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Pope John Paul II Speaking; 'Paging Dr. Gupta'

Aired March 01, 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: Welcome back, everybody. A little bit of a snowy day here in New York City, and it is just about half past the hour on this AMERICAN MORNING. Big changes happening and happening fast for Lebanon. After weeks of protest, the prime minister suddenly quits yesterday. His government backed by Syria. We're going to find out what the White House thinks about that.
Also, we'll talk to the Lebanese ambassador to the United States about what Syria does now.

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Also, another possible black eye for the FDA. Another drug pulled off the market because of health concerns, and Sanjay comes up in a moment to explain that to us and what we need to know. So stay tuned for that.

O'BRIEN: Also this morning, new developments out of Rome this morning to talk about. Pope John Paul II is speaking. It is the first time since last week, when the pontiff was taken back to the hospital with breathing problems. He later underwent surgery, had a tracheotomy, in fact.

CNN's Jim Bittermann is live for us outside Gemelli Hospital with the latest.

Jim, good morning.

JIM BITTERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Soledad.

In fact, yes, the pope showing appearances of guesting back to work. He was meeting with some of his senior churchmen this morning, including Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the head of the very powerful Congregation of the Faith. Ratzinger met with the pope for a few minutes, and then came out and told journalists that he was able to speak with the pope in two languages.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CARDINAL JOSEPH RATZINGER, VATICAN (through translator): The holy father spoke with me in both German and Italian. He appeared very present, and he will work on the issues I presented him with. I am happy to say that the holy father is fully alert mentally, and also able to say the essential things with his own voice.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BITTERMANN: Ratzinger normally meets with the pope every Friday night over at the Vatican, but of course that wasn't possible last Friday because of the pope's operation. He brought a few files along, and he said that the pope had promised to look over the files when he gets a chance -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Jim Bittermann for us this morning. Jim, thanks.

Time to get another check of the headlines now. Carol Costello sitting in.

Good morning.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you. Good morning to all of you.

Now in the news, a desperate plea for help from A French journalist kidnapped in Iraq. The woman appears on a videotape released today. This is an image we took from that tape. It's not clear exactly when this footage was shot. The French newspaper reporter has been missing for almost two months now.

Here in the United States, the suspect in the BTK serial killer case expected to appear in court for the first time today. Dennis Rader was arrested last week outside of Wichita, Kansas. Authorities accused 59-year-old of being linked to the killings of ten people between 1974 and 1991. Wichita police telling CNN Rader has been cooperating with investigators.

The Justice Department says it will appeal a federal court order to release enemy combatant Jose Padilla. He's been in U.S. custody since May, 2002, arrested on suspicion of plotting to detonate a so- called dirty bomb. A judge decided the Bush administration cannot jail a U.S. citizen indefinitely, and ordered Padilla to be charged or freed within 45 days.

And President Bush is trying to rally what he calls the armies of compassion. Within the next two hours, the president is key noting a Washington conference on his faith-based initiative. It's part of his plan to boost religious charities doing social work. CNN will have live coverage of the president's remarks. That begins at 10:00 a.m. Eastern.

HEMMER: We'll watch for that. Good deal. Thank you, Carol.

Talking about the president, there was more pressure on Syria to pull troops out of Lebanon. Lebanon's prime minister resigning on Monday, after two weeks of anti-Syrian demonstrations. The movement gained traction with the assassination of opposition leader Rafik Hariri, and the White House is among those calling for Syria to get out of Lebanon.

Dana Bash is at the White House.

Good morning there.

DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill.

