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American Morning

Americans, Congressional Leaders Respond to State of the Union; Doctor Says Men Have Biological Clock, Too; Iraqi Guest at State of the Union Shares Personal History

Aired February 03, 2005 - 09:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


BILL HEMMER, CO-HOST: Nine thirty here in New York. Opening bell just going off there. Decent day yesterday. Up again, believe it or not: 10596. Not bad for February. Up about 44 points when you compare it to January.
NASDAQ market, the composite there opens at 2075, up about six points in trading yesterday.

Good morning, everybody. Good to have you along with us today. Our show comes from two cities here today. I'm Bill Hemmer, live here in New York and my partner, Soledad O'Brien, is down in D.C.

Good morning again, Soledad.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CO-HOST: Good morning to you, Bill.

In fact, I'm at the Cannon House Office Building. We're getting reaction this morning to the president's State of the Union address. In just a moment, we're going to talk to Chuck Grassley. He of course, is the Senate Finance Committee chairman. We're going to talk about the coming battle over Social Security -- Bill.

HEMMER: Also, Soledad, in a moment here we've heard about a woman's biological clock ticking. It turns out that men might have to think about having children before their time runs out, as well. We'll get to that in a moment here.

CAROL COSTELLO, ANCHOR: Oh, I so love that!

HEMMER: Do you? Stay tuned.

COSTELLO: It all comes out now. It's not just women. It's men.

HEMMER: Time's going, Carol.

COSTELLO: We don't want to talk about that. Let's get a check of the headlines now.

Now in the news, the Vatican says Pope John Paul II is improving this morning. The pope has spent the last two days in a Rome hospital suffering from breathing problems and the flu. The 84-year-old pontiff also has Parkinson's Disease. He was last seen in public on Sunday.

Condoleezza Rice is getting ready for her first overseas trip as U.S. secretary of state. Rice is heading out on an eight-day swing through Europe and the Middle East. She'll use the visit as an opportunity to mend ties with European allies and to push for peace in the Middle East.

The Senate is planning to confirm the country's first Hispanic attorney general. In just a couple of hours, the full Senate is expected to vote on the nomination of Alberto Gonzales. Some Democrats oppose him, as you know. They say Gonzales created legal gray areas allowing U.S. forces to torture prisoners in Iraq and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

And are you missing your Z's? Well, turn on the tunes. Get this. Researchers suggest just 45 minutes of relaxing music before bedtime can make for a restful night. They go on to say if anyone is a bit restless before going to bed, doing something to calm down and relax is a good thing. This study appears in the "Journal of Advanced Nursing."

I could have told them that.

HEMMER: Thank you, Carol. Talk to you in a bit.

What do everyday Americans now think of the address from last night? To find out, we brought back some of the people we met in our recent series, called "What's In It for Me?" This started the beginning of the second term.

Kelly Wallace back with us this morning now.

Good morning.

KELLY WALLACE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill.

Well, you know, our panel told us what they wanted to hear from the president. So we brought them back last night and talked and talked and talked a bit more. They told us what they thought of the speech and whether it changed their views in any way.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Our generation has been blessed.

WALLACE (voice-over): In a conference room at CNN, they watched, listened and shared their opinions along the way. And when it was over?

CHIEF JOHN POLLINGER, MIDDLETOWN, N.J., POLICE: I wanted him to succeed. And I wanted to be proud of him as my president today, and I was.

ILANA REICH, PSYCHOLOGIST: I was hoping for more detail on things like women's issues and health care, but he only had a certain amount of time.

WALLACE: As the president spoke, Bob Agnes, a retiree, tracked just how much time he spent on every subject.

BOB AGNES, RETIREE: The biggest single issue was Social Security, which was a little over five minutes he spent on that.

BUSH: Because our children's retirement security is more important than partisan politics.

WALLACE (on camera): Anyone here confident, really confident that the Democrats and the Republicans will agree on Social Security reform during the president's second term?

DAWN JIMENEZ, HUSBAND SERVED IN IRAQ: I'm confident they'll agree that there's a problem. Whether or not they'll reach a decisive...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Plan.

JIMENEZ: ... plan, yes, is another story.

WALLACE: Roseann Salinitri, a conservative, said she's still nervous about the president's message of spreading freedom around the world.

ROSEANN SALINITRI, CONSERVATIVE AUTHOR/ACTIVIST: I think he stepped back a little bit and said he wasn't going to impose our ideals on other people, but yet in the next sentence, he goes forward and he talks about that again. And it still makes me a little bit uneasy.

WALLACE: Their biggest disagreement was over the speech's most emotional moment, the hug between a mother of a fallen soldier in Iraq and an Iraqi woman who voted for the first time.

Bob and Ilana thought a State of the Union speech was not the place for such a tribute. Dawn, whose husband just returned from Iraq, disagreed.

JIMENEZ: Those families need that recognition. They need that. That's their time to be acknowledged, to be thanked. It also helps them through the grieving process.

WALLACE: In the end, they all hoped the president would reach out, and they think he did.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think the best part of the whole night was when he kissed Joe Lieberman.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALLACE: And that was a moment that gave our panel a lot to smile about.

And our panel gave us a lot to smile about. We were taken by their interest in their -- in the issues and their willingness to spend so much time with us. We're going to keep checking back with them. HEMMER: Now before it started last night they said they wanted specifics. Did they get them?

