, met reporters earlier today at the press office at the Vatican. He basically confirmed the original diagnosis of respiratory infection. He also said that the pope really never lost conscience throughout this time. He said that he had a few hours of sleep overnight. And he also said that this morning he ate a small breakfast, including coffee.
And finally as the chief spokesman was ready to leave, the hospital he said that the pope was ready to celebrate mass with his private secretary. So certainly there is an attempt here by the Vatican to alleviate some fears.
At the same time, one should always remember that the pope only last night has been admitted to this hospital with serious respiratory problem. I just spoke earlier today with a top Vatican official who told me that the simple reason why he had to come to the hospital was because simply the pope could not breathe easily.
Back to you -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Alessio Vinci, live in Rome this morning, thank you.
Are you willing to put your money where your mouth is? At 43 minutes past the hour, we'll meet a football fan who's willing to bet the farm, literally, to see his favorite team play. It's a crazy story.
And whatever happened to the music in music television? MTV goes under the microscope. A look at what your kids are watching.
But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Wednesday morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Remember last week we told you about a guy who is taking a vacation from his construction job to play for the Eagles in the Super Bowl? Well now he's become one of the most sought after stars both on and off the field.
CNN's Sports' Larry Smith has more from Jacksonville on this improbable star.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LARRY SMITH, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: It used to be stars were made on Super Bowl Sunday. Not this year, meet Jeff Thomason.
JEFF THOMASON, EAGLES TIGHT END: It's my 15 minutes of fame, and I'm enjoying it. So I know weeks from now I'll be sitting back at my desk and it'll be like what just happened to me.
SMITH: It started when Eagles tight end Chad Lewis broke his foot in the NFC Championship game. In urgent need of a replacement, the Eagles called this 35-year-old project manager for a construction company in New Jersey.
THOMASON: Initially I thought it was just a joke. And when I told people, they thought the same thing. You know I had to tell them three or four times before it actually sunk in.
TONY CASAPULLA, TOLL BROTHERS CONSTRUCTION: He said I'm going to the Super Bowl. And I said, cool, great, you got tickets. He says no, I'm going to play in the Super Bowl. And I nearly fell out of my chair.
THOMASON: And they said come on in, run around, run, catch some balls for us and see if you can still do it. And luckily I could.
SMITH: The "Today" show, "David Letterman," "60 Minutes" and on and on have all been clamoring for the guy who swapped his hard hat for a helmet. His 15 minutes of fame is now entering day nine.
THOMASON: Definitely more media than I ever had, you know, in 10 years in the NFL.
DEREK BOYKO, EAGLES PUBLIC RELATIONS DIRECTOR: Marino, Steve Young, Brett Favre, there isn't a more requested player in a week of a Super Bowl than Jeff Thomason. The guy is a star.
IKE REESE, EAGLES LINEBACKER: I thought I would have a booth, I mean a podium down here. They don't want to give me a podium, but that's OK. Jeff Thomason has a podium because we picked him up off the street two weeks ago.
JEVON KEARSE, EAGLES DEFENSIVE END: Jeff is the man. He's cashing in right now.
REESE: I tell you what, if he goes out there and scores the game-winning touchdown Sunday, he's really going to blow up.
QUESTION: So, Jeff, is Sunday your last football game?
THOMASON: I believe it is. Yes, I believe it is. I don't know if I've got 16 games in my body, but I definitely have one.
SMITH: And where will it end? How can the latest and most famous player in Super Bowl history top off this joyride? Well he won't be going to Disney World.
QUESTION: You're coming back, right?
THOMASON: Yes.
SMITH: He's got to be back at work on Monday when his two week's vacation are up.
Larry Smith, CNN, Jacksonville.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: Is that not a terrific story?
MYERS: It is. And you know what would be best, if he ran out on the field with a construction hat on that was painted the Eagles colors with the little eagle. Hey, are you going to be an Eagles fan this weekend?
COSTELLO: I'm going to try, because you know I always like the underdog to win, but I just think the Patriots are so good it will be tough to beat them.
MYERS: I have this for you. Someone sent this for you, but it came to my office.
COSTELLO: What is it?
MYERS: Can you see it? It's a pink Eagles hat.
COSTELLO: They sent it to me?
MYERS: Yes. I don't even know who. It's not even signed in there, so, but it's...
COSTELLO: I'm honored, thank you, whoever did that.
MYERS: ... official NFL stuff. I'll send it to you.
COSTELLO: Don't throw it around.
MYERS: I just put it on my desk.
COSTELLO: OK. Well let's talk about this now, Chad. Super Bowl security teams have a different challenge for this year's game, it's the river.
MYERS: Yes.
COSTELLO: The St. John's River runs right past the stadium. Water traffic will be severely restricted. Also, Coast Guard divers will routinely sweep the river and they'll inspect the bottoms of five cruise ships that will be used as makeshift hotels.
MYERS: Wow.
COSTELLO: So they're taking every precaution to keep people safe at the Super Bowl.
MYERS: Bay Street pretty much already shut down there in the River City, yes. They're not going to take any chances this year, of course.
COSTELLO: For good reason, as we know, unfortunately, sadly.
