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American Morning
World's Smallest Baby; 'Minding Your Business'; '90-Second Pop'
Aired February 09, 2005 - 07:32 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: Welcome back, everybody. It's just about half past the hour on this AMERICAN MORNING.
In just a few moments, we're going to talk to the parents of the world's smallest newborn. She came into the world weighing just 8.6 ounces. She was finally big enough to leave the hospital yesterday. Of course, she still needs lots of special care. We're going to talk to her mom and dad, who are right there, about all that.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: And there are some proud parents, huh?
O'BRIEN: Yes.
HEMMER: A good looking picture there.
Also, "90-Second Pop" in a moment. Today, we may close the final chapter on our favorite top pop topic known as "Bennifer."
O'BRIEN: Oh, gosh, let's hope so.
HEMMER: The symbol of J.Lo's love with Ben Affleck is now up for sale again. So we'll get you caught up on what's happening with that. What was it, a million bucks plus, six carats?
O'BRIEN: Does that mean we never talk about them again? We move on.
HEMMER: No.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Wouldn't that be glorious?
O'BRIEN: Hope springs eternal.
COLLINS: Yes, I like that thought.
HEMMER: Good morning, Heidi.
O'BRIEN: Heidi has got the headlines this morning. Hello.
COLLINS: Good morning, guys. And good morning to you, everybody.
"Now in the News" this morning.
A "CNN Security Watch." There has been a car bombing in Madrid, Spain. Witnesses say a powerful blast blew up near the city's convention center complex about four hours ago. Spanish officials say at least 42 people were injured. A caller claiming to be with the Basque separatist group, ETA, apparently warned a Basque newspaper about a half-hour before the attack. Stay with CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in Belgium at this hour, preparing for President Bush's visit with European officials there later on this month. Rice arrived in Brussels from Paris just two hours ago, and she will spend the morning in talks with NATO and European Union representatives. Secretary Rice is also expected to hold a live news conference in the next hour with NATO's secretary general.
To Washington, now. The House is getting ready to debate a measure that would make it easier for judges to reject immigrants seeking asylum. The legislation would give the Homeland Security Department more power to tighten border security and track illegal immigrants. It comes one day after a federal commission said many asylum seekers in the U.S. are treated like criminals.
And get ready for a harder flight. American Airlines announcing it will remove pillows from first class and coach cabins on almost all domestic flights. Yes. The move will save the airlines -- get this -- some 375,000 bucks a year. The airline says it is keeping the blankets.
And, you know, I don't know about you, but I really just don't think there's going to be a public outcry about this and those wimpy little pillows.
HEMMER: Well, you know, your business model...
O'BRIEN: I love the blankets and pillows.
COLLINS: The blankets are good. But the pillows, really?
O'BRIEN: Yes, if your back hurts.
COLLINS: I'm like (UNINTELLIGIBLE) no matter what I do.
O'BRIEN: Bring your own. It's starting to be bring your own lunch, bring your own pillow, bring all your own stuff.
COLLINS: Right.
O'BRIEN: Heidi, thanks.
A little baby girl believed to be the world's smallest surviving infant is home from the hospital this morning. Rumaisa Rahman was about the size of a cell phone when she was born in September, weighing 8.6 ounces, just 9 and a half inches long. Rumaisa was discharged on Tuesday. She weighed a big, old five and a half pounds and was nearly 17 inches long.
Rumaisa's parents, Mahajabeen Shaik and Abdul Raman, join us from Maywood, Illinois, along with their doctor, Dr. Jonathan Muraskas. He's from Loyola University Medical Center. And he's also in Maywood, Illinois.
It's nice to see all three of you. Thank you so much for being with us. And let's talk to the happy mom and dad this morning. How is it to have both of your girls finally home? Good morning.
MAHAJABEEN SHAIK, BABY'S MOTHER: Good morning.
MOHAMMED ABDUL RAHMAN, BABY'S FATHER: Good morning. Yes, we are feeling great. You know, we are very excited that they're both home now. So, we'll be busy for some time. So, we felt, you know, very bad when we were taking Hiba home, because we couldn't take Rumaisa with her. So, now they're both are home now, so it's good. We are very excited.
O'BRIEN: Hiba is a little over -- about 8 and a half pounds, and Rumaisa, 5 pounds 8 ounces. So now they're both sort of substantial, very much in sort of average baby weight for heading home. What kind of special care do you have to give to the babies now?
SHAIK: For Rumaisa, we have to give her oxygen, and also she's on the monitor, too.
O'BRIEN: Let me turn to your doctor now. Dr. Muraskas, I'd be curious to know, what makes the decision? Where is the line? I mean, why save a baby who is so tiny at 8.6 ounces? I mean, how do doctors know at what point to intervene and at what point to not?
DR. JONATHAN MURASKAS, LOYOLA UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER: That's a great question, Soledad. You know, I think that I always tell the family and everybody that the baby tells us what to do. One of the things that was very important for Rumaisa and Hiba, Soledad, was that they were a little less than 26 weeks. In other words, they were about 14 and a half weeks early, and they were girls. Girls do much better than boys with prematurity.