You know, it's probably fair to say that most Americans haven't thought much about Lebanon since the Marine barracks were bombed there more than 20 years ago. For this White House, the recent events have become a potential prime example of the president's philosophy, and that is that democracy, in his view, is possible through the Middle East, not just after war, like we saw, of course, in Iraq, but organically, perhaps, from the inside. And so when the Syrian-backed government yesterday said that they were going to resign in Lebanon, the White House immediately called it an opportunity.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCOTT MCCLELLAN, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECY.: The new government will have the responsibility of implementing free and fair elections that the Lebanese people have clearly demonstrated they desire. We believe the process of a new government should proceed in accordance with the Lebanese constitution and should be free of all foreign interference.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Now, as powerful as the images were from the streets of Lebanon yesterday, it would be easy for the White House to crow a little bit, not just because of the events in Beirut, but also the bigger picture in the Middle East, how that has looked over the past month or so -- Palestinian elections, elections in Saudi Arabia, and also the Egyptian president saying that he would allow other parties on the ballot, for example, over the weekend. Those are all ideas that perhaps would allow the White House to say that the winds of democracy are blowing. They are saying that a little bit, Bill, but they're also being quite cautious, because they know very well here that things that look positive in the Middle East today might turn into unrest very quickly in the next couple of days.

HEMMER: Yes, let me try to paint a different shade on Syria for a second here. With the turning over of Saddam Hussein's half brother, who apparently was hiding in plain sight, in the Middle East, is there any credit given to how Syria might be responding now to pressure from the U.S.?

BASH: In a word, Bill, no. And that's been quite interesting over the past 24 hours or so. The White House, the spokesman was asked several times whether or not the Syrians were actually taking heed to what the U.S. was saying, trying to work a little bit.

But simply put, they are saying here that Syria still has to do a number of things, like withdraw troops from Lebanon, like stop supporting from their point of view, terrorist organizations like Hezbollah, so they're really not giving an inch to Syria, perhaps because they saw what happened in Lebanon. They don't want to let up the pressure, because they think it's working.

HEMMER: Interesting stuff. Dana Bash, thanks, at the White House this morning.

Here's Soledad.

BASH: Thank you. O'BRIEN: So will a new Lebanon emerge from this so-called Seder (ph) Revolution, and does it signal a power shift in the Middle East? Lebanon's ambassador from the United States is Farid Abboud. He's in Washington this morning.

Mr. Ambassador, thank you for talking with us. We certainly appreciate it.

The Lebanese prime minister, as you well know, Omar Karami, up and resigned, his government as well. Are things in disarray inside Lebanon right now?

AMB. FARID ABBOUD, LEBANON'S AMB. TO U.S.: Not at all, actually, the government has resigned. There will be consultation conducted by the president with the parliament to choose a new prime minister, according to the constitution, and then there will be a new government, and it will pass through the test of the vote of confidence in the parliament, and we will have a new government whose main task will be to organize and conduct the coming election scheduled in May, and that is perfectly according to the constitution.

O'BRIEN: The protesters are getting much credit for ousting the prime minister and the government as well. Do you think they deserve all the credit? What about the role the U.S. may have played?

ABBOUD: I think the government was in a very tough position as a result of the murder of the former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. And as the outgoing prime minister said, the criticism was so harsh and so intense, that he felt the need to present his resignation and allow another government to emerge.

Anyhow, there is -- there has been a lot of calls for an interim government whose only main task will be to conduct transparent and fair elections in May. And these elections are extremely important for us, because in any very important decisions will be taken relating to the future of our relationship with Syria. As you know, there are a lot of Lebanese who are very intensely opposed to the Syrian president. Some others are less opposed. A lot of Lebanese in between. Some are demonstrating. Some are not.

But in the end of the day, the issue will be decided through the electoral process in a democratic and open way.

O'BRIEN: The protesters, in fact, as you referred to, they are also the United States and the United Nations have called, in fact, for Syria to remove some 15,000 troops. Do you think then that will happen any faster than the deadline you're pointing to, with the change in the government right now?

ABBOUD: I think there will be a redeployment of the Syrian troops. It has been announced by Syria toward (INAUDIBLE). But after that, the future of the entire relationship is on the table, and a lot of Lebanese would like the government to negotiate a rational and open relationship with the Syrians as neighbors. And I think this will happen after the election. O'BRIEN: The protesters in Lebanon seem to be modeling themselves on the protesters in the Ukraine, following that corrupt election there. Have you been surprised at the -- what appears to be, at least at this point, a lack of violence?

