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American Morning
Situation in Lebanon Will be One Focus of Major Speech Today by President Bush; 'New You Revolution'
Aired March 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.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: And their is word that the U.S. military is considering handing over control of Abu Ghraib to Iraq's government. According to the Associated Press, the U.S. would have the Iraqis take over and would then move their high-security detainees elsewhere. U.S. officials say Abu Ghraib as overflowing with prisoners, plus the facility has come under repeated attacks from insurgents. The plans have not been finalized.
And a daily dose of chuckles may be good for the heart. Laughter could be the best medicine. Researchers at the University of Maryland show two series of clips to a group of volunteers. They found participants who had watched funny shows had increased blood flow. The benefits are similar to what you'd see after working out. But hold on, researchers warn laughter should not replace exercise. They say you should actually do both.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Darn, For a moment I thought OK.
COSTELLO: I'll just watch funny sitcoms forever and...
O'BRIEN: Forget the treadmills, just you know, watch TV.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Don't leave the couch.
Thank you, carol.
The situation in Lebanon will be one focus of a major speech today by the president. That speech happens about 90 minutes from now. Dana Bash at the White House. What's the message that we'll hear today?
DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill.
Well, The president will essentially try to take a step back and take note of even perhaps, try to capitalize on several significant Democratic reforms going on throughout the Middle East, reforms that even White House critics concede have been quite remarkable over the past several months. Among the things that Mr. Bush will talk about, first of all, of course elections in Iraq, the fact that he sees that as quite significant. But others that aren't the direct result of war. Palestinian elections, he will talk about that. He will talk about moves in Saudi Arabia to let women vote, and the promise in Egypt for multiparty elections.
But, Bill, the president will also use this speech to keep pressure on regimes, he will say, that are potential impediments towards what he sees as momentum towards democracy in the Middle East. Topping the list, of course, is Syria. He has talked time and time again over the past several weeks about the need for Syria not to have half-hearted measures, as he calls it, in their promise to withdraw troops from Lebanon. He will say it once again today, that they have to do it fully.
Another country topping the list is, of course, Iran. Mr. Bush will say that that country needs to stop any move towards trying to develop a nuclear weapon. He and other officials have been in talks with European allies about trying to come up with a mix of incentives and threats for Iran. The White House, though, said they're not ready to fully put out any kind of package on that yet.
HEMMER: Dana, while you're talking, let's show our viewers these live pictures from Beirut, Lebanon. With the massive demonstrations we're watching here, has the White House said whether or not this will impact or affect his speech in his message at 10:15?
BASH: Well, certainly, they've been watching for overnight developments to see whether or not he needs to add anything new in terms of any significant developments. They certainly are watching this, Bill. They know that this is significant, and it will perhaps add to the import, they hope, of his call for Syria to withdraw. The whole idea that the president has been putting forth is that there is a feeling that there is a call for democracy from within Lebanon, and that is significant.
But there is a concern, and that -- in talking about the troops, that if they do fully withdraw their troops, that there is going to be a vacuum, and they certainly look at the pictures, perhaps, around wonder who and what would fill the vacuum. And although they're not willing to admit it publicly at this point, there is a concern that groups like Hezbollah would fill that vacuum.
The developments, again, are fascinating today as we watch these from the Middle East. Thank you, Dana, for that. We'll watch the speech later today. We'll have it live when it happens, 10:15 a.m. Eastern Time, 7:15 out on the West Coast -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Well, after the president's remarks on terror, he's going to meet with his father, the first President Bush, and also President Bill Clinton. The two former leaders recently visited the tsunami-stricken region. They're going to brief the president on their efforts their to raise money for tsunami relief. So far, they've raised $700 million for victims. It was a trip that's said to have solidified the friendship between Bush 41 and Bill Clinton.
Jeff Greenfield's got a little insight for us this morning.
Good morning. Nice to see you.
JEFF GREENFIELD, CNN SR. ANALYST: Hello.
O'BRIEN: A lot of insight for us this morning. Do you think the bond is the real thing, or is it a P.R. opportunity as cameras follow them around the tsunami-stricken regions?
GREENFIELD: Well, You know, go back in history and you actually find cases where's once bitter rivals became close, back to the start. John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, Federalist and a Democratic Republican. They ran against each other. It was extremely bitter back in 1800. I remember that, but they reconnected after both had been president. And for the last quarter century or so of their lives, they had a very animated exchange of now-famous letters about the United States. They even died, by the way, on the same day, July 4th, 50 years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
More recently, you have the example of Jimmy Carter and Gerry Ford. They ran against each other in 1976. They became friends and colleagues. They lobbied together for NAFTA, the free trade agreement, back in '93. They wrote an op-ed piece together during the Lewinsky affair, saying that President Clinton should be censured, not impeached. They traveled to together to state funerals. And in this case, President Clinton on the way back from a lengthy trip actually let -- there was one bed on the government plane, and Clinton slept on the floor of the plane and let Bush have the bed. I'd say that's a pretty genuine expression of something.
O'BRIEN: And President Bush got a few years on President Clinton, so maybe that's...