Normally, if I can put it in perspective quickly, is that a normal pregnancy is 40 weeks. The earliest a baby can be born today and have any kind of chance is about 23 weeks, or 17 weeks early. Once we get to 26-27 weeks, within most major medical centers and university hospitals in the United States, and as at Loyola, we have almost a 90 percent survival.
So, I think that her size -- gestational age is so is much more important than absolute birth weight, because people can look at say, oh, my baby was 2 pounds and has a major problem. And it's gestation and being a female, Soledad.
O'BRIEN: So, then, you talk about the gestational age and you talk about sort of the shape they're in. What's your biggest concern now? And what's the prognosis for both girls?
MURASKAS: I think good. I think both of them had a very smooth course in the unit. Rumaisa was with us 141-142 days, no bleeding in the brain for either of them, no major infections. So, I think I would be cautiously optimistic that they can have a very normal outcome. And real briefly, too, Soledad, is that we had a previous baby that was 9.9 ounces, who is in high school now and doing well. And the similarities between the two of them is pretty scary in terms how well they're both doing.
O'BRIEN: She was previously the world's smallest baby. Now she's been bumped to No. 2, I believe, if I'm not mistaken.
MURASKAS: Yes.
O'BRIEN: We're looking at a picture of Hiba.
MURASKAS: Yes.
O'BRIEN: I've got to tell you, that is a beautiful baby. And this, of course, is Rumaisa, also a beautiful, beautiful baby. Mahajabeen, can you tell me why you got pre-eclampsia? You're 23 years old. These are your first babies. Do you have any idea why you had this major medical problem?
SHAIK: Well, my doctor can give you better than I, but I can tell you that because of my high blood pressure, it happened.
O'BRIEN: Well, I've got to tell you, we are so happy for you. What adorable babies. You realize, of course, you're never going to sleep again. I know a little something about twins. I've got to tell you. You have, like, 18 years...
MURASKAS: Soledad?
O'BRIEN: Yes.
MURASKAS: Soledad, I'm an identical twin. These are twins. And you've got beautiful 6-month-old twins. We all can bond.
O'BRIEN: Exactly. We all can just call each other up in the middle of night when we're up anyway, right?
MURASKAS: That's right.
O'BRIEN: Thanks for talking with us this morning. Congratulations to you. We're really thrilled for your very good news.
SHAIK: Thank you.
MURASKAS: Thank you very much.
O'BRIEN: We should mention that donations for the Rahman twins can be sent care of Bank One. The address is right there on the screen, 1730 South Harlem, North Riverside, Illinois, 60546-1142, or the phone number right there, 708-488-9537. Congratulations. It's amazing, you know, just how...
HEMMER: Yes, I'm telling you.
O'BRIEN: ... they go from being these tiny beings. It sounds...
HEMMER: How about what the doctor said. He said, the baby tells us what to do, and then we react.
O'BRIEN: Yes, you know, it's true. If they're strong and they're fighters and they're survivors, then the doctors will help them fight.
HEMMER: A good story.
O'BRIEN: Good for them, yes.
HEMMER: We want to get back to Iraq in a moment here. There is new videotape of attacks on Iraqi insurgents we want to share with you today. The Air Force released videotape made in the fall and summer of last year by Predators -- that's the unmanned aircraft -- armed with missiles flown by pilots at an air base in Nevada. The clips show missile strikes on insurgents in the process of planting roadside bombs or firing on U.S. positions. The Air Force also telling us that 58 Predators are currently deployed around the world. That from Iraq.
Back in this country, an elementary school teacher accused of having a sexual affair with a 13-year-old boy is now free on $50,000 bond. Twenty-seven-year-old Pamela Turner is charged with sexual battery and statutory rape. The D.A. says the affair went on for three months, and that the offenses occurred in the Tennessee school and in the boy's home where Turner lived briefly. The phys-ed teacher has been put on leave from that school -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Back to check on weather and Chad Myers at the CNN center. He's got the latest for us.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HEMMER: Thousands may end up paying a big price for the bad buzz around a once popular painkiller. Andy has more on that in a moment here.
O'BRIEN: And also, expect to see Hilary Swank at the podium if she wins an Oscar for "Million Dollar Baby." Other winners, though, might not be quite so lucky. "90-Second Pop" is just ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: Welcome back. Welcome back, everybody. And back to Jack, "Question of the Day," talking about big bucks down in Washington.
Good morning.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Yes. It's nice to have Bill back on the show.
HEMMER: Thank you.
CAFFERTY: He finally showed up to pay me the money he owed me on the Super Bowl.
HEMMER: It's just a buck. You could have waited two more days, couldn't you, Jack?
HEMMER: You know what? I was going to frame it.
ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Interest. Interest, you know.
HEMMER: Yes, right. I was going to frame that actually and make a big presentation. But you know what? I thought, I...
CAFFERTY: Yes, that would have cost you another dollar and a half.
HEMMER: It may have. I think you quite deserve it, you know?
(CROSSTALK)
CAFFERTY: All right. Look, we've got bigger fish to fry than the one George Washington I got from my friend, Bill.
President Bush says he will reduce the deficit by half in the next four years. But it's not going to be easy. Bush's Medicare drug benefit is now estimated by the White House to cost $1.2 trillion over the next 10 years, twice the original estimate. Next year's budget doesn't include the cost of the wars in Iraq or Afghanistan, or the cost of making the tax cuts permanent, or the cost of overhauling Social Security.