ABBOUD: No, I'm not. I'm very glad there is this openness and lack of violence. I mean, you know, my country has known very tough times in the past. And at that time, the political divisions immediately deteriorated into violence and war. This time, it seems we have, you know, grown and we have reached a point where our differences are settled by open democratic ways -- demonstration, public statements, elections, et cetera. This is the true Lebanon, and I think we are very proud of this democracy. This is not a new democracy, by the way. It has been going on for 70 years, and we have been having elections every four years for 70 years.

O'BRIEN: Farid Abboud is Lebanon's ambassador to the United States.

Thank you for joining us, sir -- Bill.

ABBOUD: Thank you.

HEMMER: About 20 minutes now before the hour. The FCC says that "Saving Private Ryan" is not indecent after all. Sixty-six ABC stations refused to show the World War II movie on Veteran's Day last year. They were worried they'd be fined for the language in that film. In yesterday's ruling, FCC chairman Michael Powell said, quote, "The horror of war cannot be painted in airy pastels," end quote.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HEMMER: It has happened again, another FDA-approved drug gets pulled from the market. We'll page Sanjay on that to find out what the risks are this time.

O'BRIEN: And it looks like Chris Rock's succeeded in getting the Oscars a younger audience, but it may have come at a cost for the Academy. Andy's "Minding Your Business" just ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: The FDA will answer questions today about the way it approves drugs like Vioxx for sale to the public. The agency has been accused of rushing drugs to market that later proved to be dangerous. But senators holding today's hearings will also hear from patient advocates. They don't want the FDA to slow potentially life-saving medicines from getting to sick people.

HEMMER: Paging Dr. Gupta this morning. Another approved drug is removed from the market, and this it affects multiple sclerosis patients. The makers of a new M.S. drug have taken it off the market.

Sanjay's at the CNN Center, telling us what this means.

Good morning there.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.

And lots of people talking about the fact that the FDA sometimes too slow, sometimes too quick to react. And lots of criticism lately. But this drug, interesting sort of back story. Talking about a drug for M.S., Tysabri. Less than three months ago, we brought you the story on AMERICAN MORNING, talking about the fact that not annual was it approved, but it was approved in a fast-track sort of method. That was November of last year. Fast-track method says we'll take it to the market, as long as the manufacturer continues to provide us data. That data now provided February 17, two-year data released. Some things unforeseen.

February 18th, they actually notified the FDA of two cases of serious adverse effects just a day after that date was released. One of those serious adverse effects actually resulted in the death of a patient. Monday, which was 10 days later now, the manufacturers voluntarily removed the drug from the market. So this is an example of how the system really should have been working.

The concerns about the drug, really, there were two cases of something known as PML, progressive multi-focal leukoencephalopathy. Big name. Basically, it's a sometimes fatal disease of the brain that can be caused, in this case, by Tysabri. One patient died. The connection between the two really not known yet. That is the subject of research that is still ongoing. But still, the drug is off the market for the time being. That is a concern to a lot of people out there, patients and families with M.S.

The reason being that Tysabri alone, for patients with mild M.S., cause 66 percent fewer relapses. They had serious M.S., Tysabri, along with another drug, Avonex (ph), caused 54 percent fewer relapses. So a good drug, good results, one I.V. treatment per month. Lots of people still focused on this -- Bill.

HEMMER: Yes. In the bigger picture, if you're a consumer and you're wondering if this happens again and again, is the system broken, Sanjay?

GUPTA: Yes, you know, I think this is an example of where the system worked. Obviously, a lot of people still talking about Vioxx and the Cox-2 inhibitors. Again the timeline as you saw there, Bill, this was a drug that was fast-tracked, because the results are quite good.

The problem is that the safety -- some of the safety trial data coming now. One day after the data came out, the disclosure was made to the FDA. And 10 days after that, the drug was voluntarily recalled from the market. That's more like the way it should work. With Vioxx, you'll remember, some of the data that once you went back and searched, you found that there was some data from a couple, even four years ago, suggesting a link between Vioxx and heart disease. So that was not a good example. This is a better example.

HEMMER: All right, Sanjay, we'll take your word for it. Thank you.

GUPTA: All right, thank you.

HEMMER: Think you've got tax problems? How'd you like to owe $200 million? Andy explains in a moment here, next on AMERICAN MORNING, live in New York City.