GREENFIELD: Clinton's had bypass surgery, too, so you go figure.
O'BRIEN: That's true. I hear you. At the same time, you mentioned Ford and Carter, but when you look back at their campaigns, those, relatively speaking, were kind of tame, compared to more modern day. So do 41 and 42 dislike each other, or...
GREENFIELD: Look, I haven't had lengthy chats with either guy, but you do see in public, neither ex-president speaks with anything like the fervor -- when you hear hard core Republicans talk about Bill Clinton or hardcore Democrats talk about G.W. Bush, it's pretty intense. In fact, last year, during the campaign, Clinton shied away from any direct and blunt criticism of the president. He even said, at one point, I may be the only president in America who likes Bush and Kerry. And I really think you can explain it in part, to use an old cliche, Bush 41 and Clinton are two of the four members of the most exclusive club in the world, the ex-presidents club. And generally, there's a sense that they all have sympathy, even empathy, with whoever the current White House occupant is.
O'BRIEN: As for what they've been through, they know...
GREENFIELD: Very few of us have the potential power to obliterate human life. That's kind of an unusual bond.
O'BRIEN: What about broader implications of this friendship? What does it mean in the big picture? GREENFIELD: Not a lot. I mean, look, if you really want to spin out the kind of cable TV insanity with the next campaign that we can't stop talking about, you could say, well, are hardcore Democrats going to take out Bill Clinton's civility on Hillary if she runs? Is there going to be a feeling that the Clintons aren't tough enough on the Bushes. The optimists might say well, you know, we've talked so much about the poisonous acrimony money in politics, that maybe this example of civility between two guys who against each other might have an impact. If I may channel Dan Rather, not only would I not bet the farm on this, I would not even bet a chicken coop on it, because I think it's too good.
Now and the last thing is, you know, there was a movie called my fellow Americans about two ex-presidents who sort of joined together against the current, corrupt ex-president. I don't see that happening here, given that one of them is the father of the current one, and we have no reason to think he's engaged in corruption.
O'BRIEN: Duly noted. Jeff Greenfield, thanks, as always -- Bill.
(WEATHER REPORT)
O'BRIEN: Well, the "New You Revolution" is over. Just who made the most dramatic turnaround? We'll talk live to Dr. Gupta and all five of our new you friends next.
But first's, here's a little trivia, JUST how much fat about does the average American consume by the age of 50? Is it, a, 50 pounds, b, 1,500 pounds? Or is, c, 2,800 pounds of fat? The answer right after the break. Stay with us on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Just before the break, we asked how much fat does the average American consume by the age of 50? Here's the answer: more than 2, 800 pounds. Just to compare, that is roughly the same weight as a new Volkswagen Beatle. Hello, you just ate a car by the time your 50.
Welcome back, everybody. Guess what? We are in our grand finale of the "New You Revolution."
HEMMER: Everyone wants to know how they've done and how they're doing and whether or not they've broken their bad habits. Sanjay's back in New York to tell us about the fab five.
Good morning.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: We brought them all back to New York so you can meet them, and let's get started.
Let's begin with Leigh Ann Raynor. Remember her, she's a minister from South Georgia. Her bad habits, smoking. She didn't cook and couldn't exercise due to heart problems. After eight weeks, she's lost 14 pounds and is cooking, lost weight and is exercising four to five times a week. Not bad.
Harald Fricker loves to eat, but eating too much did catch up with him. He was about 100 pounds overweight. Today, eight weeks later, Harald is 20 pounds lighter, has three inches around the waist that is gone, and is working out smarter, not harder. We'll explain what that means in a moment.
Our grandmother, Sandra Garth, has a sweet tooth. She was worried about her son and daughter-in-law stationed in Iraq, and couldn't exercise much due to arthritis. Well, we're happy to report she's broken all of those bad habits. And in the process, lost 19 pounds, six inches in the waist and eats no more than 1,200 calories, and her son and daughter-in-law are no longer harm's way. So good news there as well.
And there's Thekla Fischer. She's a workaholic, ate late at night, didn't exercise regularly. Sounds familiar. She thought these bad habits prevented her from being healthy for her pregnancy. Well, she's now exercising regularly, eating healthier and being more organized. Not pregnant, though, as far as we know. We'll find out.
And last but not least, Jonathan Karp, his bad habit one that's not often discussed, but a lot of viewers, I'll tell you, took a lot of interest in this one, breaking the bad habit of nail biting. Well, not only did Jonathan stop biting his nails. They look great now. He'll show you. He also started exercising. Everyone else was doing it, so he figured he'd do it as well. So he's in better shape and feeling less stress.
So I got a report eight weeks later. It can be done. The New You team has done very well.
HEMMER: Look at his finger nails. Hold those up, Jonathan. Come on, don't cheat.
O'BRIEN: They look nice.
GUPTA: Nicely manicured.
HEMMER: You've gotten a manicure?
JONATHAN KARP, NEW YOU REVOLUTION PARTICIPANT: Ah, yes, I got one manicure.
HEMMER: You'll admit it on national TV.