The budget does call for eliminating or scaling back 150 government programs in order to save money. But that was an idea that came around last year. They proposed cutting 65 government programs at the end of the day. Four were acted upon by the Congress.
The question is this: Do you believe President Bush can cut the deficit in half in the next four years? So far, so far -- it's early -- I have gotten not a single serious response suggesting that this is going to happen. Not one.
Susan in Gualala, California: "If Bush does cut the deficit in half in four years, it will be at the expense of the poor, the environment and the elderly."
Lynn in Laurel, Maryland: "Jack, thanks again for my morning laugh, asking if the president will cut the deficit in half. Just wait until the true budget figures come out. The deficit will go higher without any doubt."
John in Willard, Ohio: "There's no way. He'll be lucky if he doesn't double it. We're heading in the same direction Russia did in the '70s, spending huge amounts on the military, while domestic programs are cast aside."
Wistar in Flowery Branch, Georgia: "Sure he can, as long as he doesn't count the cost of his wars and we ignore the lost revenue from his tax cuts." And Steve in Palmetto, Florida: "Only if Medicare and Social Security recipients become illegal immigrants in Mexico, if we dismantle the military, if Congress agrees to work for minimum wage with no perks or benefits. Oh, yes, the tooth fairy is going to be required to help out on this as well."
AM@cnn.com.
HEMMER: The Nasdaq 6,000 might do it, right, revenues there?
SERWER: Yes. And that would be another wing and a prayer.
O'BRIEN: All back to eating the building, I believe, right?
SERWER: Yes, right. Get out the salt.
O'BRIEN: You set the tone, and all of the people who are writing are following it.
SERWER: Yes.
CAFFERTY: Yes, I guess.
O'BRIEN: Thank you very much, Jack.
A major pharmaceutical company may cut jobs. Krispy Kreme workers are facing more bad news. A look at those stories, plus a check on the market, also bad news. Andy Serwer is "Minding Your Business."
Sorry to be a big, old, downer, but that's kind of where it stands, right?
SERWER: Yes. Well, we'll get some good news. We'll look at what happened on the Street yesterday, which was up barely. The operative word being, "barely."
The Dow up 8 points, Nasdaq up 4, the S&P up less than a full point. The operative word is "barely."
But what you were alluding to, Soledad, was Cisco reporting after the bell, slightly disappointing the Street, and that has pulled futures down this morning, which is probably going to make for a weak open.
Job cuts continue across this country. And we're talking about Pfizer this morning. Obviously, that company has been facing difficulties with safety concerns over Celebrex and Bextra. Analysts suggesting this company may lay off as much as 10 percent of its 120,000 workforce. We crunched the math. That's 12,000 employees.
And here's -- this is the interesting part. They said it could save them $1.5 billion; 12,000 employees, $1.5 billion. Doing the math there, that's $125,000 per employee, which, if you think about it, makes sense, because you've got salary, commission, bonus, cars, medical stock options. So it adds up to be a lot of money. Now, Krispy Kreme Donuts are also looking to lay off people as well. Not quite a situation as quite as bad, about 25 percent of its corporate -- that's good stuff. See? That looks good. That looks even better. Twenty-five percent of its corporate headquarters staff, which is only about 125 employees, mostly it will probably be in Winston-Salem. Also saying they might have a little cash crunch problem at the donut maker.
CAFFERTY: Didn't they get caught up in, like, double shipping the donuts or something over there?
SERWER: Well, they said they shipped a lot of them at the end of the quarter to make it look like their numbers were better, but that hasn't been proven yet.
CAFFERTY: It's an allegation.
SERWER: It's an allegation.
O'BRIEN: At this point.
SERWER: Yes. In time.
O'BRIEN: Thank you, Andy.
SERWER: You're welcome.
HEMMER: In a moment here, J.Lo and Ben Affleck, that romance did not last, but their loss could be your gain. The lowdown on J.Lo's ring in a moment here on "90-Second Pop" after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: Welcome back, everybody. It's time again for "90-Second Pop." Say hello to our own private dancer, Andy Borowitz from BorowitzReport.com. We will explain that in a moment. Jessica Shaw, "Entertainment Weekly."
Nice to see you, Jess. Good morning.
JESSICA SHAW, "ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY": You too.
HEMMER: And the prince of urban populism, the name lives on.
Toure, good morning.
TOURE, CNN POP CULTURE CORRESPONDENT: Aren't we simply the best?
HEMMER: You can be the pop.
TOURE: Are we simply the best?
HEMMER: Let me work on that.
TOURE: All right.
HEMMER: Hang on. J.Lo's ring is going back to Harry Winston.
TOURE: Yes.
HEMMER: How do you re-acquire a ring like this?
TOURE: I have no idea. I mean, this is, like, the big memento of the Titanic of failed relationships. You know, like, who would possibly want this? I mean, it's like the ultimate Hope diamond of sloppy seconds, you know. The thing that it made me think of is that one of the big reasons why Ben left Jen...
HEMMER: Yes.
TOURE: ... is because he wants some sort of a family, something nice that he can deal with. And Brad Pitt also left a Jen...
HEMMER: So we think now.
TOURE: ... because he...
HEMMER: This is just our own little conjecture (UNINTELLIGIBLE), of course.