The snow's down; it's going to melt later. So too, the gates go down a bit later also.

Back after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody.

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: The ratings for the Oscars are out. Not good news. Year over year, that and a look at the markets. Andy Serwer is here "Minding Your Business." Good morning.

ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Hey, Jack. Good morning to you.

Let's talk about the markets, first of all. We had a lousy day yesterday on Wall Street. Wasn't enough, though, to put a crimp in the month of February. These are your monthly numbers. And actually, that 2.6 percent is the best performance by the Dow -- sounds like the Oscars -- in seven years. OK? Usually, January's good, February's lousy. This year, it's the opposite. Who knows what the rest of the year will bring.

Couple stories here. First of all, want to tell you about a guy named Walter Anderson. The feds are accusing this gentleman of being one of the biggest tax cheats of all time. He was arrested yesterday in Washington, D.C. Telecom entrepreneur. According to the government, didn't pay $210 million in taxes between 1995 and 1999. $210 million. In 1998, for instance, he said he made $67,000 and paid about $500 in taxes. He actually made, according to the government, $126 million.

CAFFERTY: He paid $500 in taxes?

SERWER: Yes, that's just a little bit. That's a low tax rate.

CAFFERTY: Yes. Better than what I got.

O'BRIEN: Wow.

SERWER: $500 on $126 million. I mean, unbelievable. Well, this guy is going to be in for some hot water, here.

Let's talk about the Oscar ratings. They were down. Down -- 41.5 million Americans watched the Oscars. There's Chris Rock. You know, they're trying to get better ratings and all they could get was Chris Rock. They should have waited. Sorry, Chris. Had to do that. They were down about five percent year over year. Some people are blaming Chris Rock.

Some people were also blaming the fact that there weren't any blockbusters. Year before, "Lord of the Rings" did $300 million in box office. This year, none of the five Best Pictures did even $100 million. So that's pretty interesting there. 2003 was the worst year for the Oscar ratings. 33 million watched. But that's because of the war. The best year was '98. Titanic, that year, 55 million people watched. So they've got a way to go to get back to 55 million. I don't know if Chris Rock -- he did slightly better with some of the younger viewers, but not overall.

CAFFERTY: All right, thanks, Andy. Time for "The File."

Americans living longer than ever. We now live an average of 77.6 years. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, Americans' life expectancy has been increasing over the years. In 1943, the average was 63.3. Now it's 77.6. Deaths from heart disease, cancer and stroke have gone down. but deaths from Alzheimer's and Parkinson's continue to rise. Women still outlive men. That old joke that husbands die before their wives because they want to. Women outlive men, but the gap is narrowing. An average woman's life expectancy is 80.1. A man is 74.8.

Joan Collins want her boots and she wants them for free. The former "Dynasty" star -- is they wrote this, that's like saying the former silent movie star -- went to an "Entertainment Weekly" Oscar party Sunday here in New York this last Sunday and stayed for seven minutes. Seven minutes. According to the "New York Daily News," she wanted a swag bag that's worth $25,000 when she was leaving. She asked, will my gift bag be in my limo? Upon hearing that she would have to wait until the next day and they would have it delivered, she whined, "I wanted my boots." What class.

John Travolta had some incredible hair growth over the course of three days. On Thursday night, Travolta dropped in to see Letterman. And he had this crew cut. He was talking about his movie "Be Cool." Sunday night's Academy Awards, 72 hours later, he presented the Best Original Score with a significantly longer pompadour-style 'do. Amazing. I really wish I could do that.

O'BRIEN: You can. It's a weave and you can go out and buy it.

SERWER: It's a rug.

O'BRIEN: It's not your hair, but it's somebody's hair. Just costs some money.

CAFFERTY: Three days.

SERWER: Well, be cool, right?

CAFFERTY: Like a chia pet.

O'BRIEN: Absolutely.