WALLACE: They said they did on a number of issues. In particular, all across the board, they applauded the president for some specifics on Social Security. No, they don't think he got as detailed, perhaps, as they need him to get. But they think that will come down the road. Overall, they give him sort of an A-plus for getting a little more specific.

HEMMER: And you had a late night.

WALLACE: We had a late night.

HEMMER: Well worth it.

WALLACE: Yes, it was. They're great.

HEMMER: Thank you, Kelly.

WALLACE: Good people.

HEMMER: Talk to you again.

WALLACE: Sure.

HEMMER: Back to Washington and Soledad now.

O'BRIEN: All right, Bill, thanks.

Well, Social Security reform, as you heard from Kelly, was the top domestic issue in President Bush's State of the Union address last night. The president has just boarded Air force One to begin a two- day five-state tour to convince Americans that his plan is necessary. But as you'll hear, last night Democrats in the chamber were not convinced.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: By the year 2042, the entire system would be exhausted and bankrupt. If steps are not taken to avert that outcome, the only solutions would be dramatically higher taxes, massive new borrowing or sudden and severe cuts in Social Security benefits or other government programs.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: Republican Senator Chuck Grassley from Iowa is the chairman of the finance committee.

Nice to have you, sir. Thanks for coming to talk to us.

SEN. CHUCK GRASSLEY (R), IOWA: Good to be here.

O'BRIEN: Were you surprised by the -- some described them as groans, some described them as boos from the crowd? GRASSLEY: No, not at all. Because this is the most politically sensitive issue we can deal with. And I think, No. 1, we've got to have a bipartisan answer or it can't pass the Senate.

And No. 2, you have to think of President Clinton or President Bush not as president but as Professor Bush now. He's -- he's going to have to have a national seminar with for the American people to explain what the problem is. And unless from the grassroots, the message comes back that the president is putting out there about the problem that something has to be done and done right now, I don't think it will get done.

Now, I want to make it happen. It's my job to make it happen in the Senate. And I think I can have the bipartisan relationships to get it done. But it's not an easy job.

O'BRIEN: How can you do it, though, when you have someone like the minority leader, Harry Reid, saying, you know, basically in a nutshell, no way. It's not going to happen.

Let me -- let me read to you a little bit of what he had to say: "The president provided few new details of the Social Security privatization plan. Once again failed to come clean on three key questions that American people continue to ask. Failed to acknowledge the extent to which the benefits will be cut, debt increase, whether the Republican privatization plan will increase the long-term solvency."

I read you that lengthy -- that lengthy part just to sort of show, he doesn't sound like he's about to jump on board with this plan.

GRASSLEY: OK. Because he, as the new Democratic leader, unlike Senator Daschle, is going to let the committee system work. And the Senate Finance Committee has a tradition of bipartisanship. And I have a very close working relationship with Max Baucus, the lead Democrat on the committee.

O'BRIEN: There are Republicans, as well, though, who say this is very risky to tackle. I mean, it could be career ending, frankly.

GRASSLEY: Yes, it's very risky to tackle. But think about it. We're dealing with a program that is 70 years old. It was a new program devised under President Roosevelt. For my grandmother and grandfather and mother and dad and my generation, it's a good deal. The New Deal was a good deal.

But for our children and grandchildren, it is going to be a raw deal, because they won't get out what they pay in it. And the Democrats that are condemning the president for maybe wanting to cut benefits are willing to tell you on your very same program that in the year 2042 it's OK to only pay 70 percent of benefits. And that's not a cut? That's a cut.

O'BRIEN: It looks like that number now, coming from the Social Security office is 2052, but I get your point, which is we're quibbling over 10 years here or there.

You've said, "I give the president credit for taking on a controversial issue. It's our responsibility to address the issue." You're speaking more strongly now. But at the time when I read those comment, I thought well, that's not exactly a ringing endorsement of the president. So you fully endorse the plan to completely change Social Security?

GRASSLEY: First of all, you're not going to change it for people that are in retirement, because you've got to have a slow phase-in.

But I do feel a responsibility to my children and grandchildren, since Social Security is part of the social fabric of America, and for 70 years people have been enjoying it. The people that are paying for it, it's their money. They ought to be able to enjoy it as well. And unless we do something about it, my children and grandchildren are going to be out in the cold.

O'BRIEN: Fifty-five, of course, is the cutoff we heard from the president. That anybody who's 55 and over, they're not going to be affected. But what happens to the folks who say, "Well, OK, but I'm 54. I'm 53, I mean, close enough to be close to almost touch it but not be there"? What?

GRASSLEY: First of all, it's going to be voluntary. You don't have to participate in personal accounts if you don't want to, see. But -- so you'll have the choice. And then if you're younger than 55, you make a choice, Soledad. Do you want to participate in personal accounts or not?

A lot of people are going to say, "It's my money. I work for it. I earned it. I ought to have some say about it." Today they have no say about it. They only get 1.6 percent return on their investment. And if you were at Wall Street and you hired somebody on Wall Street that managed an account for you of 1.6 percent, you'd fire him.

And people that are young back at the grassroots of America are tired of the way Washington is handling their money.

O'BRIEN: Well, as you mentioned, the president now out trying to sell the plan. He's got a five-state, two-day tour.

Senator Grassley, nice to see you. Thank you very much for joining us. We certainly appreciate it.

GRASSLEY: Glad to be with you.

O'BRIEN: Let's go back to Bill.

HEMMER: All right, Soledad.