TOURE: Yes. Because he wants a family. And they were both with Gwyneth Paltrow, who has a nice family. You think they wish, maybe we had -- maybe we could have that decision to do over...
HEMMER: Yes?
TOURE: ... because we had somebody who wanted a family.
(CROSSTALK)
HEMMER: Wait, wait, wait. Does Gwyneth, does she have a rock the size of this thing that J. Lo has?
SHAW: Well, I have to say about the rock, I have a little bit breaking news. I got the rock.
TOURE: Oh!
ANDY BOROWITZ, BOROWITZREPORT.COM: Oh!
SHAW: I got it. I acquired it from Harry Winston.
BOROWITZ: And actually, what I did hear about this whole J.Lo thing is that if you also buy the ring from her first marriage, she'll throw in free shipping.
HEMMER: Not bad.
BOROWITZ: Yes.
HEMMER: With the pop on the inside, right, the bubble rap?
TOURE: And she'll throw in the ring from the second wedding as well.
SHAW: Right, exactly. That one she's just giving away.
HEMMER: You know, the breaking news from a week ago is that you got engaged.
SHAW: Yes.
HEMMER: Congratulations again to you.
SHAW: Oh, thank you, Bill.
HEMMER: I still don't know how you re-acquired this ring.
BOROWITZ: You're still milking that.
SHAW: I've ditching him for the ring.
HEMMER: Take us to the Oscars now.
SHAW: Yes.
HEMMER: Some people apparently are not going to get their 15 minutes or their 2 minutes on stage. They're going to stay in their seats? What's happening here?
SHAW: I'm not too sorry about that. I have to say that I think there are really only 10 or 12 awards that anyone wants to see anyway. And the rest of them just sort of turn the Oscars into this four-hour, soul-sucking TV event. So, you know, what's going to happen, the producer, Gill Cates (ph), has decided that he's going to cut the show down, and some of the lesser awards, like, you know, sound advising and things like that, will come from the -- someone in the audience will present them.
BOROWITZ: By the way, if Jessica's voice cuts out at this point, that's because the people in the sound department have decided to eliminate her.
HEMMER: Yes, keep on...
BOROWITZ: You've got to be careful about that.
HEMMER: But they want to save time, right?
SHAW: Yes.
HEMMER: But...
SHAW: They want to get it down to just three and a half hours, and it's always over four hours.
HEMMER: But in some categories, they're going to take all of the nominees on stage, right?
SHAW: Oh, yes. HEMMER: And then announce the winner? It's kind of like Atlantic City and Miss America.
BOROWITZ: Here's a way to save some time, I think, which is that we all know Jamie Foxx is going to win. He's won eight awards already. I can actually recite his acceptance speech already. I know the whole thing about no matter what life throws, you've got to just keep on walking. So, let's just say at the beginning, ladies and gentlemen, Jamie Foxx has won. Now on with the show.
SHAW: But can you cry about the grandmother?
BOROWITZ: Right. I can do that.
TOURE: But he'll throw it out to all of the black actors beforehand. So you've got to do that part of it, too.
BOROWITZ: Right. I've got to do that, too.
HEMMER: And the good news is that Chris Rock won't walk off stage if Jamie Foxx wins.
TOURE: Thank goodness.
HEMMER: Tina Turner is coming back.
BOROWITZ: Yes.
HEMMER: Paul McCartney at 62 sounded great at the Super Bowl on Sunday, I thought.
BOROWITZ: You're entitled to that opinion.
HEMMER: I thought his voice was stronger now than it was seven years ago when he was on tour. How does Tina's voice sound now?
BOROWITZ: Well, I don't know how she sounds, but I just think Tina Turner just defies the laws of nature. I mean, I think she just defies the laws of gravity. We all still think she's hot. I know Toure, we discussed this extensively before the show. I think she's great. But I think there's a lesson in this. I think especially for somebody like Cher, because Tina Turner, you know, declared her retirement five years ago, and now she's coming back. We're all excited about it. I looked up on the Internet, Cher's farewell tour is in its 20th year. And I think the lesson is if you want to come back, Cher, you have to go away first. So that's my only piece of advice.
TOURE: I mean, I'm just excited. I want to do the math here. She's looking incredible, still got a career, two houses in Europe, boy toy. I mean, like, if living well...
HEMMER: Hey, life ain't (ph) so bad, huh?
TOURE: Right. No, if living well is the best revenge, she is kicking Ike's (EXPLETIVE DELETED)! HEMMER: She...
TOURE: Like (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
BOROWITZ: Ike is looking very hot, too.
HEMMER: This is the new song. I think, what, do they call it "Open Arms," do they? Didn't Journey do this with Steve Perry a while ago?
BOROWITZ: Perhaps.
SHAW: I don't think...
HEMMER: The Journey thing, that was a joke.
SHAW: This isn't the Journey "Open Arms."
HEMMER: I understand. Well, let's stay together, right? Good or bad, happy or sad? We've got to run.
TOURE: That's right.
HEMMER: Thanks, guys. Here's Soledad. Back to you, Soledad.
O'BRIEN: All right. Today's top stories are straight ahead. Plus, it looks like dinner with the president wasn't enough to satisfy Harry Reid. The top Senate Democrat is fighting mad over some GOP accusations. We'll tell you what they are just ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
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Aired February 9, 2005 - 07:32 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back, everybody. It's just about half past the hour on this AMERICAN MORNING.