SERWER: He's being cool. HEMMER: Thank you, Jack. Top stories in a moment here. Also, day two of the Michael Jackson trial. Jeff Toobin says one side already has a distinct disadvantage, after what he calls one of the worst opening statements he has ever heard. Toobin is up in California in a moment here on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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Aired March 1, 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: Welcome back, everybody. A little bit of a snowy day here in New York City, and it is just about half past the hour on this AMERICAN MORNING. Big changes happening and happening fast for Lebanon. After weeks of protest, the prime minister suddenly quits yesterday. His government backed by Syria. We're going to find out what the White House thinks about that.
Also, we'll talk to the Lebanese ambassador to the United States about what Syria does now.

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Also, another possible black eye for the FDA. Another drug pulled off the market because of health concerns, and Sanjay comes up in a moment to explain that to us and what we need to know. So stay tuned for that.

O'BRIEN: Also this morning, new developments out of Rome this morning to talk about. Pope John Paul II is speaking. It is the first time since last week, when the pontiff was taken back to the hospital with breathing problems. He later underwent surgery, had a tracheotomy, in fact.

CNN's Jim Bittermann is live for us outside Gemelli Hospital with the latest.

Jim, good morning.

JIM BITTERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Soledad.

In fact, yes, the pope showing appearances of guesting back to work. He was meeting with some of his senior churchmen this morning, including Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the head of the very powerful Congregation of the Faith. Ratzinger met with the pope for a few minutes, and then came out and told journalists that he was able to speak with the pope in two languages.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CARDINAL JOSEPH RATZINGER, VATICAN (through translator): The holy father spoke with me in both German and Italian. He appeared very present, and he will work on the issues I presented him with. I am happy to say that the holy father is fully alert mentally, and also able to say the essential things with his own voice.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BITTERMANN: Ratzinger normally meets with the pope every Friday night over at the Vatican, but of course that wasn't possible last Friday because of the pope's operation. He brought a few files along, and he said that the pope had promised to look over the files when he gets a chance -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Jim Bittermann for us this morning. Jim, thanks.

Time to get another check of the headlines now. Carol Costello sitting in.

Good morning.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you. Good morning to all of you.

Now in the news, a desperate plea for help from A French journalist kidnapped in Iraq. The woman appears on a videotape released today. This is an image we took from that tape. It's not clear exactly when this footage was shot. The French newspaper reporter has been missing for almost two months now.

Here in the United States, the suspect in the BTK serial killer case expected to appear in court for the first time today. Dennis Rader was arrested last week outside of Wichita, Kansas. Authorities accused 59-year-old of being linked to the killings of ten people between 1974 and 1991. Wichita police telling CNN Rader has been cooperating with investigators.

The Justice Department says it will appeal a federal court order to release enemy combatant Jose Padilla. He's been in U.S. custody since May, 2002, arrested on suspicion of plotting to detonate a so- called dirty bomb. A judge decided the Bush administration cannot jail a U.S. citizen indefinitely, and ordered Padilla to be charged or freed within 45 days.

And President Bush is trying to rally what he calls the armies of compassion. Within the next two hours, the president is key noting a Washington conference on his faith-based initiative. It's part of his plan to boost religious charities doing social work. CNN will have live coverage of the president's remarks. That begins at 10:00 a.m. Eastern.

HEMMER: We'll watch for that. Good deal. Thank you, Carol.

Talking about the president, there was more pressure on Syria to pull troops out of Lebanon. Lebanon's prime minister resigning on Monday, after two weeks of anti-Syrian demonstrations. The movement gained traction with the assassination of opposition leader Rafik Hariri, and the White House is among those calling for Syria to get out of Lebanon.

Dana Bash is at the White House.

Good morning there.

DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill.

You know, it's probably fair to say that most Americans haven't thought much about Lebanon since the Marine barracks were bombed there more than 20 years ago. For this White House, the recent events have become a potential prime example of the president's philosophy, and that is that democracy, in his view, is possible through the Middle East, not just after war, like we saw, of course, in Iraq, but organically, perhaps, from the inside. And so when the Syrian-backed government yesterday said that they were going to resign in Lebanon, the White House immediately called it an opportunity.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCOTT MCCLELLAN, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECY.: The new government will have the responsibility of implementing free and fair elections that the Lebanese people have clearly demonstrated they desire. We believe the process of a new government should proceed in accordance with the Lebanese constitution and should be free of all foreign interference.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Now, as powerful as the images were from the streets of Lebanon yesterday, it would be easy for the White House to crow a little bit, not just because of the events in Beirut, but also the bigger picture in the Middle East, how that has looked over the past month or so -- Palestinian elections, elections in Saudi Arabia, and also the Egyptian president saying that he would allow other parties on the ballot, for example, over the weekend. Those are all ideas that perhaps would allow the White House to say that the winds of democracy are blowing. They are saying that a little bit, Bill, but they're also being quite cautious, because they know very well here that things that look positive in the Middle East today might turn into unrest very quickly in the next couple of days.

