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Palestinian Leader Mahmoud Abbas, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon Agree to a Cease-Fire; Jury Speaks in Case of Former Priest Paul Shanley

Aired February 08, 2005 - 08:30   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.


SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: But first, let's get to the Middle East. After four years of bloodshed, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, also Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, have now agreed to a cease-fire. The verbal agreement happened within the hour at a summit in Sharm El-Sheikh, in Egypt, and that is where CNN's John Vause is with us with the latest on that.
Hey, John, good morning again.

JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello again, Soledad.

Pretty much what everyone expected from the speeches from the two leaders, the Israeli and the Palestinian leader, they both announced that there would be an end to the violence, an end to four and a half years of bloodshed, but from Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority, there was a call for a resumption under the U.S.-backed roadmap peace plan. He also warned in his speech that this was just the beginning of bridging the gap between the Palestinians and Israelis.

From Ariel Sharon, though, there was also the announcement of an end to the violence against Palestinians everywhere, and he warned that extremists could end what he described as this new opportunity for peace. And a reflection of the problems that Ariel Sharon is facing at home with his plan to remove settlers from all of the Gaza Strip and a small part of the West Bank. He made a direct appeal to Israelis, saying that many of them will have to give up their dreams and visions if they want to live in tranquility, peace and security.

And one other final note from the Egyptian president, Hosni Mubarak a call not to just make this the start of peace between the Israelis and Palestinians, but peace in all of the Middle East, including Syria and Lebanon -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: They've been down this path before, I think it's fair to say. Maybe 10 times before with the cease-fires that are agreed upon, and then, of course, fall apart. What makes this one different, do you think, John?

VAUSE: Well, there's one very important factor in all of this. It's the absence of Yasser Arafat and the election of Mahmoud Abbas. He's a pragmatic man, who's seen as a moderate. He's moved with great speed to try and stop the rocket attacks to Gaza, for example, to pulling security forces in the West Bank. And with Mahmoud Abbas' the leader of the Palestinian people, there's the re-engagement of the United States. They are now actively involved in all of this. And of course, Soledad, there are almost 5,000 who have been killed, and it seems that both sides now agree that enough blood has been spilled -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: It seems everybody says this is the best opportunity so far for peace. John Vause for us this morning at that summit in Sharm El-Sheikh in Egypt. Thanks, John. Appreciate it -- Rob.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN ANCHOR: Heidi here with a check on the headlines.

Heidi, do you have any advice for me? I'm kind of in the dog house with Jack. I think I upset him.

O'BRIEN: Did you hear what he did?

COLLINS: I did. You know, I thought it was a great comment actually.

MARCIANO: Best of luck.

COLLINS: It's just Jack. He's a teddy bear.

To get to the news, though, this morning. Now in the news today, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice heading to France, where she's set to give a major policy address in just over two hours. Shortly before leaving for Paris, rice met with the top Vatican official in Rome and the Italian foreign minister. CNN will have live coverage of Secretary Rice's address in Paris, 11:00 a.m. Eastern.

MARCIANO: To Iraq now. As many as 21 people have been killed in an explosion in central Baghdad this morning. That's according to the U.S. military. The insurgents targeting a national guard base there. More than two dozen others were injured in the attack, and it's believed to have been a suicide bombing.

COLLINS: In health news, expectant mothers suffering from illnesses may have a higher risk of giving birth to an autistic child. The research women suffering from asthma, allergies or psoriasis may be at higher risk, especially if the condition comes out during the second trimester. But scientists caution more research does needs to be done. Details are appearing this month, issue of "The Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine."

And Boston preparing for a big bash to celebrate another Super Bowl win. The New England Patriots were greeted by about 2,000 cheering fans yesterday at Gillette Stadium. They'll be honored today by more cheering mobs in a parade set to start about two and a half hours from now.

Sounds like fun, doesn't it? Cheering mobs.

O'BRIEN: As long as they're cheering and they're not the angry mob. That's always scary.

Thanks, Heidi. MARCIANO: Well, President Bush says he's optimistic about getting his budget through Congress, but judging from the first day's reaction, it looks like it will take more than just the usual arm twisting.

Elaine Quijano is live at the White House this morning.

Good morning, Elaine.

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Rob. Democrats are calling President Bush's budget proposals radical and reckless and they say they will do nothing to help the overall long- term fiscal health of the United States. Still, the White House believes that it can rally support for the president's proposals, and today Mr. Bush will be heading to Detroit to talk to the economic club there to do just that.

Now, here is an overview of what President Bush is proposing in his 2006 budget. It's a budget of $2.5 trillion, calls for 150 federal programs to be eliminated or reduced, including reduced farm subsidies and cutting some literacy and anti-drug programs. The proposal also projects a $390 billion deficit.

Now, the White House is anticipating that there will be push-back from both sides of the aisle. Nevertheless, President Bush is asking that some tough decisions be made.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The important question that needs to be asked for all constituencies is whether or not the programs achieve a certain result. Have we set goals? And are those goals being met? And the poor and disadvantaged absolutely ought to be asking that question too.