Could you have done this without a TV camera in your face?
KARP: Probably not. That's why I wrote in. I knew that I needed some kind of catalyst to get, you know, get me started.
HEMMER: How difficult was it to break this habit? Because you've been doing this all your life, right? Almost obsessive.
KARP: My whole life, ever since I can remember. It was easier than I thought, I have to say, because of the help I received. I'm grateful to my fiancee Erica and my whole family, and all the people I work with at Princeton. I asked them, should I do this? They said, yes, it will be fun, and I think it will be great, and why don't you do that, and by the way, I bite my nails, too. You'd be surprised how many people are rooting for me.
HEMMER: Well done. Congratulations.
O'BRIEN: I'm always amazed how when you sort of start the ball rolling, you break one habit, or you start a new habit, how that kind of leads to more and more. I mean, Leigh Ann, it seemed that that happened with you. You started cooking, you started exercising. How has this changed you? Get a little philosophical for us, if you will. How has it changed you in the big picture? What have you learned about yourself?
LEIGH ANN RAYNOR, NEW YOU REVOLUTION PARTICIPANT: I've learned that I'm as strong as I knew I was. I know that doesn't make much sense. I've always known I'm a strong person, but over the years, as I was not able to exercise because my heart condition, I felt worse about myself. I felt weaker physically. And I've learned that whatever determination I've had all my life, which has taken a lot of determination to be a woman in a man's field, you know, in ministry, I've learned that that's all still with me. I've also learned that it's not too late.
I used to look in the mirror sometimes and I'd get so depressed. I'd think, I'm almost 50 years old, I'm 60 pounds overweight. What's the point anymore? Why even bother trying to exercise anymore? And I've learned that's not true. I've learned it's never too late to start an exercise program, never too late to eat healthier, never too late to feel better about yourself.
GUPTA: Congratulations to you.
RAYNOR: Thank you.
O'BRIEN: You mentioned depression, and Sandra, I want to ask you about your depression. I thought that was just remarkable that you talked about it. It's hard enough to talk about, period, and then to go on national television and talk about your depression. Did discussing it, make it public sort of lift something off your shoulders?
SANDRA GARTH, NEW YOU REVOLUTION PARTICIPANT: Yes, because sometimes it's kind of like a deep, dark secret that you don't want anybody to know. But I felt like maybe if I'd heard somebody else talk about it, maybe it could have helped me. So if coming out with it and saying that I was suffering from depression, I had been on medication, if somebody else would hear it and it would help them, then it was worth it.
O'BRIEN: I think it helped a lot of people.
GUPTA: A lot of people wrote in about you, Sandra. And just to be clear, we talked to your doctors ahead of time. They said Sandra needs to lose 60 pounds. We got you one-third of the way there, which is great, in eight weeks. How are you going to stay motivated for the next 40 pounds?
GARTH: Because I want to do the next 40 pounds. And I'm a third of the way there, and I'm going to do it, because I like the way I feel. I've got a lot more energy now. I don't have to take all the medication anymore. I can walk a couple of blocks -- I've walked a lot of blocks -- and not be bothered with my knees. I can work out. I can get that feeling of I'm sore and I'm tired from a workout, rather than I'm sore and tired just because I'm overweight.
GUPTA: You look like you're a lot happier.
GARTH: I am. Thank you.
O'BRIEN: Well, let's check in with Harald and also Thekla.
Thekla, I'll you this question. Any news you want to share with us? Come on, girl, what you got for us?
THEKLA FISHER, NEW YOU REVOLUTION PARTICIPANT: I think I've just changed some of my lifestyle.
O'BRIEN: No baby on the way, though, you want to tell us about?
FISHER: I wish I could tell you. I'm not there yet.
O'BRIEN: It's OK, I'm a patient woman.
GUPTA: Her husband hasn't been around.
O'BRIEN: OK, OK, then, good.
FISHER: We've got kind of a time-share marriage, where I've got him part of the time and the Army's got him the rest of the time.
O'BRIEN: Are you feeling better, though?
FISHER: Yes, actually, I'm feeling more in control of things. I think that was my big problem was I felt I had all these loose ends, and I just thought if we add another person to this union at this point, we're going to be really out of control. So, I think what CNN has helped me do is just kind of get myself together, organized and just feel a little more comfortable.
O'BRIEN: And then it can all go out of control when you have that baby.
HEMMER: Hey, Harald, I got to tell you...
O'BRIEN: You look good!
HEMMER: ... the before and the after is quite noticeable, especially in this area here. Your biggest challenge was what, would you say?
HARALD FRICKER, NEW YOU REVOLUTION PARTICIPANT: You know, it's rearranging my schedule, basically. I've actually been getting up a little later. Trying to get myself to bed earlier is actually -- has actually been the toughest part.
HEMMER: So you learned time management.
FRICKER: Since I was 18, I've been getting -- averaging four hours of sleep, you know. And that's -- and it never really bothered me until I found out that that was a huge part of, you know, why I've been gaining the weight and so on, because it's put so much stress on my heart now that I was diagnosed with the sleep apnea and so on. But that seems to be getting under control.