In just a few moments, we're going to talk to the parents of the world's smallest newborn. She came into the world weighing just 8.6 ounces. She was finally big enough to leave the hospital yesterday. Of course, she still needs lots of special care. We're going to talk to her mom and dad, who are right there, about all that.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: And there are some proud parents, huh?
O'BRIEN: Yes.
HEMMER: A good looking picture there.
Also, "90-Second Pop" in a moment. Today, we may close the final chapter on our favorite top pop topic known as "Bennifer."
O'BRIEN: Oh, gosh, let's hope so.
HEMMER: The symbol of J.Lo's love with Ben Affleck is now up for sale again. So we'll get you caught up on what's happening with that. What was it, a million bucks plus, six carats?
O'BRIEN: Does that mean we never talk about them again? We move on.
HEMMER: No.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Wouldn't that be glorious?
O'BRIEN: Hope springs eternal.
COLLINS: Yes, I like that thought.
HEMMER: Good morning, Heidi.
O'BRIEN: Heidi has got the headlines this morning. Hello.
COLLINS: Good morning, guys. And good morning to you, everybody.
"Now in the News" this morning.
A "CNN Security Watch." There has been a car bombing in Madrid, Spain. Witnesses say a powerful blast blew up near the city's convention center complex about four hours ago. Spanish officials say at least 42 people were injured. A caller claiming to be with the Basque separatist group, ETA, apparently warned a Basque newspaper about a half-hour before the attack. Stay with CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in Belgium at this hour, preparing for President Bush's visit with European officials there later on this month. Rice arrived in Brussels from Paris just two hours ago, and she will spend the morning in talks with NATO and European Union representatives. Secretary Rice is also expected to hold a live news conference in the next hour with NATO's secretary general.
To Washington, now. The House is getting ready to debate a measure that would make it easier for judges to reject immigrants seeking asylum. The legislation would give the Homeland Security Department more power to tighten border security and track illegal immigrants. It comes one day after a federal commission said many asylum seekers in the U.S. are treated like criminals.
And get ready for a harder flight. American Airlines announcing it will remove pillows from first class and coach cabins on almost all domestic flights. Yes. The move will save the airlines -- get this -- some 375,000 bucks a year. The airline says it is keeping the blankets.
And, you know, I don't know about you, but I really just don't think there's going to be a public outcry about this and those wimpy little pillows.
HEMMER: Well, you know, your business model...
O'BRIEN: I love the blankets and pillows.
COLLINS: The blankets are good. But the pillows, really?
O'BRIEN: Yes, if your back hurts.
COLLINS: I'm like (UNINTELLIGIBLE) no matter what I do.
O'BRIEN: Bring your own. It's starting to be bring your own lunch, bring your own pillow, bring all your own stuff.
COLLINS: Right.
O'BRIEN: Heidi, thanks.
A little baby girl believed to be the world's smallest surviving infant is home from the hospital this morning. Rumaisa Rahman was about the size of a cell phone when she was born in September, weighing 8.6 ounces, just 9 and a half inches long. Rumaisa was discharged on Tuesday. She weighed a big, old five and a half pounds and was nearly 17 inches long.
Rumaisa's parents, Mahajabeen Shaik and Abdul Raman, join us from Maywood, Illinois, along with their doctor, Dr. Jonathan Muraskas. He's from Loyola University Medical Center. And he's also in Maywood, Illinois.
It's nice to see all three of you. Thank you so much for being with us. And let's talk to the happy mom and dad this morning. How is it to have both of your girls finally home? Good morning.
MAHAJABEEN SHAIK, BABY'S MOTHER: Good morning.
MOHAMMED ABDUL RAHMAN, BABY'S FATHER: Good morning. Yes, we are feeling great. You know, we are very excited that they're both home now. So, we'll be busy for some time. So, we felt, you know, very bad when we were taking Hiba home, because we couldn't take Rumaisa with her. So, now they're both are home now, so it's good. We are very excited.
O'BRIEN: Hiba is a little over -- about 8 and a half pounds, and Rumaisa, 5 pounds 8 ounces. So now they're both sort of substantial, very much in sort of average baby weight for heading home. What kind of special care do you have to give to the babies now?
SHAIK: For Rumaisa, we have to give her oxygen, and also she's on the monitor, too.
O'BRIEN: Let me turn to your doctor now. Dr. Muraskas, I'd be curious to know, what makes the decision? Where is the line? I mean, why save a baby who is so tiny at 8.6 ounces? I mean, how do doctors know at what point to intervene and at what point to not?
DR. JONATHAN MURASKAS, LOYOLA UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER: That's a great question, Soledad. You know, I think that I always tell the family and everybody that the baby tells us what to do. One of the things that was very important for Rumaisa and Hiba, Soledad, was that they were a little less than 26 weeks. In other words, they were about 14 and a half weeks early, and they were girls. Girls do much better than boys with prematurity.
Normally, if I can put it in perspective quickly, is that a normal pregnancy is 40 weeks. The earliest a baby can be born today and have any kind of chance is about 23 weeks, or 17 weeks early. Once we get to 26-27 weeks, within most major medical centers and university hospitals in the United States, and as at Loyola, we have almost a 90 percent survival.