Also come Sunday, you'll be able to see the Super Bowl the way the bugs see it, as in insect. Fox, which is broadcasting the game, is placing tiny little cameras in the turf. Can you believe this? Four of the turf cams will give viewers a long angle lens, while eight more of the cameras will be placed in the end zone. So can you imagine the shots they will be able to get when people score?
MYERS: Carol, if you're a NASCAR fan, sure you can imagine that, because they've been doing that on the NASCAR circuit for a long time now.
COSTELLO: You know, silly me, I had forgotten about that, but you're absolutely right.
MYERS: They put them right on where the tires run over them. It's kind of fun to watch.
COSTELLO: When does the Daytona 500 run?
MYERS: Two weeks, four days and about 12 hours.
COSTELLO: I know it's been agony for you waiting.
MYERS: It is.
COSTELLO: How many times have you heard football fans say I'd do anything to go to the Super Bowl? Well...
MYERS: Mortgage your house.
COSTELLO: Yes. One Pennsylvania man put his money and his house where his mouth is. Chad is absolutely right, he mortgaged his house.
Tom Burlington of our Philadelphia affiliate WTXF has the rest of the story. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Touchdown, and they will celebrate.
KEVIN O'DONOGHUE, EAGLES FAN: I can still remember back in 1981, I was devastated as a little boy. And I always told myself that I would go to the Super Bowl if my Eagles were there.
TOM BURLINGTON, WTXF-TV REPORTER (voice-over): But 13-year-old Kevin wasn't thinking about how to finance a Super Bowl experience back in '81. Fast forward to 2005, and as Kevin watched his Eagles win the NFC Championship, along with his wife and six children, that boyhood dream of sitting in the stands came rushing back.
KE. O'DONOGHUE: I was just talking to my wife, just saying, you know, yes, I'll do anything, you know, mortgage our house. And you know then we kind of came up with the idea of an equity line of credit.
BURLINGTON: So the house in Concord Township is now collateral for a $4,000 five-day, four-night trip to the Super Bowl. And Mrs. O'Donoghue is OK with it.
KRISTEN O'DONOGHUE, WIFE: I am, because it's a dream of his and that's priceless. So I'm willing to put up the house, I guess.
KE. O'DONOGHUE: It's cheap money. It's -- you know I got it at a real good rate and I just figured that you know this only comes once in a lifetime sometimes and I didn't want to miss it.
BURLINGTON: And the guy in Florida who OK'd the loan knows exactly how Kevin feels.
SHESTACK (ph): I've been waiting 25 years for this. You better believe I'm going. Fifth row, baby.
BURLINGTON: Shestack is a Philly native and lifelong Eagles fan who thinks Super Bowl memories are worth the money.
SHESTACK: I don't know that the intrinsic value in going to the Super Bowl and passing that down to your family isn't worth as much as something else that other people would label as more practical.
BURLINGTON: Practical or not, Kevin is going to the most important Eagles game of his life.
KE. O'DONOGHUE: It feels great. I'm really excited. I can't believe it. And I've got to say thanks to my wife, I love you, Kristen.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: That was Tom Burlington of our Philadelphia affiliate WTXF.
And I have to say, Chad, if the Detroit Lions were to go to the Super Bowl, I would do anything to go. So I totally get that story.
MYERS: I think you have a long way to wait -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Thanks -- Chad.
MYERS: But maybe not. You know there's always next year.
COSTELLO: Exactly. I think the team showed signs of improvement...
MYERS: They did.
COSTELLO: ... last year, don't you,...
MYERS: I do.
COSTELLO: ... or this past year?
MYERS: I do.
COSTELLO: Yes, sure, right.
MYERS: OK.
COSTELLO: Thanks a lot -- Chad.
MYERS: Sorry.
COSTELLO: We're going to take a break. We'll be right back.
MYERS: Sorry, Detroit. Still love you up there.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: For both men and women, doctors are finding new links between mental health and physical well being.
And as CNN medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta reports, depression can affect much more than your mood.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A walk in the park is more like a trudge, and a nice day might be viewed in darkish hues when 46-year-old Matt Grimes becomes depressed.
MATT GRIMES, SUFFERS FROM DEPRESSION: Sometimes, I'm even struggling to make it out into the day. It's like I have to a lot of times push myself to get up and get going. Once I get going, normally I'm OK, but it's kind of like -- sometimes it's a real struggle to just do everyday things, you know.
GUPTA: His depression would have a tight grip on his mind and eventually his heart. Ten years ago, he was diagnosed with clinical depression. Six years later, blockages in his heart. Dr. Viola Vaccarino believes there's a link. She heads a study at Emory University finding strong connections between markers for depression and later heart disease.
DR. VIOLA VACCARINO, EMORY UNIVERSITY: And the more depressed the people are, the more abnormalities we are finding.
GUPTA: No doubt, the mind and the body are connected. And we're proving it more than ever before. A recent study found that women with depression also had high levels of insulin resistance, which can lead to type II diabetes. And a National Institutes of Health study finds that women who were depressed had significantly higher rates of bone mass loss than women who were not depressed.