I want to show our viewers this history in the making in the state of Hawaii. Lava from the Kilauea Volcano now spilling into the Pacific. That, in effect, is making the island a bit bigger. The volcano has been erupting continuously for 22 years, but just recently it found a new path to the sea. Tourists love it, watching those fireballs explode as the lava hits the ocean there from Hawaii.

In a moment here, women are not alone when it comes to a ticking biological clock, we are told. Advice on what men can do to keep the same thing from happening to them.

Back in a moment here, live in New York City on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: While women of a certain age may be ever mindful of their biological clock, men it turns out, might be ticking, as well. Dr. Harry Fisch details the decline of male fertility in his new book, called "The Male Biological Clock."

Dr. Fisch is my guest here in New York.

Good morning to you.

DR. HARRY FISCH, AUTHOR, "THE MALE BIOLOGICAL CLOCK": Good morning.

HEMMER: The women love this story, by the way. We brought it up with Carol, she liked it. Kelly wanted to listen. Men don't like it, do they?

FISCH: No, no.

HEMMER: Stay away from it.

FISCH: Yes. It's something that really affects men. It's a way of thinking that's totally different. Blaming ourselves for some of the problems that are occurring with fertility and sexuality is a big topic.

HEMMER: Let me get to some of the items here. You say there are three factors. What are they?

FISCH: Well, when we think of a biological clock, we think about women. And what we think is a decline in fertility, a decline in hormones and an increase in genetic problems associated with age. And that's exactly what's happening with men as we age.

HEMMER: What are the factors that lead to lower fertility?

FISCH: Well, there's a lot of factors. There's a lot of medical issues that occur. But I think one of the biggest things is there are a lot of things we do to ourselves that really affect our fertility.

HEMMER: Such as?

FISCH: Well, weight gain, poor diet. In fact, we now know that there's a heart-hormone connection. That is, what's bad for the heart is bad for the hormones, sexuality and fertility.

HEMMER: Can you reverse this? FISCH: Yes, you can, to some degree. Not completely. But some men have biological clocks that tick too fast, and some are more in line with the way it should be. So things like general health are very important: quitting smoking, excellent diet, lower cholesterol levels. These are things we can do for ourselves.

HEMMER: You've mentioned a few things. Let me go through them. Male fertility: keep weight in check. You mentioned that. Diet is always important, right?

FISCH: Yes. Very important because we know now that excessive weight is associated with lower testosterone. That is men who have big belly fat have lower testosterone.

HEMMER: It kind of goes in sync with the next one. No smoking.

FISCH: That's right.

HEMMER: No cigarettes, no illegal drugs. Why does that have an impact?

FISCH: Well, cigarette smoking is terrible for the heart, for the blood vessels, for hormone production. It's just an awful thing we do throughout the world. We're seeing less of it now in this country. But I think the less we smoke, the better it is for our general health. Which means -- general health means better fertility and better...

HEMMER: Help me out with this one. Limit use of hot tubs?

FISCH: Right. Well, we do know one thing, that anything that heats up our testicles, for men, obviously, anything that heats it up causes a decrease in fertility. Any heat. So hot tubs are very, very bad for it.

Other conditions such as vericoceles, which are engorgements of veins around the scrotum that we see in adolescence can adversely affect fertility as we age. That's something that we need to really evaluate, even younger and younger ages, because that's something that could really speed up the clock.

HEMMER: You wrote the book "The Male Biological Clock." That's why you're here. Are you the only one talking about this?

FISCH: There's not a lot talking about this. I'll tell you. There's not a lot. Women want to hear this. Men don't want to hear it.

HEMMER: It makes them feel better, doesn't it? They're saying, "We're not the only ones." Right?

FISCH: Well, we're really not the only ones. And some of the problems that we've had with fertility, is that a lot of times it's a male problem. And yet we ignore the male for a large degree and treat the women, even though it's a male problem. And I think I'd like to see some of that change. Really evaluate the male, because infertility and sexual problems are really portals to men's health. That means if you have a fertility or a sexuality problem, you may be unhealthy. And that's very important.

HEMMER: Good to know. Carol and Kelly are happy. I bet Soledad is, too. Thank you, Doctor.

FISCH: Thank you.

HEMMER: Back to D.C.

O'BRIEN: All right, Bill, thanks.

Well, of course, it was the most touching moment, many say, of the State of the Union address. Two mothers, an American and an Iraqi, linked by an emotional bond. We've got their story just ahead on AMERICAN MORNING, coming to you live from Capitol Hill. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: Welcome back, everybody. An update for you right now in the case against the former boss of the New York Stock Exchange. Also, an early check of Wall Street. Gerri Willis working for Andy today. Back to Gerri now, "Minding Your Business."

First, the markets. How are they looking?

GERRI WILLIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Not good. You know, we told that futures were looking negative this morning. Exactly what we're seeing. Down 14. The Dow Industrials down almost 17 points there.

And here's the problem. Amazon, the online retailer, down 16 today. Poor report, poor quarterly earnings report. Told you it would have an effect...

HEMMER: You warned us about it two hours ago.

What about Dick Grasso. Are they picking on him?

WILLIS: No, they're not picking on him.

HEMMER: Tell us why.

WILLIS: I've got to tell you. Listen, Dick Grasso, the chairman of the New York Stock Exchange. You know this story. We've followed every twist and turn in this. The man, was he overpaid? A report yesterday says he was overpaid, not just paid but overpaid by $140 million.