In other words, what is the goal of a particular program? And if that goal isn't being met, the question ought to be asked, why isn't the goal being met? and that's the question we've been asking.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUIJANO: Now, Democrats for their part are saying the numbers just don't add up. They're focusing on what is not in the budget, specifically the revenues that would be lost in the president gets his way on making tax cuts permanent. Now the Democrats are also looking at what else is not included in the budget. Specifically, the cost of funding military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, and also not included the cost of transitioning to private accounts for Social Security, which officials have estimated at about $754 billion.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. KENT CONRAD (D), NORTH DAKOTA: A fair question to me is where this has got you us headed as a nation. And I believe it has us headed right over the fiscal cliff, because of all the things the president hasn't included that we all know he supports. And they have a cost attached to them, and it's an enormous cost.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUIJANO: And as that debate gets underway, President Bush will be traveling to Detroit to try and build up support for his proposals. Aides are saying that the president's remarks will focus on three areas. First, exercising spending restraint. We heard the president talking about some of the cuts that he believes need to be made. Also, building pro-growth policies. That would include things like making tax cuts permanent, and also lawsuit abuse and modernizing institutions, namely overhauling the Social Security system and reforming the tax code -- Rob.

MARCIANO: Busy day, Elaine. Thanks very much, Elaine. Elaine Quijano live for us in D.C.

Meanwhile, the president promotes his budget to the Detroit Economic Club today. Stay tuned to CNN for live coverage of the speech at noon Eastern -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: He is perhaps the most notorious figure in the sex abuse scandal that rocked the Boston archdiocese. Now a jury has spoken in the case of former priest Paul Shanley.

Here's CNN's Dan Lothian.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It took 13 hours, over two and a half days for the jury to seal Paul Shanley's fate.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Guilty.

LOTHIAN: The defrocked catholic priest guilty on two counts of rape of a child and two counts of indecent assault.

MARTHA COAKLEY, DISTRICT ATTY.: This was the desired verdict, after a tough journey for everybody involved, particularly this victim and his family. We believe that the jurors in this case had a very difficult set of facts and legal issues to sort through.

LOTHIAN (on camera): Throughout the two-week trial, there was often graphic testimony from the prosecution and the victim himself, who talked in great detail about what he says Shanley did to him when he was just 6 years old.

(voice-over): Like being pulled out of catechism classes at a suburban Boston parish during the 1980s to be raped repeatedly and groped in a bathroom and church pews.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We'd sit towards the front, and he'd put his right arm around me. I always sat on his right, and he put his right arm around me and start touching me with his left hand.

LOTHIAN: Shanley's accuser came forward three years ago, empowered by the public priest abuse scandal and driven by what was described as repressed memories. The defense tried to discount his claims, calling them false memories.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a case of massive doubt.

LOTHIAN (on camera): So you think he's innocent?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Absolutely. I just have no doubt about it. Now, obviously, everyone on Earth thinks I'm wrong.

LOTHIAN (voice-over): After the verdict, Shanley's bail was revoked. He'll be sentenced next week and could get up to life in prison.

Dan Lothian, CNN, Cambridge.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: In our next hour, we'll talk with a woman who claims she was abused by Shanley as a teenager. She will never get her day in court, though. We'll ask how she's feeling in the wake of this new outcome of the trial -- Rob.

MARCIANO: Soledad, new evidence shows a tsunami's that devastated Indonesia and other parts of the South Asia were much taller than we originally thought. The 9.0 magnitude earthquake on December 26th sparked the tsunamis that struck several countries on the Indian Ocean. More than 160,000 people were killed and a majority of them in Indonesia.

Andrew Moore is an assistant professor of geology at Kent State University. He's recently back from Sumatra and joins me live from Broadview Heights, Ohio, this morning.

Good morning, Professor Moore.

What shocked you about what you saw over there? I'm reading you saw evidence of 80-foot waves, now not just 30-foot waves, but 80-foot waves? How did you determine that?

ANDREW MOORE, KENT STATE UNIVERSITY: Well, the way we determine the size of these things is by looking at the height that -- from which vegetation is stripped to the height on trees that bark has been stripped off, to the height that debris might make it into a tree. With that said, the 80 feet probably represents the height to which the waves reached, rather than the height of the waves themselves.

MARCIANO: You took some pictures when you were over there and we've got them -- we're going to throw them up for you. One first off of a tree stripped of its bark, like you mentioned. What surprised you most about some of these trees you photographed?

MOORE: That we had to keep looking up and up and up to find where the water height ended. Most of us had been on tsunami surveys before, were used to dealing with heights on the order of maybe three or four meters or, you know, maybe ten feet. But to have to keep looking farther and farther up for where the damage stops on the tree.

MARCIANO: We have another picture you took of a barge, showing the immense power of this tsunami. Describe this photo.

MOORE: You can see in the background, first of all, there's a line along the hillside where the green forest stops and the brown rock begins. That's the height that the wave got to along that coastline. There are a number of trees in the foreground. You can see that they're stripped of their branches to about that same height. That's showing that the water flowed to that height along that area.

You can also see, off to the right of the photo, some trees that are just stumps that are now sitting out on the beach. The shoreline actually receded by probably two or three hundred meters in that particular spot. And the trees used to be considerably inland and they're now sitting on the modern beach.