HEMMER: You look great.
GUPTA: And we're not letting any of you go yet, just so you know. A lot of people have been writing in, lots of e-mails, lots more questions, that's all going to come up next hour.
HEMMER: The fab five.
O'BRIEN: Excellent. All right. Thank you, guys.
HEMMER: You look great.
FRICKER: Thank you very much.
GUPTA: And we're not letting any of you go yet, just so you know. A lot of people have been writing in, lots of e-mails, lots more questions. That's all going to come up next hour.
HEMMER: The fab five.
O'BRIEN: Excellent, all right. Thanks, you guys.
HEMMER: Let's get a break. Here in moment, Andy's back "Minding Your Business." Think the bosses don't treat you right? Andy's got a story for you, right after this, on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: Welcome back, everyone. Here's Jack.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: So what about a raise in the minimum wage? It's been a decade or two. That and a look of the markets. Here's Andy Serwer, "Minding Your Business." Good morning.
ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Good morning.
Well, yesterday, Jack, the Senate saw fit to vote down a proposal that would have raised the minimum wage $2.10 over the next two years. Minimum wage currently at $5.15. Senator Ted Kennedy proposes -- you can see it would have gone to $7.25. Last time it was raised actually was in '97. Now, the senators voted against it, again, 49-46, because they said this is the timeless argument against the minimum age. They said, one, it would cause companies to raise prices. Two, it would cause companies to lay off workers.
Now, what about the senators themselves? Well, funny you should ask. In 2003, it was the fifth year in a row that they granted themselves a raise. They just sort of use the same argument against them, Jack. They didn't raise prices. Prices for them would be taxes. In fact, they've been cutting taxes. And last time I checked, no one in the Senate got laid off.
CAFFERTY: Collection of worms.
SERWER: Right? I mean, you know, so the argument that they use doesn't really hold up.
CAFFERTY: How many years in a row?
SERWER: Five years in a row. And in fact, I think just this week, they're going to start talking again about another raise. Because there's no money left, see. They're taking all the money. So that's why they can't raise minimum wage.
CAFFERTY: Unbelievable.
SERWER: Yes.
CAFFERTY: Worms.
SERWER: Worms in the garden.
CAFFERTY: Yes, all right.
Time for "The File." You can read, but you cannot reek. People who smell bad have been banned from the libraries in San Luis Obispo County, California. A new law allows authorities to kick you out if you have offensive body odor. The problem, points out one of the county's librarians, is what constitutes a bad odor. Well, look, it's kind of like pornography. You'll know it when you smell it. You can also be kicked out of the county's 15 libraries for fighting, sleeping, playing games or viewing illegal materials on the library computers.
Do we need this? The U.S. Department of Homeland security has hired its first Hollywood liaison to work with moviemakers. Bobby Faye Ferguson's (ph) a former actress. She's currently reviewing 14 movie, TV and documentary ideas. Her job is to help filmmakers give an accurate portrayal of the Department of Homeland Security. Bobby Faye makes a top salary, $100,000 a year-plus, which is enough to hire a couple of additional border patrol agents to stop the flow of illegal immigrants in the country. It's rumored that she will serve as the technical consultant on the upcoming big budget film about duct tape and clear plastic sheeting.
SERWER: Starring Ben Affleck.
CAFFERTY: The Garden State apparently needs a state vegetable now that McGreevey's gone. New Jersey lawmakers have introduced a bill to make the tomato the official state vegetable. Problem is, tomato is a fruit. State senator Ellen Karcher explains that legally it's a vegetable. It's a fruit. The precedent she says that makes it a vegetable is the U.S. Supreme Court ruling from 1887 that placed a vegetable tax on tomatoes. The court argued that because tomatoes are typically served with dinner and not as dessert, they must be vegetables. But they're fruits. Here's something else Senator Karcher said. Any of these bills that promote statewide pride is something we should embrace. Right.
(CROSSTALK)
SERWER: What do you think about the vegetable/fruit thing? What did McGreevey think about the vegetable/fruit thing?
CAFFERTY: You'd have to ask him.
O'BRIEN: I'm less concerned about the woman who's making all that money looking over scripts than the people who are debating whether tomato's a vegetable or fruit with the tax dollars in New Jersey. That's a little worrisome.
CAFFERTY: Which concerns you more?
O'BRIEN: The tomato thing concerns me more.
CAFFERTY: It does?
O'BRIEN: Yes.
CAFFERTY: Than hiring people on the budget for Homeland Security to read movie scripts?
O'BRIEN: In the weight of things, yes. I think that people in New Jersey government should be focused on that. But that's just me.
SERWER: It's all of your tax dollars at work, though.
CAFFERTY: Oh, yes,. But there's no money left to raise the minimum wage.
SERWER: No, there's no -- not a dime. Not a single dime.
HEMMER: More on that later. Thanks, guys.
Top stories in a moment here, including a developing story out of Beirut. Watching these pictures live from Lebanon, thousands in the streets protesting Syria's scheduled pullout from Lebanon. We'll go there live in a moment here as we continue at the top of the hour.