HEMMER: But doesn't the -- wait, doesn't the board have to approve his money? Doesn't the board approve his contract, the New York Stock Exchange?

WILLIS: There's a lot of people culpable, I think. But you know, here's the big news out of yesterday's report. He had the little people on board, too. He paid his executive assistant $240,000 and his drivers $130,000 each. Drivers plural.

HEMMER: Good to work for him. "OPEN HOUSE," quickly, this weekend?

WILLIS: That's right: 9:30 a.m. Saturday morning, join us for a brand new show on real estate. We're going to examine it all: renovation, buying, selling, design. We hope you tune in.

HEMMER: This really goes in line with the Fed making the move again yesterday, too. There's a lot of attention going back to real estate. So...

WILLIS: You bet. You bet. And we'll be paying attention to the hot questions. Is the boom over? What should you do next? When do you sell, when do you buy?

HEMMER: "OPEN HOUSE" this weekend. Thank you, Gerri.

And here's Jack again, question of the day.

JACK CAFFERTY, CO-HOST: Which is will President Bush succeed in his effort to reform Social Security? Some of the letters we've gotten.

Jay in Belford, New Jersey, "The talk of Social Security going bust is a ploy to give Wall Street more corporate welfare by allowing the companies to keep some portion of the Social Security contributions. If the president really wanted to do anything for the middle class, he should increase our border patrols and enforce our immigration laws."

Patricia in Sebastian, Florida, "More than 11 percent of beneficiaries on Social Security are disabled and there is -- that is their only source of income. No pensions, no part-time work, no earnings. The average payment, $767 a month, is below minimum wage. I haven't heard anyone address the disabled or children."

And Jim in South Orange writes, "President Bush has just reached out and is about to grab hold of an electrified third rail. The effect will be recorded among American presidential blunders right after the entry for 'read my lips'."

That was, of course, his dad making the pledge no more taxes.

HEMMER: And the political side of this, is in 1935, Democrats were in charge. This was their program.

CAFFERTY: Indeed it was.

HEMMER: I like the Democrats coming by and trying to steal the argument of tax cuts. Republicans would put up an argument on that, too. So I think your point is well made in terms of these two sides.

CAFFERTY: Oh, it's going to be great. This will make the WWF look like child's play when that gets going down there.

HEMMER: Thank you, Jack.

And back to Washington and Soledad.

O'BRIEN: All right, Bill, thanks.

You remember, of course, what many people thought was the most emotional moment at the State of the Union address: two women hugging, one a mother who lost her son in Iraq, hugging an Iraqi woman, also a mother, who voted in Sunday's election. The Iraqi woman, Safia Taleb al-Suhail, joins us to tell us her story, up next. Stay with us. We're back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: One of first lady Laura Bush's special guests last night was an Iraqi woman who defied insurgent's threats who voted on Sunday in Baghdad. Safia Taleb al-Suhail was recognized by President Bush during his address.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: Eleven years ago Safia's father was assassinated by Saddam's intelligence service. Three days ago in Baghdad, Safia was finally able to vote for the leaders of her country, and we are honored that she is with us tonight.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: And she joins us, as well, this morning.

Nice to have you. Obviously a very emotional moment when the president mentioned your name. But even maybe a more emotional moment when Ms. Norwood, who lost her son in Iraq, the two of you hugged each other. Her dog tags -- her son's dog tags getting kind of tangled up in your outfit. Tell me about that moment.

SAFIA TALEB AL-SUHAIL, IRAQI CITIZEN: Actually, I couldn't control myself. I know exactly what -- how to -- what's the feeling of losing your beloved ones. I've also lost my father. And I really appreciated what her son and other soldiers did for our country.

O'BRIEN: Even as you talk about it now I notice that you're still a little bit shaky about it.

AL-SUHAIL: Yes, yes.

O'BRIEN: It was -- it seemed like a moment where you watch two women who are both mothers really kind of understanding what the other has given up and what was at stake.

Tell me a little bit about your father. He was assassinated by Saddam Hussein's troops, essentially.

AL-SUHAIL: My father was definitely a great father, first of all, and then he was the leader of one of the biggest tribes in Iraq, which is Deni Tamir (ph) tribe. And also, he was one of the Iraqi opposition leaders who fought for democracy.

We lived in exile for a long, long time. And he worked hard -- hard for his people. In 1994, he was assassinated by four Iraqi intelligence service governed by a diplomatic cover. They were working at the Iraqi embassy consulate, a cultural attache. And I imagine those diplomats were responsible for the killing of my father by a direct order of Saddam Hussein himself. And I will be indicting Saddam for this crime. I'm in the process.

O'BRIEN: It was a very emotional moment, I think, to see the two of you hugging.

And as the president ended pretty much his State of the Union address on that note, we will end our coverage here from Washington, D.C., as well on that note. Safia Taleb al-Suhail, thank you for sharing your story.

AL-SUHAIL: Thank you for having us -- me. It's an honor.

O'BRIEN: You're very kind. Thank you very much.

We're going to head it back now to Bill Hemmer in New York -- Bill.

HEMMER: Our best to her. She'll be the mayor of Baghdad some day soon.

Soledad, thanks. See you back here in New York tomorrow with us here, right, Gerri?

WILLIS: That's right.

HEMMER: Carol?

COSTELLO: Yes.