MARCIANO: Wow. Next picture is one of debris along a road. I'm curious, we're talking about the wave heights here. I'm curious how far inland in spots the water actually got.

MOORE: Where the barge was and where these pictures were taken, the water probably didn't get more than about half a mile inland. But in parts of Banda Aceh itself, the water probably got probably three miles inland.

MARCIANO: Let's talk a little bit closer to home. The buzz is out there now about tsunamis potentially affecting the West Coast. I used to live in the Pacific Northwest, where along the coast line there are actual signs that say tsunami evacuation route, much like they would say hurricane evacuation route in Florida. So the threat is real there. Similar subduction zone that dives into the -- cascadian (ph) subduction zone to the Indian Ocean. Just how much of a threat is it to the Pacific Northwest to get a tsunami there?

MOORE: I guess it's no more nor no less a threat than it was before December 26th. People on the coast of the Pacific Northwest need to be concerned about tsunamis, just as people living on the coast of Indonesia need to.

MARCIANO: If there was -- quickly -- if there was an earthquake right off the coast of the Pacific Northwest, what are the warning signs that a tsunami's coming? Isn't it so close that you get almost no warning? Or is there 15 minutes, 20 minutes, an hour?

MOORE: The people in Banda Aceh had about 15 minutes from the time that the earth shook to the time the first waves arrived. You might consider about 15 minutes. You have a warning in that the earth shook to the point that you were having trouble standing up. That's your first that perhaps it's time to leave. Many people also report a receding wave, but by that point, you probably only have five or ten minutes.

MARCIANO: Wow.

MOORE: So your first warning was the earth shook. That's your first sign that it's time to leave.

MARCIANO: Simple enough. And we hope it never happens. Andrew Moore, professor at Kent State University, thanks for joining us. New data coming out on the Sumatra earthquake and the tsunamis out there -- Soledad.

(WEATHER REPORT)

O'BRIEN: Former NBA star Dennis Rodman, sometimes known for his eccentric outfits, has taken it all off for an animal rights billboard. The 43-year-old Rodman posed nude for PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. In the ad, Rodman shows off his numerous tattoos, with the slogan "Think Ink, Not Mink." It also says, quote, "Be comfortable in your own skin and let animals keep theirs." Rodman says he used to wear fur but he changed his mind after seeing a PETA videotape.

MARCIANO: Looks cold.

It's an over-the-counter supplement sold as the fountain of youth, but now doctors think it could be used to fight depression. We're going to be "Paging Dr. Gupta."

O'BRIEN: Also this morning, how could bottled water get a former corporate bigwig into hot water? Andy is "Minding Your Business" right here on AMERICAN MORNING. Stay with us.

MARCIANO: Welcome back. We're "Paging Dr. Gupta" this morning about a hormone supplement that may be effective in treating adult depression. Sanjay is at the CNN Center down there in Atlanta with details on the new study. Good morning, Sanjay.

SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Rob.

Really interesting. Depression, we talk about a lot. 19 million adults affected by depression. Researchers always looking for new ways, alternative ways, to try and treat it. The drugs just don't work in all people. They stumbled upon something known as DHEA. We'll talk -- more about what that is in a second.

But first of all, it's a hormone basically, a supplement, that they studied in 46 men and women between the ages of 45 and 65. Couple characteristics about them. None of these folks had already tried traditional medications and they all had mild to moderate depression. Not severe depression. They were tried on the drug or a placebo and the results were compared.

What they found was that half the people who took the drug had a 50 percent improvement in their depressive symptoms. What's worth pointing out as well, Rob, that 13 of the people actually had an improvement from taking the placebo alone. Placebos sometimes have a benefit just because people think they're getting a medication.

So what is the bottom line when it comes to DHEA from this small study? Again, no one is prescribing this yet, but it may have some use in middle-aged, mild to moderate folks, who have mild to moderate depression, if traditional meds don't work. Of course, it only can be used under a doctor's supervision. And the dosing, 50 to 100 milligrams daily. We're not there, Rob, in terms of prescribing this regularly, but again, a lot of people looking for alternatives, this might be one of them.

MARCIANO: Did you mention what exactly is DHEA, as far as the long scientific word? And if your body makes it, why would you need it as a supplement?

GUPTA: Yes, first of all, and the term is long -- it's dehydro epyandrosterone (ph), and people don't need to remember that term, but that's the sort of long-term of it.

What it is, is it's a hormone. Its' made by your adrenal glands. It's unclear whether or not supplementing it in people who have normal levels actually does a lot. What they find is that your body does make this, but that amount diminishes as you grow older. What it does as well is boost testosterone levels, peaking in the early 20s and starting to decrease after that, Rob.

MARCIANO: With the good comes the bad. Are there some side effects we should be worried about?

GUPTA: Yes, you know, again, the study was only looking at mild to moderate depression. So a couple of caveats as well as side effects. Should only be used -- I mean should not be used in those with severe depression, or those who have adrenal gland problems. If you're adrenal glands already problematic, don't produce enough various hormones, it might be a bit of a problem to supplement with DHEA. Prostate cancer can also be adversely affected as well, as women who have a history of breast cancer.