HEMMER: Yes, let me try to paint a different shade on Syria for a second here. With the turning over of Saddam Hussein's half brother, who apparently was hiding in plain sight, in the Middle East, is there any credit given to how Syria might be responding now to pressure from the U.S.?

BASH: In a word, Bill, no. And that's been quite interesting over the past 24 hours or so. The White House, the spokesman was asked several times whether or not the Syrians were actually taking heed to what the U.S. was saying, trying to work a little bit.

But simply put, they are saying here that Syria still has to do a number of things, like withdraw troops from Lebanon, like stop supporting from their point of view, terrorist organizations like Hezbollah, so they're really not giving an inch to Syria, perhaps because they saw what happened in Lebanon. They don't want to let up the pressure, because they think it's working.

HEMMER: Interesting stuff. Dana Bash, thanks, at the White House this morning.

Here's Soledad.

BASH: Thank you. O'BRIEN: So will a new Lebanon emerge from this so-called Seder (ph) Revolution, and does it signal a power shift in the Middle East? Lebanon's ambassador from the United States is Farid Abboud. He's in Washington this morning.

Mr. Ambassador, thank you for talking with us. We certainly appreciate it.

The Lebanese prime minister, as you well know, Omar Karami, up and resigned, his government as well. Are things in disarray inside Lebanon right now?

AMB. FARID ABBOUD, LEBANON'S AMB. TO U.S.: Not at all, actually, the government has resigned. There will be consultation conducted by the president with the parliament to choose a new prime minister, according to the constitution, and then there will be a new government, and it will pass through the test of the vote of confidence in the parliament, and we will have a new government whose main task will be to organize and conduct the coming election scheduled in May, and that is perfectly according to the constitution.

O'BRIEN: The protesters are getting much credit for ousting the prime minister and the government as well. Do you think they deserve all the credit? What about the role the U.S. may have played?

ABBOUD: I think the government was in a very tough position as a result of the murder of the former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. And as the outgoing prime minister said, the criticism was so harsh and so intense, that he felt the need to present his resignation and allow another government to emerge.

Anyhow, there is -- there has been a lot of calls for an interim government whose only main task will be to conduct transparent and fair elections in May. And these elections are extremely important for us, because in any very important decisions will be taken relating to the future of our relationship with Syria. As you know, there are a lot of Lebanese who are very intensely opposed to the Syrian president. Some others are less opposed. A lot of Lebanese in between. Some are demonstrating. Some are not.

But in the end of the day, the issue will be decided through the electoral process in a democratic and open way.

O'BRIEN: The protesters, in fact, as you referred to, they are also the United States and the United Nations have called, in fact, for Syria to remove some 15,000 troops. Do you think then that will happen any faster than the deadline you're pointing to, with the change in the government right now?

ABBOUD: I think there will be a redeployment of the Syrian troops. It has been announced by Syria toward (INAUDIBLE). But after that, the future of the entire relationship is on the table, and a lot of Lebanese would like the government to negotiate a rational and open relationship with the Syrians as neighbors. And I think this will happen after the election. O'BRIEN: The protesters in Lebanon seem to be modeling themselves on the protesters in the Ukraine, following that corrupt election there. Have you been surprised at the -- what appears to be, at least at this point, a lack of violence?