HEMMER: And Jack. Inspector Jack (ph) tomorrow.

Here's Daryn and Rick down at the CNN Center.

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Aired February 3, 2005 - 09:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CO-HOST: Nine thirty here in New York. Opening bell just going off there. Decent day yesterday. Up again, believe it or not: 10596. Not bad for February. Up about 44 points when you compare it to January.
NASDAQ market, the composite there opens at 2075, up about six points in trading yesterday.

Good morning, everybody. Good to have you along with us today. Our show comes from two cities here today. I'm Bill Hemmer, live here in New York and my partner, Soledad O'Brien, is down in D.C.

Good morning again, Soledad.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CO-HOST: Good morning to you, Bill.

In fact, I'm at the Cannon House Office Building. We're getting reaction this morning to the president's State of the Union address. In just a moment, we're going to talk to Chuck Grassley. He of course, is the Senate Finance Committee chairman. We're going to talk about the coming battle over Social Security -- Bill.

HEMMER: Also, Soledad, in a moment here we've heard about a woman's biological clock ticking. It turns out that men might have to think about having children before their time runs out, as well. We'll get to that in a moment here.

CAROL COSTELLO, ANCHOR: Oh, I so love that!

HEMMER: Do you? Stay tuned.

COSTELLO: It all comes out now. It's not just women. It's men.

HEMMER: Time's going, Carol.

COSTELLO: We don't want to talk about that. Let's get a check of the headlines now.

Now in the news, the Vatican says Pope John Paul II is improving this morning. The pope has spent the last two days in a Rome hospital suffering from breathing problems and the flu. The 84-year-old pontiff also has Parkinson's Disease. He was last seen in public on Sunday.

Condoleezza Rice is getting ready for her first overseas trip as U.S. secretary of state. Rice is heading out on an eight-day swing through Europe and the Middle East. She'll use the visit as an opportunity to mend ties with European allies and to push for peace in the Middle East.

The Senate is planning to confirm the country's first Hispanic attorney general. In just a couple of hours, the full Senate is expected to vote on the nomination of Alberto Gonzales. Some Democrats oppose him, as you know. They say Gonzales created legal gray areas allowing U.S. forces to torture prisoners in Iraq and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

And are you missing your Z's? Well, turn on the tunes. Get this. Researchers suggest just 45 minutes of relaxing music before bedtime can make for a restful night. They go on to say if anyone is a bit restless before going to bed, doing something to calm down and relax is a good thing. This study appears in the "Journal of Advanced Nursing."

I could have told them that.

HEMMER: Thank you, Carol. Talk to you in a bit.

What do everyday Americans now think of the address from last night? To find out, we brought back some of the people we met in our recent series, called "What's In It for Me?" This started the beginning of the second term.

Kelly Wallace back with us this morning now.

Good morning.

KELLY WALLACE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill.

Well, you know, our panel told us what they wanted to hear from the president. So we brought them back last night and talked and talked and talked a bit more. They told us what they thought of the speech and whether it changed their views in any way.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Our generation has been blessed.

WALLACE (voice-over): In a conference room at CNN, they watched, listened and shared their opinions along the way. And when it was over?

CHIEF JOHN POLLINGER, MIDDLETOWN, N.J., POLICE: I wanted him to succeed. And I wanted to be proud of him as my president today, and I was.

ILANA REICH, PSYCHOLOGIST: I was hoping for more detail on things like women's issues and health care, but he only had a certain amount of time.

WALLACE: As the president spoke, Bob Agnes, a retiree, tracked just how much time he spent on every subject.

BOB AGNES, RETIREE: The biggest single issue was Social Security, which was a little over five minutes he spent on that.

BUSH: Because our children's retirement security is more important than partisan politics.

WALLACE (on camera): Anyone here confident, really confident that the Democrats and the Republicans will agree on Social Security reform during the president's second term?

DAWN JIMENEZ, HUSBAND SERVED IN IRAQ: I'm confident they'll agree that there's a problem. Whether or not they'll reach a decisive...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Plan.

JIMENEZ: ... plan, yes, is another story.

WALLACE: Roseann Salinitri, a conservative, said she's still nervous about the president's message of spreading freedom around the world.

ROSEANN SALINITRI, CONSERVATIVE AUTHOR/ACTIVIST: I think he stepped back a little bit and said he wasn't going to impose our ideals on other people, but yet in the next sentence, he goes forward and he talks about that again. And it still makes me a little bit uneasy.

WALLACE: Their biggest disagreement was over the speech's most emotional moment, the hug between a mother of a fallen soldier in Iraq and an Iraqi woman who voted for the first time.

Bob and Ilana thought a State of the Union speech was not the place for such a tribute. Dawn, whose husband just returned from Iraq, disagreed.

JIMENEZ: Those families need that recognition. They need that. That's their time to be acknowledged, to be thanked. It also helps them through the grieving process.

WALLACE: In the end, they all hoped the president would reach out, and they think he did.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think the best part of the whole night was when he kissed Joe Lieberman.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALLACE: And that was a moment that gave our panel a lot to smile about.

And our panel gave us a lot to smile about. We were taken by their interest in their -- in the issues and their willingness to spend so much time with us. We're going to keep checking back with them. HEMMER: Now before it started last night they said they wanted specifics. Did they get them?

WALLACE: They said they did on a number of issues. In particular, all across the board, they applauded the president for some specifics on Social Security. No, they don't think he got as detailed, perhaps, as they need him to get. But they think that will come down the road. Overall, they give him sort of an A-plus for getting a little more specific.