Again, Rob, more studies being done on this. A lot of people looking for alternatives. DHEA, we'll keep you posted on it.

MARCIANO: As always, good information, Sanjay. Thank you very much -- Soledad.

GUPTA: Thank you.

O'BRIEN: It's the hottest show around, but some of it was a little too hot for TV. We've got a very revealing "Cafferty File" just ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody.

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: The star witness in the trial of former Worldcom chief Bernie Ebbers says his ex-boss helped him cook the books in the largest bankruptcy in this country's history.

Andy Serwer here "Minding Your Business."

ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Yes, it has come to pass finally.

CAFFERTY: They finally put it right on him, didn't they? SERWER: They sure did. Let's talk about the markets, though, a little bit, first off, Jack. Stocks barely budged yesterday. A lot of people sitting on their hands down on Wall Street. Come on, let's do some trading down there people. The Dow was down less than a point.

What have we got today. Cisco is reporting after the bell, a tech stalwart. And futures are up nicely this morning.

Yes, indeed, Jack, there was fireworks yesterday in the trial of former Worldcom CEO Bernie Ebbers. Tales of drug abuse and deceptions on both the grand scale and the most petty. Chief financial officer, former chief financial officer Scott Sullivan testifying about his former boss. First of all, he acknowledged he used marijuana and cocaine during the years that he was CFO, although he says not during working hours, of course. Don't they always say that?

He testified about that basically to preempt Ebbers' attorneys, who will cross-examine him later.

Now, he did say, as Jack alluded to, that Ebbers was directly involved in the $11 billion fraud. That's not that surprising. That's what Sullivan was there to do.

But then he also talked a lot about some of the obsessive nature of Bernie Ebbers, and some of this stuff is really good. Let's get to the list here. This is Bernie Ebbers he was concerned with. He would watch the parking lot, watch late arrivals, check the e-mail logs. He would monitor cigarette breaks, obsessed with costs.

And then we get on to stuff that is really interesting here. He noticed there was a discrepancy between the number of coffee filters and coffee bags, ergo, he concluded, someone's been stealing coffee. He would limit walks around a pond. He thought that employees were spending much too much time.

And finally, and this is my personal favorite, and this is where it gets pathetic. He got a security guard to refill the water bottles, those giant water bottles you order from the water company, with tap water, and then he said, and the employees never knew. Well, Bernie, they know now.

CAFFERTY: Now they know.

SERWER: Now they do know.

All that quality water you thought you were drinking was really just tap water.

CAFFERTY: How does a sick human being like this wind up running that place in the first place? I mean, doesn't anybody recognize this stuff is not normal behavior?

SERWER: Well, that's right. A lot of people say that to become a CEO, you've kind of got to be a little different, and maybe this bears it out. CAFFERTY: I guess so except, here at CNN, of course.

SERWER: Yes.

CAFFERTY: Time for the "File." "Desperate Housewives" have some dirty laundry to air on the show's DVD, which will be released after the first season is over. According to the show's creator, a guy named Mark Cherry, the DVD may include censored scenes that were simply too hot for ABC television, scenes that include S&M and a dentist's tool. I've been thinking about that all morning, and I can't quite put that together. Nicollette Sheridan in underwear that covers not very much. Cherry also says that certain actresses on the show don't like to wear bras. He says -- quote -- we try to accommodate them as much as possible. We do a lot of blurring, presumably on the DVD, there won't be any blurring.

O'BRIEN: They're trying to sell the DVD, right?

CAFFERTY: And we're helping.

Six male penguins in a German zoo are getting some new girlfriends flown in from Sweden. This became necessary when it was discovered all the male penguins in the zoo are gay. In the Bremerhaven (ph) Zoo, they ordered DNA tests on the male penguins after they'd been mating for years without producing any chicks. The DNA tests revealed the bird were living in homosexual partnerships. The penguins, which are native to South America, are an endangered species. "The Today Show" doesn't have these kind of stories. The zoo's director says in case the gay penguins show no interest in the Swedish females that are being flown in, they're also bringing in two new males so the ladies won't miss out altogether.

SERWER: Gay German penguins.

CAFFERTY: That's right. An estimated 86 million viewers watched the Super Bowl on Sunday, according to Fox. That's the lowest viewership total in four years. Last year's Super Bowl had 4 percent more viewers. This year's ratings show the numbers were rising just before Paul McCartney's halftime show, but the audience dropped off steadily after the beginning of the third quarter.

Meanwhile, TiVo reported that the first few seconds of this commercial from go daddy.com, which featured a wardrobe malfunction of its own was the most replayed moment of any commercial in the game, probably replayed more than the game itself.

O'BRIEN: there's a theme in the "File" today.

CAFFERTY: Is there?

O'BRIEN: Yes, there is.

CAFFERTY: What, foreign animals in zoos near the arctic circle.

O'BRIEN: That was the theme I was thinking of, yes.

CAFFERTY: That was it.

SERWER: Yes, you were.

O'BRIEN: Thank you, Jack, interesting "File" today.