So, I think that her size -- gestational age is so is much more important than absolute birth weight, because people can look at say, oh, my baby was 2 pounds and has a major problem. And it's gestation and being a female, Soledad.
O'BRIEN: So, then, you talk about the gestational age and you talk about sort of the shape they're in. What's your biggest concern now? And what's the prognosis for both girls?
MURASKAS: I think good. I think both of them had a very smooth course in the unit. Rumaisa was with us 141-142 days, no bleeding in the brain for either of them, no major infections. So, I think I would be cautiously optimistic that they can have a very normal outcome. And real briefly, too, Soledad, is that we had a previous baby that was 9.9 ounces, who is in high school now and doing well. And the similarities between the two of them is pretty scary in terms how well they're both doing.
O'BRIEN: She was previously the world's smallest baby. Now she's been bumped to No. 2, I believe, if I'm not mistaken.
MURASKAS: Yes.
O'BRIEN: We're looking at a picture of Hiba.
MURASKAS: Yes.
O'BRIEN: I've got to tell you, that is a beautiful baby. And this, of course, is Rumaisa, also a beautiful, beautiful baby. Mahajabeen, can you tell me why you got pre-eclampsia? You're 23 years old. These are your first babies. Do you have any idea why you had this major medical problem?
SHAIK: Well, my doctor can give you better than I, but I can tell you that because of my high blood pressure, it happened.
O'BRIEN: Well, I've got to tell you, we are so happy for you. What adorable babies. You realize, of course, you're never going to sleep again. I know a little something about twins. I've got to tell you. You have, like, 18 years...
MURASKAS: Soledad?
O'BRIEN: Yes.
MURASKAS: Soledad, I'm an identical twin. These are twins. And you've got beautiful 6-month-old twins. We all can bond.
O'BRIEN: Exactly. We all can just call each other up in the middle of night when we're up anyway, right?
MURASKAS: That's right.
O'BRIEN: Thanks for talking with us this morning. Congratulations to you. We're really thrilled for your very good news.
SHAIK: Thank you.
MURASKAS: Thank you very much.
O'BRIEN: We should mention that donations for the Rahman twins can be sent care of Bank One. The address is right there on the screen, 1730 South Harlem, North Riverside, Illinois, 60546-1142, or the phone number right there, 708-488-9537. Congratulations. It's amazing, you know, just how...
HEMMER: Yes, I'm telling you.
O'BRIEN: ... they go from being these tiny beings. It sounds...
HEMMER: How about what the doctor said. He said, the baby tells us what to do, and then we react.
O'BRIEN: Yes, you know, it's true. If they're strong and they're fighters and they're survivors, then the doctors will help them fight.
HEMMER: A good story.
O'BRIEN: Good for them, yes.
HEMMER: We want to get back to Iraq in a moment here. There is new videotape of attacks on Iraqi insurgents we want to share with you today. The Air Force released videotape made in the fall and summer of last year by Predators -- that's the unmanned aircraft -- armed with missiles flown by pilots at an air base in Nevada. The clips show missile strikes on insurgents in the process of planting roadside bombs or firing on U.S. positions. The Air Force also telling us that 58 Predators are currently deployed around the world. That from Iraq.
Back in this country, an elementary school teacher accused of having a sexual affair with a 13-year-old boy is now free on $50,000 bond. Twenty-seven-year-old Pamela Turner is charged with sexual battery and statutory rape. The D.A. says the affair went on for three months, and that the offenses occurred in the Tennessee school and in the boy's home where Turner lived briefly. The phys-ed teacher has been put on leave from that school -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Back to check on weather and Chad Myers at the CNN center. He's got the latest for us.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HEMMER: Thousands may end up paying a big price for the bad buzz around a once popular painkiller. Andy has more on that in a moment here.
O'BRIEN: And also, expect to see Hilary Swank at the podium if she wins an Oscar for "Million Dollar Baby." Other winners, though, might not be quite so lucky. "90-Second Pop" is just ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: Welcome back. Welcome back, everybody. And back to Jack, "Question of the Day," talking about big bucks down in Washington.
Good morning.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Yes. It's nice to have Bill back on the show.
HEMMER: Thank you.
CAFFERTY: He finally showed up to pay me the money he owed me on the Super Bowl.
HEMMER: It's just a buck. You could have waited two more days, couldn't you, Jack?
HEMMER: You know what? I was going to frame it.
ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Interest. Interest, you know.
HEMMER: Yes, right. I was going to frame that actually and make a big presentation. But you know what? I thought, I...
CAFFERTY: Yes, that would have cost you another dollar and a half.
HEMMER: It may have. I think you quite deserve it, you know?
(CROSSTALK)
CAFFERTY: All right. Look, we've got bigger fish to fry than the one George Washington I got from my friend, Bill.
President Bush says he will reduce the deficit by half in the next four years. But it's not going to be easy. Bush's Medicare drug benefit is now estimated by the White House to cost $1.2 trillion over the next 10 years, twice the original estimate. Next year's budget doesn't include the cost of the wars in Iraq or Afghanistan, or the cost of making the tax cuts permanent, or the cost of overhauling Social Security.