ABBOUD: No, I'm not. I'm very glad there is this openness and lack of violence. I mean, you know, my country has known very tough times in the past. And at that time, the political divisions immediately deteriorated into violence and war. This time, it seems we have, you know, grown and we have reached a point where our differences are settled by open democratic ways -- demonstration, public statements, elections, et cetera. This is the true Lebanon, and I think we are very proud of this democracy. This is not a new democracy, by the way. It has been going on for 70 years, and we have been having elections every four years for 70 years.

O'BRIEN: Farid Abboud is Lebanon's ambassador to the United States.

Thank you for joining us, sir -- Bill.

ABBOUD: Thank you.

HEMMER: About 20 minutes now before the hour. The FCC says that "Saving Private Ryan" is not indecent after all. Sixty-six ABC stations refused to show the World War II movie on Veteran's Day last year. They were worried they'd be fined for the language in that film. In yesterday's ruling, FCC chairman Michael Powell said, quote, "The horror of war cannot be painted in airy pastels," end quote.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HEMMER: It has happened again, another FDA-approved drug gets pulled from the market. We'll page Sanjay on that to find out what the risks are this time.

O'BRIEN: And it looks like Chris Rock's succeeded in getting the Oscars a younger audience, but it may have come at a cost for the Academy. Andy's "Minding Your Business" just ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: The FDA will answer questions today about the way it approves drugs like Vioxx for sale to the public. The agency has been accused of rushing drugs to market that later proved to be dangerous. But senators holding today's hearings will also hear from patient advocates. They don't want the FDA to slow potentially life-saving medicines from getting to sick people.

HEMMER: Paging Dr. Gupta this morning. Another approved drug is removed from the market, and this it affects multiple sclerosis patients. The makers of a new M.S. drug have taken it off the market.

Sanjay's at the CNN Center, telling us what this means.

Good morning there.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.

And lots of people talking about the fact that the FDA sometimes too slow, sometimes too quick to react. And lots of criticism lately. But this drug, interesting sort of back story. Talking about a drug for M.S., Tysabri. Less than three months ago, we brought you the story on AMERICAN MORNING, talking about the fact that not annual was it approved, but it was approved in a fast-track sort of method. That was November of last year. Fast-track method says we'll take it to the market, as long as the manufacturer continues to provide us data. That data now provided February 17, two-year data released. Some things unforeseen.

February 18th, they actually notified the FDA of two cases of serious adverse effects just a day after that date was released. One of those serious adverse effects actually resulted in the death of a patient. Monday, which was 10 days later now, the manufacturers voluntarily removed the drug from the market. So this is an example of how the system really should have been working.

The concerns about the drug, really, there were two cases of something known as PML, progressive multi-focal leukoencephalopathy. Big name. Basically, it's a sometimes fatal disease of the brain that can be caused, in this case, by Tysabri. One patient died. The connection between the two really not known yet. That is the subject of research that is still ongoing. But still, the drug is off the market for the time being. That is a concern to a lot of people out there, patients and families with M.S.

The reason being that Tysabri alone, for patients with mild M.S., cause 66 percent fewer relapses. They had serious M.S., Tysabri, along with another drug, Avonex (ph), caused 54 percent fewer relapses. So a good drug, good results, one I.V. treatment per month. Lots of people still focused on this -- Bill.

HEMMER: Yes. In the bigger picture, if you're a consumer and you're wondering if this happens again and again, is the system broken, Sanjay?

GUPTA: Yes, you know, I think this is an example of where the system worked. Obviously, a lot of people still talking about Vioxx and the Cox-2 inhibitors. Again the timeline as you saw there, Bill, this was a drug that was fast-tracked, because the results are quite good.

The problem is that the safety -- some of the safety trial data coming now. One day after the data came out, the disclosure was made to the FDA. And 10 days after that, the drug was voluntarily recalled from the market. That's more like the way it should work. With Vioxx, you'll remember, some of the data that once you went back and searched, you found that there was some data from a couple, even four years ago, suggesting a link between Vioxx and heart disease. So that was not a good example. This is a better example.

HEMMER: All right, Sanjay, we'll take your word for it. Thank you.

GUPTA: All right, thank you.

HEMMER: Think you've got tax problems? How'd you like to owe $200 million? Andy explains in a moment here, next on AMERICAN MORNING, live in New York City.