But moving on, in a moment, is it a real shot at peace, or is it just lip service? The Israelis and the Palestinians make a big announcement. We're going to take you live to Egypt for that, ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

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Aired February 8, 2005 - 08:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: But first, let's get to the Middle East. After four years of bloodshed, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, also Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, have now agreed to a cease-fire. The verbal agreement happened within the hour at a summit in Sharm El-Sheikh, in Egypt, and that is where CNN's John Vause is with us with the latest on that.
Hey, John, good morning again.

JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello again, Soledad.

Pretty much what everyone expected from the speeches from the two leaders, the Israeli and the Palestinian leader, they both announced that there would be an end to the violence, an end to four and a half years of bloodshed, but from Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority, there was a call for a resumption under the U.S.-backed roadmap peace plan. He also warned in his speech that this was just the beginning of bridging the gap between the Palestinians and Israelis.

From Ariel Sharon, though, there was also the announcement of an end to the violence against Palestinians everywhere, and he warned that extremists could end what he described as this new opportunity for peace. And a reflection of the problems that Ariel Sharon is facing at home with his plan to remove settlers from all of the Gaza Strip and a small part of the West Bank. He made a direct appeal to Israelis, saying that many of them will have to give up their dreams and visions if they want to live in tranquility, peace and security.

And one other final note from the Egyptian president, Hosni Mubarak a call not to just make this the start of peace between the Israelis and Palestinians, but peace in all of the Middle East, including Syria and Lebanon -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: They've been down this path before, I think it's fair to say. Maybe 10 times before with the cease-fires that are agreed upon, and then, of course, fall apart. What makes this one different, do you think, John?

VAUSE: Well, there's one very important factor in all of this. It's the absence of Yasser Arafat and the election of Mahmoud Abbas. He's a pragmatic man, who's seen as a moderate. He's moved with great speed to try and stop the rocket attacks to Gaza, for example, to pulling security forces in the West Bank. And with Mahmoud Abbas' the leader of the Palestinian people, there's the re-engagement of the United States. They are now actively involved in all of this. And of course, Soledad, there are almost 5,000 who have been killed, and it seems that both sides now agree that enough blood has been spilled -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: It seems everybody says this is the best opportunity so far for peace. John Vause for us this morning at that summit in Sharm El-Sheikh in Egypt. Thanks, John. Appreciate it -- Rob.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN ANCHOR: Heidi here with a check on the headlines.

Heidi, do you have any advice for me? I'm kind of in the dog house with Jack. I think I upset him.

O'BRIEN: Did you hear what he did?

COLLINS: I did. You know, I thought it was a great comment actually.

MARCIANO: Best of luck.

COLLINS: It's just Jack. He's a teddy bear.

To get to the news, though, this morning. Now in the news today, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice heading to France, where she's set to give a major policy address in just over two hours. Shortly before leaving for Paris, rice met with the top Vatican official in Rome and the Italian foreign minister. CNN will have live coverage of Secretary Rice's address in Paris, 11:00 a.m. Eastern.

MARCIANO: To Iraq now. As many as 21 people have been killed in an explosion in central Baghdad this morning. That's according to the U.S. military. The insurgents targeting a national guard base there. More than two dozen others were injured in the attack, and it's believed to have been a suicide bombing.

COLLINS: In health news, expectant mothers suffering from illnesses may have a higher risk of giving birth to an autistic child. The research women suffering from asthma, allergies or psoriasis may be at higher risk, especially if the condition comes out during the second trimester. But scientists caution more research does needs to be done. Details are appearing this month, issue of "The Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine."

And Boston preparing for a big bash to celebrate another Super Bowl win. The New England Patriots were greeted by about 2,000 cheering fans yesterday at Gillette Stadium. They'll be honored today by more cheering mobs in a parade set to start about two and a half hours from now.

Sounds like fun, doesn't it? Cheering mobs.

O'BRIEN: As long as they're cheering and they're not the angry mob. That's always scary.

Thanks, Heidi. MARCIANO: Well, President Bush says he's optimistic about getting his budget through Congress, but judging from the first day's reaction, it looks like it will take more than just the usual arm twisting.

Elaine Quijano is live at the White House this morning.

Good morning, Elaine.

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Rob. Democrats are calling President Bush's budget proposals radical and reckless and they say they will do nothing to help the overall long- term fiscal health of the United States. Still, the White House believes that it can rally support for the president's proposals, and today Mr. Bush will be heading to Detroit to talk to the economic club there to do just that.

Now, here is an overview of what President Bush is proposing in his 2006 budget. It's a budget of $2.5 trillion, calls for 150 federal programs to be eliminated or reduced, including reduced farm subsidies and cutting some literacy and anti-drug programs. The proposal also projects a $390 billion deficit.

Now, the White House is anticipating that there will be push-back from both sides of the aisle. Nevertheless, President Bush is asking that some tough decisions be made.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The important question that needs to be asked for all constituencies is whether or not the programs achieve a certain result. Have we set goals? And are those goals being met? And the poor and disadvantaged absolutely ought to be asking that question too.