HEMMER: And you had a late night.

WALLACE: We had a late night.

HEMMER: Well worth it.

WALLACE: Yes, it was. They're great.

HEMMER: Thank you, Kelly.

WALLACE: Good people.

HEMMER: Talk to you again.

WALLACE: Sure.

HEMMER: Back to Washington and Soledad now.

O'BRIEN: All right, Bill, thanks.

Well, Social Security reform, as you heard from Kelly, was the top domestic issue in President Bush's State of the Union address last night. The president has just boarded Air force One to begin a two- day five-state tour to convince Americans that his plan is necessary. But as you'll hear, last night Democrats in the chamber were not convinced.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: By the year 2042, the entire system would be exhausted and bankrupt. If steps are not taken to avert that outcome, the only solutions would be dramatically higher taxes, massive new borrowing or sudden and severe cuts in Social Security benefits or other government programs.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: Republican Senator Chuck Grassley from Iowa is the chairman of the finance committee.

Nice to have you, sir. Thanks for coming to talk to us.

SEN. CHUCK GRASSLEY (R), IOWA: Good to be here.

O'BRIEN: Were you surprised by the -- some described them as groans, some described them as boos from the crowd? GRASSLEY: No, not at all. Because this is the most politically sensitive issue we can deal with. And I think, No. 1, we've got to have a bipartisan answer or it can't pass the Senate.

And No. 2, you have to think of President Clinton or President Bush not as president but as Professor Bush now. He's -- he's going to have to have a national seminar with for the American people to explain what the problem is. And unless from the grassroots, the message comes back that the president is putting out there about the problem that something has to be done and done right now, I don't think it will get done.

Now, I want to make it happen. It's my job to make it happen in the Senate. And I think I can have the bipartisan relationships to get it done. But it's not an easy job.

O'BRIEN: How can you do it, though, when you have someone like the minority leader, Harry Reid, saying, you know, basically in a nutshell, no way. It's not going to happen.

Let me -- let me read to you a little bit of what he had to say: "The president provided few new details of the Social Security privatization plan. Once again failed to come clean on three key questions that American people continue to ask. Failed to acknowledge the extent to which the benefits will be cut, debt increase, whether the Republican privatization plan will increase the long-term solvency."

I read you that lengthy -- that lengthy part just to sort of show, he doesn't sound like he's about to jump on board with this plan.

GRASSLEY: OK. Because he, as the new Democratic leader, unlike Senator Daschle, is going to let the committee system work. And the Senate Finance Committee has a tradition of bipartisanship. And I have a very close working relationship with Max Baucus, the lead Democrat on the committee.

O'BRIEN: There are Republicans, as well, though, who say this is very risky to tackle. I mean, it could be career ending, frankly.

GRASSLEY: Yes, it's very risky to tackle. But think about it. We're dealing with a program that is 70 years old. It was a new program devised under President Roosevelt. For my grandmother and grandfather and mother and dad and my generation, it's a good deal. The New Deal was a good deal.

But for our children and grandchildren, it is going to be a raw deal, because they won't get out what they pay in it. And the Democrats that are condemning the president for maybe wanting to cut benefits are willing to tell you on your very same program that in the year 2042 it's OK to only pay 70 percent of benefits. And that's not a cut? That's a cut.

O'BRIEN: It looks like that number now, coming from the Social Security office is 2052, but I get your point, which is we're quibbling over 10 years here or there.

You've said, "I give the president credit for taking on a controversial issue. It's our responsibility to address the issue." You're speaking more strongly now. But at the time when I read those comment, I thought well, that's not exactly a ringing endorsement of the president. So you fully endorse the plan to completely change Social Security?

GRASSLEY: First of all, you're not going to change it for people that are in retirement, because you've got to have a slow phase-in.

But I do feel a responsibility to my children and grandchildren, since Social Security is part of the social fabric of America, and for 70 years people have been enjoying it. The people that are paying for it, it's their money. They ought to be able to enjoy it as well. And unless we do something about it, my children and grandchildren are going to be out in the cold.

O'BRIEN: Fifty-five, of course, is the cutoff we heard from the president. That anybody who's 55 and over, they're not going to be affected. But what happens to the folks who say, "Well, OK, but I'm 54. I'm 53, I mean, close enough to be close to almost touch it but not be there"? What?

GRASSLEY: First of all, it's going to be voluntary. You don't have to participate in personal accounts if you don't want to, see. But -- so you'll have the choice. And then if you're younger than 55, you make a choice, Soledad. Do you want to participate in personal accounts or not?

A lot of people are going to say, "It's my money. I work for it. I earned it. I ought to have some say about it." Today they have no say about it. They only get 1.6 percent return on their investment. And if you were at Wall Street and you hired somebody on Wall Street that managed an account for you of 1.6 percent, you'd fire him.

And people that are young back at the grassroots of America are tired of the way Washington is handling their money.

O'BRIEN: Well, as you mentioned, the president now out trying to sell the plan. He's got a five-state, two-day tour.

Senator Grassley, nice to see you. Thank you very much for joining us. We certainly appreciate it.

GRASSLEY: Glad to be with you.

O'BRIEN: Let's go back to Bill.

HEMMER: All right, Soledad.