The budget does call for eliminating or scaling back 150 government programs in order to save money. But that was an idea that came around last year. They proposed cutting 65 government programs at the end of the day. Four were acted upon by the Congress.
The question is this: Do you believe President Bush can cut the deficit in half in the next four years? So far, so far -- it's early -- I have gotten not a single serious response suggesting that this is going to happen. Not one.
Susan in Gualala, California: "If Bush does cut the deficit in half in four years, it will be at the expense of the poor, the environment and the elderly."
Lynn in Laurel, Maryland: "Jack, thanks again for my morning laugh, asking if the president will cut the deficit in half. Just wait until the true budget figures come out. The deficit will go higher without any doubt."
John in Willard, Ohio: "There's no way. He'll be lucky if he doesn't double it. We're heading in the same direction Russia did in the '70s, spending huge amounts on the military, while domestic programs are cast aside."
Wistar in Flowery Branch, Georgia: "Sure he can, as long as he doesn't count the cost of his wars and we ignore the lost revenue from his tax cuts." And Steve in Palmetto, Florida: "Only if Medicare and Social Security recipients become illegal immigrants in Mexico, if we dismantle the military, if Congress agrees to work for minimum wage with no perks or benefits. Oh, yes, the tooth fairy is going to be required to help out on this as well."
AM@cnn.com.
HEMMER: The Nasdaq 6,000 might do it, right, revenues there?
SERWER: Yes. And that would be another wing and a prayer.
O'BRIEN: All back to eating the building, I believe, right?
SERWER: Yes, right. Get out the salt.
O'BRIEN: You set the tone, and all of the people who are writing are following it.
SERWER: Yes.
CAFFERTY: Yes, I guess.
O'BRIEN: Thank you very much, Jack.
A major pharmaceutical company may cut jobs. Krispy Kreme workers are facing more bad news. A look at those stories, plus a check on the market, also bad news. Andy Serwer is "Minding Your Business."
Sorry to be a big, old, downer, but that's kind of where it stands, right?
SERWER: Yes. Well, we'll get some good news. We'll look at what happened on the Street yesterday, which was up barely. The operative word being, "barely."
The Dow up 8 points, Nasdaq up 4, the S&P up less than a full point. The operative word is "barely."
But what you were alluding to, Soledad, was Cisco reporting after the bell, slightly disappointing the Street, and that has pulled futures down this morning, which is probably going to make for a weak open.
Job cuts continue across this country. And we're talking about Pfizer this morning. Obviously, that company has been facing difficulties with safety concerns over Celebrex and Bextra. Analysts suggesting this company may lay off as much as 10 percent of its 120,000 workforce. We crunched the math. That's 12,000 employees.
And here's -- this is the interesting part. They said it could save them $1.5 billion; 12,000 employees, $1.5 billion. Doing the math there, that's $125,000 per employee, which, if you think about it, makes sense, because you've got salary, commission, bonus, cars, medical stock options. So it adds up to be a lot of money. Now, Krispy Kreme Donuts are also looking to lay off people as well. Not quite a situation as quite as bad, about 25 percent of its corporate -- that's good stuff. See? That looks good. That looks even better. Twenty-five percent of its corporate headquarters staff, which is only about 125 employees, mostly it will probably be in Winston-Salem. Also saying they might have a little cash crunch problem at the donut maker.
CAFFERTY: Didn't they get caught up in, like, double shipping the donuts or something over there?
SERWER: Well, they said they shipped a lot of them at the end of the quarter to make it look like their numbers were better, but that hasn't been proven yet.
CAFFERTY: It's an allegation.
SERWER: It's an allegation.
O'BRIEN: At this point.
SERWER: Yes. In time.
O'BRIEN: Thank you, Andy.
SERWER: You're welcome.
HEMMER: In a moment here, J.Lo and Ben Affleck, that romance did not last, but their loss could be your gain. The lowdown on J.Lo's ring in a moment here on "90-Second Pop" after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: Welcome back, everybody. It's time again for "90-Second Pop." Say hello to our own private dancer, Andy Borowitz from BorowitzReport.com. We will explain that in a moment. Jessica Shaw, "Entertainment Weekly."
Nice to see you, Jess. Good morning.
JESSICA SHAW, "ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY": You too.
HEMMER: And the prince of urban populism, the name lives on.
Toure, good morning.
TOURE, CNN POP CULTURE CORRESPONDENT: Aren't we simply the best?
HEMMER: You can be the pop.
TOURE: Are we simply the best?
HEMMER: Let me work on that.
TOURE: All right.
HEMMER: Hang on. J.Lo's ring is going back to Harry Winston.
TOURE: Yes.
HEMMER: How do you re-acquire a ring like this?
TOURE: I have no idea. I mean, this is, like, the big memento of the Titanic of failed relationships. You know, like, who would possibly want this? I mean, it's like the ultimate Hope diamond of sloppy seconds, you know. The thing that it made me think of is that one of the big reasons why Ben left Jen...
HEMMER: Yes.
TOURE: ... is because he wants some sort of a family, something nice that he can deal with. And Brad Pitt also left a Jen...
HEMMER: So we think now.
TOURE: ... because he...
HEMMER: This is just our own little conjecture (UNINTELLIGIBLE), of course.