In other words, what is the goal of a particular program? And if that goal isn't being met, the question ought to be asked, why isn't the goal being met? and that's the question we've been asking.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUIJANO: Now, Democrats for their part are saying the numbers just don't add up. They're focusing on what is not in the budget, specifically the revenues that would be lost in the president gets his way on making tax cuts permanent. Now the Democrats are also looking at what else is not included in the budget. Specifically, the cost of funding military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, and also not included the cost of transitioning to private accounts for Social Security, which officials have estimated at about $754 billion.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. KENT CONRAD (D), NORTH DAKOTA: A fair question to me is where this has got you us headed as a nation. And I believe it has us headed right over the fiscal cliff, because of all the things the president hasn't included that we all know he supports. And they have a cost attached to them, and it's an enormous cost.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUIJANO: And as that debate gets underway, President Bush will be traveling to Detroit to try and build up support for his proposals. Aides are saying that the president's remarks will focus on three areas. First, exercising spending restraint. We heard the president talking about some of the cuts that he believes need to be made. Also, building pro-growth policies. That would include things like making tax cuts permanent, and also lawsuit abuse and modernizing institutions, namely overhauling the Social Security system and reforming the tax code -- Rob.

MARCIANO: Busy day, Elaine. Thanks very much, Elaine. Elaine Quijano live for us in D.C.

Meanwhile, the president promotes his budget to the Detroit Economic Club today. Stay tuned to CNN for live coverage of the speech at noon Eastern -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: He is perhaps the most notorious figure in the sex abuse scandal that rocked the Boston archdiocese. Now a jury has spoken in the case of former priest Paul Shanley.

Here's CNN's Dan Lothian.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It took 13 hours, over two and a half days for the jury to seal Paul Shanley's fate.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Guilty.

LOTHIAN: The defrocked catholic priest guilty on two counts of rape of a child and two counts of indecent assault.

MARTHA COAKLEY, DISTRICT ATTY.: This was the desired verdict, after a tough journey for everybody involved, particularly this victim and his family. We believe that the jurors in this case had a very difficult set of facts and legal issues to sort through.

LOTHIAN (on camera): Throughout the two-week trial, there was often graphic testimony from the prosecution and the victim himself, who talked in great detail about what he says Shanley did to him when he was just 6 years old.

(voice-over): Like being pulled out of catechism classes at a suburban Boston parish during the 1980s to be raped repeatedly and groped in a bathroom and church pews.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We'd sit towards the front, and he'd put his right arm around me. I always sat on his right, and he put his right arm around me and start touching me with his left hand.

LOTHIAN: Shanley's accuser came forward three years ago, empowered by the public priest abuse scandal and driven by what was described as repressed memories. The defense tried to discount his claims, calling them false memories.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a case of massive doubt.

LOTHIAN (on camera): So you think he's innocent?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Absolutely. I just have no doubt about it. Now, obviously, everyone on Earth thinks I'm wrong.

LOTHIAN (voice-over): After the verdict, Shanley's bail was revoked. He'll be sentenced next week and could get up to life in prison.

Dan Lothian, CNN, Cambridge.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: In our next hour, we'll talk with a woman who claims she was abused by Shanley as a teenager. She will never get her day in court, though. We'll ask how she's feeling in the wake of this new outcome of the trial -- Rob.

MARCIANO: Soledad, new evidence shows a tsunami's that devastated Indonesia and other parts of the South Asia were much taller than we originally thought. The 9.0 magnitude earthquake on December 26th sparked the tsunamis that struck several countries on the Indian Ocean. More than 160,000 people were killed and a majority of them in Indonesia.

Andrew Moore is an assistant professor of geology at Kent State University. He's recently back from Sumatra and joins me live from Broadview Heights, Ohio, this morning.

Good morning, Professor Moore.

What shocked you about what you saw over there? I'm reading you saw evidence of 80-foot waves, now not just 30-foot waves, but 80-foot waves? How did you determine that?

ANDREW MOORE, KENT STATE UNIVERSITY: Well, the way we determine the size of these things is by looking at the height that -- from which vegetation is stripped to the height on trees that bark has been stripped off, to the height that debris might make it into a tree. With that said, the 80 feet probably represents the height to which the waves reached, rather than the height of the waves themselves.

MARCIANO: You took some pictures when you were over there and we've got them -- we're going to throw them up for you. One first off of a tree stripped of its bark, like you mentioned. What surprised you most about some of these trees you photographed?

MOORE: That we had to keep looking up and up and up to find where the water height ended. Most of us had been on tsunami surveys before, were used to dealing with heights on the order of maybe three or four meters or, you know, maybe ten feet. But to have to keep looking farther and farther up for where the damage stops on the tree.

MARCIANO: We have another picture you took of a barge, showing the immense power of this tsunami. Describe this photo.

MOORE: You can see in the background, first of all, there's a line along the hillside where the green forest stops and the brown rock begins. That's the height that the wave got to along that coastline. There are a number of trees in the foreground. You can see that they're stripped of their branches to about that same height. That's showing that the water flowed to that height along that area.

You can also see, off to the right of the photo, some trees that are just stumps that are now sitting out on the beach. The shoreline actually receded by probably two or three hundred meters in that particular spot. And the trees used to be considerably inland and they're now sitting on the modern beach.