I want to show our viewers this history in the making in the state of Hawaii. Lava from the Kilauea Volcano now spilling into the Pacific. That, in effect, is making the island a bit bigger. The volcano has been erupting continuously for 22 years, but just recently it found a new path to the sea. Tourists love it, watching those fireballs explode as the lava hits the ocean there from Hawaii.

In a moment here, women are not alone when it comes to a ticking biological clock, we are told. Advice on what men can do to keep the same thing from happening to them.

Back in a moment here, live in New York City on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: While women of a certain age may be ever mindful of their biological clock, men it turns out, might be ticking, as well. Dr. Harry Fisch details the decline of male fertility in his new book, called "The Male Biological Clock."

Dr. Fisch is my guest here in New York.

Good morning to you.

DR. HARRY FISCH, AUTHOR, "THE MALE BIOLOGICAL CLOCK": Good morning.

HEMMER: The women love this story, by the way. We brought it up with Carol, she liked it. Kelly wanted to listen. Men don't like it, do they?

FISCH: No, no.

HEMMER: Stay away from it.

FISCH: Yes. It's something that really affects men. It's a way of thinking that's totally different. Blaming ourselves for some of the problems that are occurring with fertility and sexuality is a big topic.

HEMMER: Let me get to some of the items here. You say there are three factors. What are they?

FISCH: Well, when we think of a biological clock, we think about women. And what we think is a decline in fertility, a decline in hormones and an increase in genetic problems associated with age. And that's exactly what's happening with men as we age.

HEMMER: What are the factors that lead to lower fertility?

FISCH: Well, there's a lot of factors. There's a lot of medical issues that occur. But I think one of the biggest things is there are a lot of things we do to ourselves that really affect our fertility.

HEMMER: Such as?

FISCH: Well, weight gain, poor diet. In fact, we now know that there's a heart-hormone connection. That is, what's bad for the heart is bad for the hormones, sexuality and fertility.

HEMMER: Can you reverse this? FISCH: Yes, you can, to some degree. Not completely. But some men have biological clocks that tick too fast, and some are more in line with the way it should be. So things like general health are very important: quitting smoking, excellent diet, lower cholesterol levels. These are things we can do for ourselves.

HEMMER: You've mentioned a few things. Let me go through them. Male fertility: keep weight in check. You mentioned that. Diet is always important, right?

FISCH: Yes. Very important because we know now that excessive weight is associated with lower testosterone. That is men who have big belly fat have lower testosterone.

HEMMER: It kind of goes in sync with the next one. No smoking.

FISCH: That's right.

HEMMER: No cigarettes, no illegal drugs. Why does that have an impact?

FISCH: Well, cigarette smoking is terrible for the heart, for the blood vessels, for hormone production. It's just an awful thing we do throughout the world. We're seeing less of it now in this country. But I think the less we smoke, the better it is for our general health. Which means -- general health means better fertility and better...

HEMMER: Help me out with this one. Limit use of hot tubs?

FISCH: Right. Well, we do know one thing, that anything that heats up our testicles, for men, obviously, anything that heats it up causes a decrease in fertility. Any heat. So hot tubs are very, very bad for it.

Other conditions such as vericoceles, which are engorgements of veins around the scrotum that we see in adolescence can adversely affect fertility as we age. That's something that we need to really evaluate, even younger and younger ages, because that's something that could really speed up the clock.

HEMMER: You wrote the book "The Male Biological Clock." That's why you're here. Are you the only one talking about this?

FISCH: There's not a lot talking about this. I'll tell you. There's not a lot. Women want to hear this. Men don't want to hear it.

HEMMER: It makes them feel better, doesn't it? They're saying, "We're not the only ones." Right?

FISCH: Well, we're really not the only ones. And some of the problems that we've had with fertility, is that a lot of times it's a male problem. And yet we ignore the male for a large degree and treat the women, even though it's a male problem. And I think I'd like to see some of that change. Really evaluate the male, because infertility and sexual problems are really portals to men's health. That means if you have a fertility or a sexuality problem, you may be unhealthy. And that's very important.

HEMMER: Good to know. Carol and Kelly are happy. I bet Soledad is, too. Thank you, Doctor.

FISCH: Thank you.

HEMMER: Back to D.C.

O'BRIEN: All right, Bill, thanks.

Well, of course, it was the most touching moment, many say, of the State of the Union address. Two mothers, an American and an Iraqi, linked by an emotional bond. We've got their story just ahead on AMERICAN MORNING, coming to you live from Capitol Hill. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: Welcome back, everybody. An update for you right now in the case against the former boss of the New York Stock Exchange. Also, an early check of Wall Street. Gerri Willis working for Andy today. Back to Gerri now, "Minding Your Business."

First, the markets. How are they looking?

GERRI WILLIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Not good. You know, we told that futures were looking negative this morning. Exactly what we're seeing. Down 14. The Dow Industrials down almost 17 points there.

And here's the problem. Amazon, the online retailer, down 16 today. Poor report, poor quarterly earnings report. Told you it would have an effect...

HEMMER: You warned us about it two hours ago.

What about Dick Grasso. Are they picking on him?

WILLIS: No, they're not picking on him.

HEMMER: Tell us why.

WILLIS: I've got to tell you. Listen, Dick Grasso, the chairman of the New York Stock Exchange. You know this story. We've followed every twist and turn in this. The man, was he overpaid? A report yesterday says he was overpaid, not just paid but overpaid by $140 million.