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Aired March 8, 2005 - 08:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: And their is word that the U.S. military is considering handing over control of Abu Ghraib to Iraq's government. According to the Associated Press, the U.S. would have the Iraqis take over and would then move their high-security detainees elsewhere. U.S. officials say Abu Ghraib as overflowing with prisoners, plus the facility has come under repeated attacks from insurgents. The plans have not been finalized.
And a daily dose of chuckles may be good for the heart. Laughter could be the best medicine. Researchers at the University of Maryland show two series of clips to a group of volunteers. They found participants who had watched funny shows had increased blood flow. The benefits are similar to what you'd see after working out. But hold on, researchers warn laughter should not replace exercise. They say you should actually do both.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Darn, For a moment I thought OK.
COSTELLO: I'll just watch funny sitcoms forever and...
O'BRIEN: Forget the treadmills, just you know, watch TV.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Don't leave the couch.
Thank you, carol.
The situation in Lebanon will be one focus of a major speech today by the president. That speech happens about 90 minutes from now. Dana Bash at the White House. What's the message that we'll hear today?
DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill.
Well, The president will essentially try to take a step back and take note of even perhaps, try to capitalize on several significant Democratic reforms going on throughout the Middle East, reforms that even White House critics concede have been quite remarkable over the past several months. Among the things that Mr. Bush will talk about, first of all, of course elections in Iraq, the fact that he sees that as quite significant. But others that aren't the direct result of war. Palestinian elections, he will talk about that. He will talk about moves in Saudi Arabia to let women vote, and the promise in Egypt for multiparty elections.
But, Bill, the president will also use this speech to keep pressure on regimes, he will say, that are potential impediments towards what he sees as momentum towards democracy in the Middle East. Topping the list, of course, is Syria. He has talked time and time again over the past several weeks about the need for Syria not to have half-hearted measures, as he calls it, in their promise to withdraw troops from Lebanon. He will say it once again today, that they have to do it fully.
Another country topping the list is, of course, Iran. Mr. Bush will say that that country needs to stop any move towards trying to develop a nuclear weapon. He and other officials have been in talks with European allies about trying to come up with a mix of incentives and threats for Iran. The White House, though, said they're not ready to fully put out any kind of package on that yet.
HEMMER: Dana, while you're talking, let's show our viewers these live pictures from Beirut, Lebanon. With the massive demonstrations we're watching here, has the White House said whether or not this will impact or affect his speech in his message at 10:15?
BASH: Well, certainly, they've been watching for overnight developments to see whether or not he needs to add anything new in terms of any significant developments. They certainly are watching this, Bill. They know that this is significant, and it will perhaps add to the import, they hope, of his call for Syria to withdraw. The whole idea that the president has been putting forth is that there is a feeling that there is a call for democracy from within Lebanon, and that is significant.
But there is a concern, and that -- in talking about the troops, that if they do fully withdraw their troops, that there is going to be a vacuum, and they certainly look at the pictures, perhaps, around wonder who and what would fill the vacuum. And although they're not willing to admit it publicly at this point, there is a concern that groups like Hezbollah would fill that vacuum.
The developments, again, are fascinating today as we watch these from the Middle East. Thank you, Dana, for that. We'll watch the speech later today. We'll have it live when it happens, 10:15 a.m. Eastern Time, 7:15 out on the West Coast -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Well, after the president's remarks on terror, he's going to meet with his father, the first President Bush, and also President Bill Clinton. The two former leaders recently visited the tsunami-stricken region. They're going to brief the president on their efforts their to raise money for tsunami relief. So far, they've raised $700 million for victims. It was a trip that's said to have solidified the friendship between Bush 41 and Bill Clinton.
Jeff Greenfield's got a little insight for us this morning.
Good morning. Nice to see you.
JEFF GREENFIELD, CNN SR. ANALYST: Hello.
O'BRIEN: A lot of insight for us this morning. Do you think the bond is the real thing, or is it a P.R. opportunity as cameras follow them around the tsunami-stricken regions?
GREENFIELD: Well, You know, go back in history and you actually find cases where's once bitter rivals became close, back to the start. John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, Federalist and a Democratic Republican. They ran against each other. It was extremely bitter back in 1800. I remember that, but they reconnected after both had been president. And for the last quarter century or so of their lives, they had a very animated exchange of now-famous letters about the United States. They even died, by the way, on the same day, July 4th, 50 years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
More recently, you have the example of Jimmy Carter and Gerry Ford. They ran against each other in 1976. They became friends and colleagues. They lobbied together for NAFTA, the free trade agreement, back in '93. They wrote an op-ed piece together during the Lewinsky affair, saying that President Clinton should be censured, not impeached. They traveled to together to state funerals. And in this case, President Clinton on the way back from a lengthy trip actually let -- there was one bed on the government plane, and Clinton slept on the floor of the plane and let Bush have the bed. I'd say that's a pretty genuine expression of something.
O'BRIEN: And President Bush got a few years on President Clinton, so maybe that's...