MARCIANO: Wow. Next picture is one of debris along a road. I'm curious, we're talking about the wave heights here. I'm curious how far inland in spots the water actually got.

MOORE: Where the barge was and where these pictures were taken, the water probably didn't get more than about half a mile inland. But in parts of Banda Aceh itself, the water probably got probably three miles inland.

MARCIANO: Let's talk a little bit closer to home. The buzz is out there now about tsunamis potentially affecting the West Coast. I used to live in the Pacific Northwest, where along the coast line there are actual signs that say tsunami evacuation route, much like they would say hurricane evacuation route in Florida. So the threat is real there. Similar subduction zone that dives into the -- cascadian (ph) subduction zone to the Indian Ocean. Just how much of a threat is it to the Pacific Northwest to get a tsunami there?

MOORE: I guess it's no more nor no less a threat than it was before December 26th. People on the coast of the Pacific Northwest need to be concerned about tsunamis, just as people living on the coast of Indonesia need to.

MARCIANO: If there was -- quickly -- if there was an earthquake right off the coast of the Pacific Northwest, what are the warning signs that a tsunami's coming? Isn't it so close that you get almost no warning? Or is there 15 minutes, 20 minutes, an hour?

MOORE: The people in Banda Aceh had about 15 minutes from the time that the earth shook to the time the first waves arrived. You might consider about 15 minutes. You have a warning in that the earth shook to the point that you were having trouble standing up. That's your first that perhaps it's time to leave. Many people also report a receding wave, but by that point, you probably only have five or ten minutes.

MARCIANO: Wow.

MOORE: So your first warning was the earth shook. That's your first sign that it's time to leave.

MARCIANO: Simple enough. And we hope it never happens. Andrew Moore, professor at Kent State University, thanks for joining us. New data coming out on the Sumatra earthquake and the tsunamis out there -- Soledad.

(WEATHER REPORT)

O'BRIEN: Former NBA star Dennis Rodman, sometimes known for his eccentric outfits, has taken it all off for an animal rights billboard. The 43-year-old Rodman posed nude for PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. In the ad, Rodman shows off his numerous tattoos, with the slogan "Think Ink, Not Mink." It also says, quote, "Be comfortable in your own skin and let animals keep theirs." Rodman says he used to wear fur but he changed his mind after seeing a PETA videotape.

MARCIANO: Looks cold.

It's an over-the-counter supplement sold as the fountain of youth, but now doctors think it could be used to fight depression. We're going to be "Paging Dr. Gupta."

O'BRIEN: Also this morning, how could bottled water get a former corporate bigwig into hot water? Andy is "Minding Your Business" right here on AMERICAN MORNING. Stay with us.

MARCIANO: Welcome back. We're "Paging Dr. Gupta" this morning about a hormone supplement that may be effective in treating adult depression. Sanjay is at the CNN Center down there in Atlanta with details on the new study. Good morning, Sanjay.

SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Rob.

Really interesting. Depression, we talk about a lot. 19 million adults affected by depression. Researchers always looking for new ways, alternative ways, to try and treat it. The drugs just don't work in all people. They stumbled upon something known as DHEA. We'll talk -- more about what that is in a second.

But first of all, it's a hormone basically, a supplement, that they studied in 46 men and women between the ages of 45 and 65. Couple characteristics about them. None of these folks had already tried traditional medications and they all had mild to moderate depression. Not severe depression. They were tried on the drug or a placebo and the results were compared.

What they found was that half the people who took the drug had a 50 percent improvement in their depressive symptoms. What's worth pointing out as well, Rob, that 13 of the people actually had an improvement from taking the placebo alone. Placebos sometimes have a benefit just because people think they're getting a medication.

So what is the bottom line when it comes to DHEA from this small study? Again, no one is prescribing this yet, but it may have some use in middle-aged, mild to moderate folks, who have mild to moderate depression, if traditional meds don't work. Of course, it only can be used under a doctor's supervision. And the dosing, 50 to 100 milligrams daily. We're not there, Rob, in terms of prescribing this regularly, but again, a lot of people looking for alternatives, this might be one of them.

MARCIANO: Did you mention what exactly is DHEA, as far as the long scientific word? And if your body makes it, why would you need it as a supplement?

GUPTA: Yes, first of all, and the term is long -- it's dehydro epyandrosterone (ph), and people don't need to remember that term, but that's the sort of long-term of it.

What it is, is it's a hormone. Its' made by your adrenal glands. It's unclear whether or not supplementing it in people who have normal levels actually does a lot. What they find is that your body does make this, but that amount diminishes as you grow older. What it does as well is boost testosterone levels, peaking in the early 20s and starting to decrease after that, Rob.

MARCIANO: With the good comes the bad. Are there some side effects we should be worried about?

GUPTA: Yes, you know, again, the study was only looking at mild to moderate depression. So a couple of caveats as well as side effects. Should only be used -- I mean should not be used in those with severe depression, or those who have adrenal gland problems. If you're adrenal glands already problematic, don't produce enough various hormones, it might be a bit of a problem to supplement with DHEA. Prostate cancer can also be adversely affected as well, as women who have a history of breast cancer.