TOURE: Yes. Because he wants a family. And they were both with Gwyneth Paltrow, who has a nice family. You think they wish, maybe we had -- maybe we could have that decision to do over...
HEMMER: Yes?
TOURE: ... because we had somebody who wanted a family.
(CROSSTALK)
HEMMER: Wait, wait, wait. Does Gwyneth, does she have a rock the size of this thing that J. Lo has?
SHAW: Well, I have to say about the rock, I have a little bit breaking news. I got the rock.
TOURE: Oh!
ANDY BOROWITZ, BOROWITZREPORT.COM: Oh!
SHAW: I got it. I acquired it from Harry Winston.
BOROWITZ: And actually, what I did hear about this whole J.Lo thing is that if you also buy the ring from her first marriage, she'll throw in free shipping.
HEMMER: Not bad.
BOROWITZ: Yes.
HEMMER: With the pop on the inside, right, the bubble rap?
TOURE: And she'll throw in the ring from the second wedding as well.
SHAW: Right, exactly. That one she's just giving away.
HEMMER: You know, the breaking news from a week ago is that you got engaged.
SHAW: Yes.
HEMMER: Congratulations again to you.
SHAW: Oh, thank you, Bill.
HEMMER: I still don't know how you re-acquired this ring.
BOROWITZ: You're still milking that.
SHAW: I've ditching him for the ring.
HEMMER: Take us to the Oscars now.
SHAW: Yes.
HEMMER: Some people apparently are not going to get their 15 minutes or their 2 minutes on stage. They're going to stay in their seats? What's happening here?
SHAW: I'm not too sorry about that. I have to say that I think there are really only 10 or 12 awards that anyone wants to see anyway. And the rest of them just sort of turn the Oscars into this four-hour, soul-sucking TV event. So, you know, what's going to happen, the producer, Gill Cates (ph), has decided that he's going to cut the show down, and some of the lesser awards, like, you know, sound advising and things like that, will come from the -- someone in the audience will present them.
BOROWITZ: By the way, if Jessica's voice cuts out at this point, that's because the people in the sound department have decided to eliminate her.
HEMMER: Yes, keep on...
BOROWITZ: You've got to be careful about that.
HEMMER: But they want to save time, right?
SHAW: Yes.
HEMMER: But...
SHAW: They want to get it down to just three and a half hours, and it's always over four hours.
HEMMER: But in some categories, they're going to take all of the nominees on stage, right?
SHAW: Oh, yes. HEMMER: And then announce the winner? It's kind of like Atlantic City and Miss America.
BOROWITZ: Here's a way to save some time, I think, which is that we all know Jamie Foxx is going to win. He's won eight awards already. I can actually recite his acceptance speech already. I know the whole thing about no matter what life throws, you've got to just keep on walking. So, let's just say at the beginning, ladies and gentlemen, Jamie Foxx has won. Now on with the show.
SHAW: But can you cry about the grandmother?
BOROWITZ: Right. I can do that.
TOURE: But he'll throw it out to all of the black actors beforehand. So you've got to do that part of it, too.
BOROWITZ: Right. I've got to do that, too.
HEMMER: And the good news is that Chris Rock won't walk off stage if Jamie Foxx wins.
TOURE: Thank goodness.
HEMMER: Tina Turner is coming back.
BOROWITZ: Yes.
HEMMER: Paul McCartney at 62 sounded great at the Super Bowl on Sunday, I thought.
BOROWITZ: You're entitled to that opinion.
HEMMER: I thought his voice was stronger now than it was seven years ago when he was on tour. How does Tina's voice sound now?
BOROWITZ: Well, I don't know how she sounds, but I just think Tina Turner just defies the laws of nature. I mean, I think she just defies the laws of gravity. We all still think she's hot. I know Toure, we discussed this extensively before the show. I think she's great. But I think there's a lesson in this. I think especially for somebody like Cher, because Tina Turner, you know, declared her retirement five years ago, and now she's coming back. We're all excited about it. I looked up on the Internet, Cher's farewell tour is in its 20th year. And I think the lesson is if you want to come back, Cher, you have to go away first. So that's my only piece of advice.
TOURE: I mean, I'm just excited. I want to do the math here. She's looking incredible, still got a career, two houses in Europe, boy toy. I mean, like, if living well...
HEMMER: Hey, life ain't (ph) so bad, huh?
TOURE: Right. No, if living well is the best revenge, she is kicking Ike's (EXPLETIVE DELETED)! HEMMER: She...
TOURE: Like (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
BOROWITZ: Ike is looking very hot, too.
HEMMER: This is the new song. I think, what, do they call it "Open Arms," do they? Didn't Journey do this with Steve Perry a while ago?
BOROWITZ: Perhaps.
SHAW: I don't think...
HEMMER: The Journey thing, that was a joke.
SHAW: This isn't the Journey "Open Arms."
HEMMER: I understand. Well, let's stay together, right? Good or bad, happy or sad? We've got to run.
TOURE: That's right.
HEMMER: Thanks, guys. Here's Soledad. Back to you, Soledad.
O'BRIEN: All right. Today's top stories are straight ahead. Plus, it looks like dinner with the president wasn't enough to satisfy Harry Reid. The top Senate Democrat is fighting mad over some GOP accusations. We'll tell you what they are just ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
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