GREENFIELD: Clinton's had bypass surgery, too, so you go figure.
O'BRIEN: That's true. I hear you. At the same time, you mentioned Ford and Carter, but when you look back at their campaigns, those, relatively speaking, were kind of tame, compared to more modern day. So do 41 and 42 dislike each other, or...
GREENFIELD: Look, I haven't had lengthy chats with either guy, but you do see in public, neither ex-president speaks with anything like the fervor -- when you hear hard core Republicans talk about Bill Clinton or hardcore Democrats talk about G.W. Bush, it's pretty intense. In fact, last year, during the campaign, Clinton shied away from any direct and blunt criticism of the president. He even said, at one point, I may be the only president in America who likes Bush and Kerry. And I really think you can explain it in part, to use an old cliche, Bush 41 and Clinton are two of the four members of the most exclusive club in the world, the ex-presidents club. And generally, there's a sense that they all have sympathy, even empathy, with whoever the current White House occupant is.
O'BRIEN: As for what they've been through, they know...
GREENFIELD: Very few of us have the potential power to obliterate human life. That's kind of an unusual bond.
O'BRIEN: What about broader implications of this friendship? What does it mean in the big picture? GREENFIELD: Not a lot. I mean, look, if you really want to spin out the kind of cable TV insanity with the next campaign that we can't stop talking about, you could say, well, are hardcore Democrats going to take out Bill Clinton's civility on Hillary if she runs? Is there going to be a feeling that the Clintons aren't tough enough on the Bushes. The optimists might say well, you know, we've talked so much about the poisonous acrimony money in politics, that maybe this example of civility between two guys who against each other might have an impact. If I may channel Dan Rather, not only would I not bet the farm on this, I would not even bet a chicken coop on it, because I think it's too good.
Now and the last thing is, you know, there was a movie called my fellow Americans about two ex-presidents who sort of joined together against the current, corrupt ex-president. I don't see that happening here, given that one of them is the father of the current one, and we have no reason to think he's engaged in corruption.
O'BRIEN: Duly noted. Jeff Greenfield, thanks, as always -- Bill.
(WEATHER REPORT)
O'BRIEN: Well, the "New You Revolution" is over. Just who made the most dramatic turnaround? We'll talk live to Dr. Gupta and all five of our new you friends next.
But first's, here's a little trivia, JUST how much fat about does the average American consume by the age of 50? Is it, a, 50 pounds, b, 1,500 pounds? Or is, c, 2,800 pounds of fat? The answer right after the break. Stay with us on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Just before the break, we asked how much fat does the average American consume by the age of 50? Here's the answer: more than 2, 800 pounds. Just to compare, that is roughly the same weight as a new Volkswagen Beatle. Hello, you just ate a car by the time your 50.
Welcome back, everybody. Guess what? We are in our grand finale of the "New You Revolution."
HEMMER: Everyone wants to know how they've done and how they're doing and whether or not they've broken their bad habits. Sanjay's back in New York to tell us about the fab five.
Good morning.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: We brought them all back to New York so you can meet them, and let's get started.
Let's begin with Leigh Ann Raynor. Remember her, she's a minister from South Georgia. Her bad habits, smoking. She didn't cook and couldn't exercise due to heart problems. After eight weeks, she's lost 14 pounds and is cooking, lost weight and is exercising four to five times a week. Not bad.
Harald Fricker loves to eat, but eating too much did catch up with him. He was about 100 pounds overweight. Today, eight weeks later, Harald is 20 pounds lighter, has three inches around the waist that is gone, and is working out smarter, not harder. We'll explain what that means in a moment.
Our grandmother, Sandra Garth, has a sweet tooth. She was worried about her son and daughter-in-law stationed in Iraq, and couldn't exercise much due to arthritis. Well, we're happy to report she's broken all of those bad habits. And in the process, lost 19 pounds, six inches in the waist and eats no more than 1,200 calories, and her son and daughter-in-law are no longer harm's way. So good news there as well.
And there's Thekla Fischer. She's a workaholic, ate late at night, didn't exercise regularly. Sounds familiar. She thought these bad habits prevented her from being healthy for her pregnancy. Well, she's now exercising regularly, eating healthier and being more organized. Not pregnant, though, as far as we know. We'll find out.
And last but not least, Jonathan Karp, his bad habit one that's not often discussed, but a lot of viewers, I'll tell you, took a lot of interest in this one, breaking the bad habit of nail biting. Well, not only did Jonathan stop biting his nails. They look great now. He'll show you. He also started exercising. Everyone else was doing it, so he figured he'd do it as well. So he's in better shape and feeling less stress.
So I got a report eight weeks later. It can be done. The New You team has done very well.
HEMMER: Look at his finger nails. Hold those up, Jonathan. Come on, don't cheat.
O'BRIEN: They look nice.
GUPTA: Nicely manicured.
HEMMER: You've gotten a manicure?
JONATHAN KARP, NEW YOU REVOLUTION PARTICIPANT: Ah, yes, I got one manicure.
HEMMER: You'll admit it on national TV.
Could you have done this without a TV camera in your face?