Again, Rob, more studies being done on this. A lot of people looking for alternatives. DHEA, we'll keep you posted on it.

MARCIANO: As always, good information, Sanjay. Thank you very much -- Soledad.

GUPTA: Thank you.

O'BRIEN: It's the hottest show around, but some of it was a little too hot for TV. We've got a very revealing "Cafferty File" just ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody.

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: The star witness in the trial of former Worldcom chief Bernie Ebbers says his ex-boss helped him cook the books in the largest bankruptcy in this country's history.

Andy Serwer here "Minding Your Business."

ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Yes, it has come to pass finally.

CAFFERTY: They finally put it right on him, didn't they? SERWER: They sure did. Let's talk about the markets, though, a little bit, first off, Jack. Stocks barely budged yesterday. A lot of people sitting on their hands down on Wall Street. Come on, let's do some trading down there people. The Dow was down less than a point.

What have we got today. Cisco is reporting after the bell, a tech stalwart. And futures are up nicely this morning.

Yes, indeed, Jack, there was fireworks yesterday in the trial of former Worldcom CEO Bernie Ebbers. Tales of drug abuse and deceptions on both the grand scale and the most petty. Chief financial officer, former chief financial officer Scott Sullivan testifying about his former boss. First of all, he acknowledged he used marijuana and cocaine during the years that he was CFO, although he says not during working hours, of course. Don't they always say that?

He testified about that basically to preempt Ebbers' attorneys, who will cross-examine him later.

Now, he did say, as Jack alluded to, that Ebbers was directly involved in the $11 billion fraud. That's not that surprising. That's what Sullivan was there to do.

But then he also talked a lot about some of the obsessive nature of Bernie Ebbers, and some of this stuff is really good. Let's get to the list here. This is Bernie Ebbers he was concerned with. He would watch the parking lot, watch late arrivals, check the e-mail logs. He would monitor cigarette breaks, obsessed with costs.

And then we get on to stuff that is really interesting here. He noticed there was a discrepancy between the number of coffee filters and coffee bags, ergo, he concluded, someone's been stealing coffee. He would limit walks around a pond. He thought that employees were spending much too much time.

And finally, and this is my personal favorite, and this is where it gets pathetic. He got a security guard to refill the water bottles, those giant water bottles you order from the water company, with tap water, and then he said, and the employees never knew. Well, Bernie, they know now.

CAFFERTY: Now they know.

SERWER: Now they do know.

All that quality water you thought you were drinking was really just tap water.

CAFFERTY: How does a sick human being like this wind up running that place in the first place? I mean, doesn't anybody recognize this stuff is not normal behavior?

SERWER: Well, that's right. A lot of people say that to become a CEO, you've kind of got to be a little different, and maybe this bears it out. CAFFERTY: I guess so except, here at CNN, of course.

SERWER: Yes.

CAFFERTY: Time for the "File." "Desperate Housewives" have some dirty laundry to air on the show's DVD, which will be released after the first season is over. According to the show's creator, a guy named Mark Cherry, the DVD may include censored scenes that were simply too hot for ABC television, scenes that include S&M and a dentist's tool. I've been thinking about that all morning, and I can't quite put that together. Nicollette Sheridan in underwear that covers not very much. Cherry also says that certain actresses on the show don't like to wear bras. He says -- quote -- we try to accommodate them as much as possible. We do a lot of blurring, presumably on the DVD, there won't be any blurring.

O'BRIEN: They're trying to sell the DVD, right?

CAFFERTY: And we're helping.

Six male penguins in a German zoo are getting some new girlfriends flown in from Sweden. This became necessary when it was discovered all the male penguins in the zoo are gay. In the Bremerhaven (ph) Zoo, they ordered DNA tests on the male penguins after they'd been mating for years without producing any chicks. The DNA tests revealed the bird were living in homosexual partnerships. The penguins, which are native to South America, are an endangered species. "The Today Show" doesn't have these kind of stories. The zoo's director says in case the gay penguins show no interest in the Swedish females that are being flown in, they're also bringing in two new males so the ladies won't miss out altogether.

SERWER: Gay German penguins.

CAFFERTY: That's right. An estimated 86 million viewers watched the Super Bowl on Sunday, according to Fox. That's the lowest viewership total in four years. Last year's Super Bowl had 4 percent more viewers. This year's ratings show the numbers were rising just before Paul McCartney's halftime show, but the audience dropped off steadily after the beginning of the third quarter.

Meanwhile, TiVo reported that the first few seconds of this commercial from go daddy.com, which featured a wardrobe malfunction of its own was the most replayed moment of any commercial in the game, probably replayed more than the game itself.

O'BRIEN: there's a theme in the "File" today.

CAFFERTY: Is there?

O'BRIEN: Yes, there is.

CAFFERTY: What, foreign animals in zoos near the arctic circle.

O'BRIEN: That was the theme I was thinking of, yes.

CAFFERTY: That was it.

SERWER: Yes, you were.

O'BRIEN: Thank you, Jack, interesting "File" today.

But moving on, in a moment, is it a real shot at peace, or is it just lip service? The Israelis and the Palestinians make a big announcement. We're going to take you live to Egypt for that, ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

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