HEMMER: But doesn't the -- wait, doesn't the board have to approve his money? Doesn't the board approve his contract, the New York Stock Exchange?

WILLIS: There's a lot of people culpable, I think. But you know, here's the big news out of yesterday's report. He had the little people on board, too. He paid his executive assistant $240,000 and his drivers $130,000 each. Drivers plural.

HEMMER: Good to work for him. "OPEN HOUSE," quickly, this weekend?

WILLIS: That's right: 9:30 a.m. Saturday morning, join us for a brand new show on real estate. We're going to examine it all: renovation, buying, selling, design. We hope you tune in.

HEMMER: This really goes in line with the Fed making the move again yesterday, too. There's a lot of attention going back to real estate. So...

WILLIS: You bet. You bet. And we'll be paying attention to the hot questions. Is the boom over? What should you do next? When do you sell, when do you buy?

HEMMER: "OPEN HOUSE" this weekend. Thank you, Gerri.

And here's Jack again, question of the day.

JACK CAFFERTY, CO-HOST: Which is will President Bush succeed in his effort to reform Social Security? Some of the letters we've gotten.

Jay in Belford, New Jersey, "The talk of Social Security going bust is a ploy to give Wall Street more corporate welfare by allowing the companies to keep some portion of the Social Security contributions. If the president really wanted to do anything for the middle class, he should increase our border patrols and enforce our immigration laws."

Patricia in Sebastian, Florida, "More than 11 percent of beneficiaries on Social Security are disabled and there is -- that is their only source of income. No pensions, no part-time work, no earnings. The average payment, $767 a month, is below minimum wage. I haven't heard anyone address the disabled or children."

And Jim in South Orange writes, "President Bush has just reached out and is about to grab hold of an electrified third rail. The effect will be recorded among American presidential blunders right after the entry for 'read my lips'."

That was, of course, his dad making the pledge no more taxes.

HEMMER: And the political side of this, is in 1935, Democrats were in charge. This was their program.

CAFFERTY: Indeed it was.

HEMMER: I like the Democrats coming by and trying to steal the argument of tax cuts. Republicans would put up an argument on that, too. So I think your point is well made in terms of these two sides.

CAFFERTY: Oh, it's going to be great. This will make the WWF look like child's play when that gets going down there.

HEMMER: Thank you, Jack.

And back to Washington and Soledad.

O'BRIEN: All right, Bill, thanks.

You remember, of course, what many people thought was the most emotional moment at the State of the Union address: two women hugging, one a mother who lost her son in Iraq, hugging an Iraqi woman, also a mother, who voted in Sunday's election. The Iraqi woman, Safia Taleb al-Suhail, joins us to tell us her story, up next. Stay with us. We're back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: One of first lady Laura Bush's special guests last night was an Iraqi woman who defied insurgent's threats who voted on Sunday in Baghdad. Safia Taleb al-Suhail was recognized by President Bush during his address.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: Eleven years ago Safia's father was assassinated by Saddam's intelligence service. Three days ago in Baghdad, Safia was finally able to vote for the leaders of her country, and we are honored that she is with us tonight.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: And she joins us, as well, this morning.

Nice to have you. Obviously a very emotional moment when the president mentioned your name. But even maybe a more emotional moment when Ms. Norwood, who lost her son in Iraq, the two of you hugged each other. Her dog tags -- her son's dog tags getting kind of tangled up in your outfit. Tell me about that moment.

SAFIA TALEB AL-SUHAIL, IRAQI CITIZEN: Actually, I couldn't control myself. I know exactly what -- how to -- what's the feeling of losing your beloved ones. I've also lost my father. And I really appreciated what her son and other soldiers did for our country.

O'BRIEN: Even as you talk about it now I notice that you're still a little bit shaky about it.

AL-SUHAIL: Yes, yes.

O'BRIEN: It was -- it seemed like a moment where you watch two women who are both mothers really kind of understanding what the other has given up and what was at stake.

Tell me a little bit about your father. He was assassinated by Saddam Hussein's troops, essentially.

AL-SUHAIL: My father was definitely a great father, first of all, and then he was the leader of one of the biggest tribes in Iraq, which is Deni Tamir (ph) tribe. And also, he was one of the Iraqi opposition leaders who fought for democracy.

We lived in exile for a long, long time. And he worked hard -- hard for his people. In 1994, he was assassinated by four Iraqi intelligence service governed by a diplomatic cover. They were working at the Iraqi embassy consulate, a cultural attache. And I imagine those diplomats were responsible for the killing of my father by a direct order of Saddam Hussein himself. And I will be indicting Saddam for this crime. I'm in the process.

O'BRIEN: It was a very emotional moment, I think, to see the two of you hugging.

And as the president ended pretty much his State of the Union address on that note, we will end our coverage here from Washington, D.C., as well on that note. Safia Taleb al-Suhail, thank you for sharing your story.

AL-SUHAIL: Thank you for having us -- me. It's an honor.

O'BRIEN: You're very kind. Thank you very much.

We're going to head it back now to Bill Hemmer in New York -- Bill.

HEMMER: Our best to her. She'll be the mayor of Baghdad some day soon.

Soledad, thanks. See you back here in New York tomorrow with us here, right, Gerri?

WILLIS: That's right.

HEMMER: Carol?

COSTELLO: Yes.

HEMMER: And Jack. Inspector Jack (ph) tomorrow.

Here's Daryn and Rick down at the CNN Center.

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