DR. PHILIP GOLD, NATL. INSTITUTES OF MENTAL HEALTH: The premenopausal women who are quite young, who have had episodes of major depression had lost a significant amount of bone. Some enough bone that would qualify for osteoporosis.
GUPTA: One reason may be that depressed people generate large amounts of a hormone called cortisol. It's released when you're stressed and when you're depressed.
GOLD: And depression where this stress response gets locked in the on position, then bone is lost really over time, perhaps continually, and ultimately, enough bone is lost so that it becomes pathological.
GUPTA: And the result is depression of body's immune system, the body's ability to fend off disease.
GRIMES: I think when the spirit is broken, it affects your bodily function.
GUPTA: As Matt Grimes discovered, he's turned to both mental and physical therapies in the hope of a brighter future.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: For more on this or any other health story, head to our Web site. The address, CNN.com/health.
Here's what we're working on for you in the next hour of DAYBREAK.
Those cool white earphones you're wearing could be a target for thieves. A warning for you Podheads out there.
Also, we'll get an idea from a trial expert just how tough it will be for Michael Jackson to find a jury of his peers.
You are watching DAYBREAK.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) COSTELLO: Time to check out the "Web Clicks" this morning, what stories are getting your attention on CNN.com.
And one of the most clicked on stories is a birdbrain really isn't so stupid.
MYERS: That's right, if you call somebody a birdbrain, Carol, that may actually be a compliment.
COSTELLO: Yes, because scientists have now found out that bird's brains, I don't know, it's so difficult to explain. But suffice it to say that birds are smarter than you think, especially birds, like parrots, who can mimic like speech patters in humans.
MYERS: Well considering the size of their brain compared to the size of ours and how much they do and they can get from one place to another and back to the exact same place they were born, that's pretty amazing.
COSTELLO: It is amazing. So birds are smarter than you think.
The second most clicked on story on CNN.com is about former U.S. President Bill Clinton. He'll serve as the U.N. envoy for tsunami reconstruction efforts in south Asia. Kofi Annan asked him to do that because of his enthusiasm.
MYERS: Found out that Kofi Annan also said that he could think of no one else that was more up to the task than Bill Clinton.
COSTELLO: Yes.
OK, let's get to our e-mail "Question of the Day," speaking of U.S. presidents, because, as you know,...
MYERS: Yes.
COSTELLO: ... President Bush is going to deliver his State of the Union Address tonight. And we wanted to know what issues you wanted to hear him talk about.
And, well, we got a lot of nasty ones and a lot of nice ones. They're kind of split 50-50 this morning.
So you want to read yours first -- Chad?
MYERS: Sure. I've got one from Carol (ph) in Tennessee. I look forward to just having anything that the president has to say, as long as he doesn't talk about Michael Jackson.
COSTELLO: I was going to read that one, too. That was my favorite one.
MYERS: Judith (ph) in Santa Rosa, California, she wants to hear him say I'm resigning so I can spend more time with my daughters.
COSTELLO: Oh jeez. This is from Patsy (ph) from Loganville, Georgia. She says one thing I want the president to do tonight is take a moment to tell the United States senators, congressmen and women to stop wasting their time arguing with each other and put together some good legislation for Social Security and health care.
MYERS: Bill from San Francisco wants to listen to the State of the Union to hear all the words that George mispronounces.
COSTELLO: Oh jeez.
MYERS: That's from Bill in San Francisco.
And Bill from Alabama, a lot of Bills this morning, I want to hear President Bush say he was wrong about stem cell research and that he will now approve federal funds.
COSTELLO: Interesting. I don't think that will be in his speech, though.
MYERS: Probably not, it's the State of the Union.
COSTELLO: This is from Boyd (ph). He says the No. 1 taxes, No. 2 Social Security, No. 3 health insurance. And I think all of those things will be mentioned in the president's State of the Union tonight.
MYERS: We talked a little about tsunami relief and former President Bill Clinton. Remember that Harley that was for auction -- Carol?
COSTELLO: Yes.
MYERS: There it is. It is on eBay now. I checked yesterday, the current bid was about $165,000.
COSTELLO: Great.
MYERS: The retail value on the bike is $22,000 from Harley. So, obviously, this is all going to a much worthwhile cause. You do have to be a qualified bidder, according to eBay. You just can't get on there and start bidding numbers, so.
COSTELLO: So that's the one that Jay Leno had on his show and it's signed by all the movie stars.
MYERS: Signed by, I don't know, like 50 or 80 people, something like that, yes.
COSTELLO: That is terrific.
MYERS: That is going well.
COSTELLO: See how generous people are.
MYERS: And you can go right onto the eBay site. It's one of those the first clicked on things, it pops right up.
COSTELLO: We'll do.
MYERS: OK.
COSTELLO: Thank you -- Chad.
MYERS: You're welcome.
COSTELLO: The next hour of DAYBREAK starts right now.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: The world's on watch as Pope John Paul II recovers from a bout with the flu. We'll take you live to Rome for the latest details straight ahead.
At first glance, it looks like a U.S. soldier in Iraq, but look again. We'll tell you about this bizarre hoax.
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