KARP: Probably not. That's why I wrote in. I knew that I needed some kind of catalyst to get, you know, get me started.
HEMMER: How difficult was it to break this habit? Because you've been doing this all your life, right? Almost obsessive.
KARP: My whole life, ever since I can remember. It was easier than I thought, I have to say, because of the help I received. I'm grateful to my fiancee Erica and my whole family, and all the people I work with at Princeton. I asked them, should I do this? They said, yes, it will be fun, and I think it will be great, and why don't you do that, and by the way, I bite my nails, too. You'd be surprised how many people are rooting for me.
HEMMER: Well done. Congratulations.
O'BRIEN: I'm always amazed how when you sort of start the ball rolling, you break one habit, or you start a new habit, how that kind of leads to more and more. I mean, Leigh Ann, it seemed that that happened with you. You started cooking, you started exercising. How has this changed you? Get a little philosophical for us, if you will. How has it changed you in the big picture? What have you learned about yourself?
LEIGH ANN RAYNOR, NEW YOU REVOLUTION PARTICIPANT: I've learned that I'm as strong as I knew I was. I know that doesn't make much sense. I've always known I'm a strong person, but over the years, as I was not able to exercise because my heart condition, I felt worse about myself. I felt weaker physically. And I've learned that whatever determination I've had all my life, which has taken a lot of determination to be a woman in a man's field, you know, in ministry, I've learned that that's all still with me. I've also learned that it's not too late.
I used to look in the mirror sometimes and I'd get so depressed. I'd think, I'm almost 50 years old, I'm 60 pounds overweight. What's the point anymore? Why even bother trying to exercise anymore? And I've learned that's not true. I've learned it's never too late to start an exercise program, never too late to eat healthier, never too late to feel better about yourself.
GUPTA: Congratulations to you.
RAYNOR: Thank you.
O'BRIEN: You mentioned depression, and Sandra, I want to ask you about your depression. I thought that was just remarkable that you talked about it. It's hard enough to talk about, period, and then to go on national television and talk about your depression. Did discussing it, make it public sort of lift something off your shoulders?
SANDRA GARTH, NEW YOU REVOLUTION PARTICIPANT: Yes, because sometimes it's kind of like a deep, dark secret that you don't want anybody to know. But I felt like maybe if I'd heard somebody else talk about it, maybe it could have helped me. So if coming out with it and saying that I was suffering from depression, I had been on medication, if somebody else would hear it and it would help them, then it was worth it.
O'BRIEN: I think it helped a lot of people.
GUPTA: A lot of people wrote in about you, Sandra. And just to be clear, we talked to your doctors ahead of time. They said Sandra needs to lose 60 pounds. We got you one-third of the way there, which is great, in eight weeks. How are you going to stay motivated for the next 40 pounds?
GARTH: Because I want to do the next 40 pounds. And I'm a third of the way there, and I'm going to do it, because I like the way I feel. I've got a lot more energy now. I don't have to take all the medication anymore. I can walk a couple of blocks -- I've walked a lot of blocks -- and not be bothered with my knees. I can work out. I can get that feeling of I'm sore and I'm tired from a workout, rather than I'm sore and tired just because I'm overweight.
GUPTA: You look like you're a lot happier.
GARTH: I am. Thank you.
O'BRIEN: Well, let's check in with Harald and also Thekla.
Thekla, I'll you this question. Any news you want to share with us? Come on, girl, what you got for us?
THEKLA FISHER, NEW YOU REVOLUTION PARTICIPANT: I think I've just changed some of my lifestyle.
O'BRIEN: No baby on the way, though, you want to tell us about?
FISHER: I wish I could tell you. I'm not there yet.
O'BRIEN: It's OK, I'm a patient woman.
GUPTA: Her husband hasn't been around.
O'BRIEN: OK, OK, then, good.
FISHER: We've got kind of a time-share marriage, where I've got him part of the time and the Army's got him the rest of the time.
O'BRIEN: Are you feeling better, though?
FISHER: Yes, actually, I'm feeling more in control of things. I think that was my big problem was I felt I had all these loose ends, and I just thought if we add another person to this union at this point, we're going to be really out of control. So, I think what CNN has helped me do is just kind of get myself together, organized and just feel a little more comfortable.
O'BRIEN: And then it can all go out of control when you have that baby.
HEMMER: Hey, Harald, I got to tell you...
O'BRIEN: You look good!
HEMMER: ... the before and the after is quite noticeable, especially in this area here. Your biggest challenge was what, would you say?
HARALD FRICKER, NEW YOU REVOLUTION PARTICIPANT: You know, it's rearranging my schedule, basically. I've actually been getting up a little later. Trying to get myself to bed earlier is actually -- has actually been the toughest part.
HEMMER: So you learned time management.
FRICKER: Since I was 18, I've been getting -- averaging four hours of sleep, you know. And that's -- and it never really bothered me until I found out that that was a huge part of, you know, why I've been gaining the weight and so on, because it's put so much stress on my heart now that I was diagnosed with the sleep apnea and so on. But that seems to be getting under control.