The snow's down; it's going to melt later. So too, the gates go down a bit later also.

Back after this.

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O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody.

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: The ratings for the Oscars are out. Not good news. Year over year, that and a look at the markets. Andy Serwer is here "Minding Your Business." Good morning.

ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Hey, Jack. Good morning to you.

Let's talk about the markets, first of all. We had a lousy day yesterday on Wall Street. Wasn't enough, though, to put a crimp in the month of February. These are your monthly numbers. And actually, that 2.6 percent is the best performance by the Dow -- sounds like the Oscars -- in seven years. OK? Usually, January's good, February's lousy. This year, it's the opposite. Who knows what the rest of the year will bring.

Couple stories here. First of all, want to tell you about a guy named Walter Anderson. The feds are accusing this gentleman of being one of the biggest tax cheats of all time. He was arrested yesterday in Washington, D.C. Telecom entrepreneur. According to the government, didn't pay $210 million in taxes between 1995 and 1999. $210 million. In 1998, for instance, he said he made $67,000 and paid about $500 in taxes. He actually made, according to the government, $126 million.

CAFFERTY: He paid $500 in taxes?

SERWER: Yes, that's just a little bit. That's a low tax rate.

CAFFERTY: Yes. Better than what I got.

O'BRIEN: Wow.

SERWER: $500 on $126 million. I mean, unbelievable. Well, this guy is going to be in for some hot water, here.

Let's talk about the Oscar ratings. They were down. Down -- 41.5 million Americans watched the Oscars. There's Chris Rock. You know, they're trying to get better ratings and all they could get was Chris Rock. They should have waited. Sorry, Chris. Had to do that. They were down about five percent year over year. Some people are blaming Chris Rock.

Some people were also blaming the fact that there weren't any blockbusters. Year before, "Lord of the Rings" did $300 million in box office. This year, none of the five Best Pictures did even $100 million. So that's pretty interesting there. 2003 was the worst year for the Oscar ratings. 33 million watched. But that's because of the war. The best year was '98. Titanic, that year, 55 million people watched. So they've got a way to go to get back to 55 million. I don't know if Chris Rock -- he did slightly better with some of the younger viewers, but not overall.

CAFFERTY: All right, thanks, Andy. Time for "The File."

Americans living longer than ever. We now live an average of 77.6 years. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, Americans' life expectancy has been increasing over the years. In 1943, the average was 63.3. Now it's 77.6. Deaths from heart disease, cancer and stroke have gone down. but deaths from Alzheimer's and Parkinson's continue to rise. Women still outlive men. That old joke that husbands die before their wives because they want to. Women outlive men, but the gap is narrowing. An average woman's life expectancy is 80.1. A man is 74.8.

Joan Collins want her boots and she wants them for free. The former "Dynasty" star -- is they wrote this, that's like saying the former silent movie star -- went to an "Entertainment Weekly" Oscar party Sunday here in New York this last Sunday and stayed for seven minutes. Seven minutes. According to the "New York Daily News," she wanted a swag bag that's worth $25,000 when she was leaving. She asked, will my gift bag be in my limo? Upon hearing that she would have to wait until the next day and they would have it delivered, she whined, "I wanted my boots." What class.

John Travolta had some incredible hair growth over the course of three days. On Thursday night, Travolta dropped in to see Letterman. And he had this crew cut. He was talking about his movie "Be Cool." Sunday night's Academy Awards, 72 hours later, he presented the Best Original Score with a significantly longer pompadour-style 'do. Amazing. I really wish I could do that.

O'BRIEN: You can. It's a weave and you can go out and buy it.

SERWER: It's a rug.

O'BRIEN: It's not your hair, but it's somebody's hair. Just costs some money.

CAFFERTY: Three days.

SERWER: Well, be cool, right?

CAFFERTY: Like a chia pet.

O'BRIEN: Absolutely.

SERWER: He's being cool. HEMMER: Thank you, Jack. Top stories in a moment here. Also, day two of the Michael Jackson trial. Jeff Toobin says one side already has a distinct disadvantage, after what he calls one of the worst opening statements he has ever heard. Toobin is up in California in a moment here on AMERICAN MORNING.

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