HEMMER: You look great.
GUPTA: And we're not letting any of you go yet, just so you know. A lot of people have been writing in, lots of e-mails, lots more questions, that's all going to come up next hour.
HEMMER: The fab five.
O'BRIEN: Excellent. All right. Thank you, guys.
HEMMER: You look great.
FRICKER: Thank you very much.
GUPTA: And we're not letting any of you go yet, just so you know. A lot of people have been writing in, lots of e-mails, lots more questions. That's all going to come up next hour.
HEMMER: The fab five.
O'BRIEN: Excellent, all right. Thanks, you guys.
HEMMER: Let's get a break. Here in moment, Andy's back "Minding Your Business." Think the bosses don't treat you right? Andy's got a story for you, right after this, on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: Welcome back, everyone. Here's Jack.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: So what about a raise in the minimum wage? It's been a decade or two. That and a look of the markets. Here's Andy Serwer, "Minding Your Business." Good morning.
ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Good morning.
Well, yesterday, Jack, the Senate saw fit to vote down a proposal that would have raised the minimum wage $2.10 over the next two years. Minimum wage currently at $5.15. Senator Ted Kennedy proposes -- you can see it would have gone to $7.25. Last time it was raised actually was in '97. Now, the senators voted against it, again, 49-46, because they said this is the timeless argument against the minimum age. They said, one, it would cause companies to raise prices. Two, it would cause companies to lay off workers.
Now, what about the senators themselves? Well, funny you should ask. In 2003, it was the fifth year in a row that they granted themselves a raise. They just sort of use the same argument against them, Jack. They didn't raise prices. Prices for them would be taxes. In fact, they've been cutting taxes. And last time I checked, no one in the Senate got laid off.
CAFFERTY: Collection of worms.
SERWER: Right? I mean, you know, so the argument that they use doesn't really hold up.
CAFFERTY: How many years in a row?
SERWER: Five years in a row. And in fact, I think just this week, they're going to start talking again about another raise. Because there's no money left, see. They're taking all the money. So that's why they can't raise minimum wage.
CAFFERTY: Unbelievable.
SERWER: Yes.
CAFFERTY: Worms.
SERWER: Worms in the garden.
CAFFERTY: Yes, all right.
Time for "The File." You can read, but you cannot reek. People who smell bad have been banned from the libraries in San Luis Obispo County, California. A new law allows authorities to kick you out if you have offensive body odor. The problem, points out one of the county's librarians, is what constitutes a bad odor. Well, look, it's kind of like pornography. You'll know it when you smell it. You can also be kicked out of the county's 15 libraries for fighting, sleeping, playing games or viewing illegal materials on the library computers.
Do we need this? The U.S. Department of Homeland security has hired its first Hollywood liaison to work with moviemakers. Bobby Faye Ferguson's (ph) a former actress. She's currently reviewing 14 movie, TV and documentary ideas. Her job is to help filmmakers give an accurate portrayal of the Department of Homeland Security. Bobby Faye makes a top salary, $100,000 a year-plus, which is enough to hire a couple of additional border patrol agents to stop the flow of illegal immigrants in the country. It's rumored that she will serve as the technical consultant on the upcoming big budget film about duct tape and clear plastic sheeting.
SERWER: Starring Ben Affleck.
CAFFERTY: The Garden State apparently needs a state vegetable now that McGreevey's gone. New Jersey lawmakers have introduced a bill to make the tomato the official state vegetable. Problem is, tomato is a fruit. State senator Ellen Karcher explains that legally it's a vegetable. It's a fruit. The precedent she says that makes it a vegetable is the U.S. Supreme Court ruling from 1887 that placed a vegetable tax on tomatoes. The court argued that because tomatoes are typically served with dinner and not as dessert, they must be vegetables. But they're fruits. Here's something else Senator Karcher said. Any of these bills that promote statewide pride is something we should embrace. Right.
(CROSSTALK)
SERWER: What do you think about the vegetable/fruit thing? What did McGreevey think about the vegetable/fruit thing?
CAFFERTY: You'd have to ask him.
O'BRIEN: I'm less concerned about the woman who's making all that money looking over scripts than the people who are debating whether tomato's a vegetable or fruit with the tax dollars in New Jersey. That's a little worrisome.
CAFFERTY: Which concerns you more?
O'BRIEN: The tomato thing concerns me more.
CAFFERTY: It does?
O'BRIEN: Yes.
CAFFERTY: Than hiring people on the budget for Homeland Security to read movie scripts?
O'BRIEN: In the weight of things, yes. I think that people in New Jersey government should be focused on that. But that's just me.
SERWER: It's all of your tax dollars at work, though.
CAFFERTY: Oh, yes,. But there's no money left to raise the minimum wage.
SERWER: No, there's no -- not a dime. Not a single dime.
HEMMER: More on that later. Thanks, guys.
Top stories in a moment here, including a developing story out of Beirut. Watching these pictures live from Lebanon, thousands in the streets protesting Syria's scheduled pullout from Lebanon. We'll go there live in a moment here as we continue at the top of the hour.
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