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American Morning
'Gimme a Minute'; Teens Turning to Prescription Drugs
Aired April 22, 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: Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Arlen Specter says his chemotherapy is tough, but he's doing just fine. The 75-year-old senator was diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease in February. He's lost much of his hair since the treatment and says he stays busy to get through the bad days. He even plays squash.
Jurors in the Michael Jackson trial will hear about the teenaged accuser's alleged sexual activity. The defense hopes it will shake the boy's credibility. It had also rejected the prosecution's bid to call a domestic violence expert to explain how years of abuse might have affected the accuser's mother. Court reconvenes on Monday.
And you may soon be able to pick four while sitting in your very own living room. Dozens of states are looking to sell Lottery tickets over the Internet. Supporters say it would put more money in state pockets and help school funding, but others say it would make it easier for teens to gamble online.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: As long as the money goes to education, all right.
COSTELLO: Yes, but how much of it really does?
HEMMER: Sure. Thank you, Carol.
COSTELLO: That's the controversy.
HEMMER: I'm telling you.
It's Friday, time for "Gimme a Minute." Our panel from New York, Rachel Maddow, back this week again from Air America. How you doing, Rachel?
RACHEL MADDOW, AIR AMERICA: I'm great. Thanks for having me.
HEMMER: Terrific. Welcome back.
In D.C., Republican consultant, Tara Setmayer. Welcome back. And good morning to you.
TARA SETMAYER, REPUBLICAN CONSULTANT: Thank you.
HEMMER: And Andy Borowitz. This guy never leaves. Borowitzreport.com.
Let's start with Rachel. John Bolton. There are reports today that Colin Powell is weighing in on this. Some reports say that, OK, he's saying Bolton is smart but problematic. Does this change the equation in any way, Rachel?
MADDOW: The weird thing about the Bolton situation is that they're never actually defending Bolton. It's all these Republicans and administration officials coming out and saying no to this guy, but they can't defend him, so they just attack the critics. These incredible attack ads against Voinovich in Ohio. I'm expecting to see Powell loves Osama billboards now that Colin Powell's coming out and speaking out.
HEMMER: Well, the reports say that Powell offers no recommendation. So I guess he's kind of like Switzerland in all this. Tara, is Bolton a bully or is he just a demanding boss?
SETMAYER: Well, I mean, last time I checked, a docile temperament wasn't a requirement in Washington politics. I mean, Chuck Hagel supported John McCain, who isn't exactly -- you know, has a volatile personality. But this is a basic policy dispute. You're dealing with a recalcitrant Washington bureaucracy. And Bolton is a good guy. Powell admitted that. But there are personality conflicts and that shouldn't disqualify him for this position.
HEMMER: Andy's his own boss. We know that. Right, Drew?
ANDY BOROWITZ, BOROWITZREPORT.COM: Absolutely. It's getting very personal. Powell's been saying that Bolton looks like a bad guy on "Magnum P.I."
HEMMER: Stayed tuned for more next week.
Tom DeLay, here's the issue now. Some Republicans say they're willing to investigate him if the Democrats go ahead and change some of the rules. Tara, does this have a chance?
SETMAYER: Well, you know, I think that this is an issue where the Ethics Committee needs to convene, they need to get themselves together. Democrats need to stop holding their breath and stomping their feet and allow the investigation to go through. If DeLay is guilty of something, let the investigative process work. But I think they're scared because there are several other members, including Democrats, that are coming out now in the media that show they've done similar things. So I think they're concerned about that.
HEMMER: Rachel, would you give a little to get a little?
MADDOW: Listen, what the Republicans offered was to investigate DeLay in exchange for an offer to guarantee a party line vote against any investigation of justice. So calling that a deal is like calling me a supermodel. It's a stunt. It's a ridiculous.
HEMMER: It's all about the art of the deal, we thought. Here's Andy. What's happening?
BOROWITZ: I say investigate this guy before he shreds all his receipts. Come on.
HEMMER: Do it now! All right, Senate filibusters. Here's the next issue. The president wants an up/down vote on his judicial nominees. How bad is it getting in Washington, Rachel?
MADDOW: Well, the filibuster situation is meant to keep extremists off the bench, right? No extreme nominees. And the Republicans want to get rid of it because they think the world will end before the Democrats are ever back in power. But I think there are some conservatives in the Senate looking into their crystal ball and seeing a Democratic president, Democratic Senate and Ralph Nader on the Supreme Court. This thing is ridiculous. It's never going to fly.
HEMMER: What's wrong with an up/down vote, Rach?
MADDOW: What's wrong with an up/down vote? The filibuster's there for a reason.
HEMMER: All right, Tara, tell me about it.
SETMAYER: I think that's ridiculous. Maybe Rachel should switch with Andy with that. What's going on here is that the -- you know, what the Republicans are trying to do is have an up/down vote on good, conservative judges. They are far from extremists. And the Democrats recognize they're losing on this issue, because they're being obstructionist. All we want is have -- end the filibuster on judicial nominations only, not legislative nominations. So, you know, they're overreacting and they know that they're losing on the issue.
HEMMER: Up or down, Andy?
BOROWITZ: If we get rid of filibusters, C-SPAN's going to have to show reruns of old filibusters.
HEMMER: And you would hate that.
BOROWITZ: I don't want to live in a world like that.
HEMMER: Tara, what did we miss this past week? Tell us, what's under the radar?
SETMAYER: This week marks the tenth anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing and there are still several unanswered questions about whether Terry Nichols an Tim McVeigh had accomplices, including possible ties to Middle Eastern terrorist groups, with Terry Nichols' calls to the Philippines and things. And the national security of America, the people of America, deserve a full investigation into the background.
HEMMER: And you still believe that, huh?
SETMAYER: Yes, I do.
HEMMER: Rachel?
MADDOW: That's the worst retroactive justification for the Iraq War I've ever heard. My undercovered story is that Henry Hyde is retiring and he is speaking out with some regret about the impeachment of President Clinton. He now says that it was payback for Nixon, of all things. Who knew?
HEMMER: He didn't say that. What he said was that he thinks some other Republicans may have done it because of payback from 30 years ago.
MADDOW: He said I can't say no to that. I think that's pretty close.
HEMMER: All right. Andy, what's happening?
BOROWITZ: Well, Michael Jackson this week said that he thinks his trial is going well, a statement which could come in handy if he decides to plead insanity.
HEMMER: Still a possibility.
BOROWITZ: Still is.
HEMMER: Rachel, Tara, Andy, have a good weekend.
BOROWITZ: Peace out.
MADDOW: Thank you.
SETMAYER: Thank you.
HEMMER: OK -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: We are "Paging Dr. Gupta" this morning about a disturbing trend among teenagers. Many are turning to prescription drugs for a fix. And as Sanjay tells us, the problem hits families right where they live.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Adam, Stacy and Val Maroulis were both abusing drugs, but not the kind you'd might expect.
VAL MAROULIS, RECOVERING DRUG ADDICT: I started taking prescription drugs like Xanax, Oxycontin, Vicodin, Percocets, all kinds of painkillers.
GUPTA: You heard right, prescription drugs. More and more, today's teenagers are getting their fix from inside the home instead of on the streets.
ROY BOSTOCK, PARTNERSHIP FOR A DRUG-FREE AMERICA: We could have about 25 percent of a quarter of our teens in this country abusing prescription and OTC drugs. That is a huge number.
GUPTA: The nonprofit organization Partnership for a Drug-Free America surveyed more than 7,300 teenagers. Their findings paint a troubling picture. One in five teens abuses Vicodin, the prescription painkiller. One in ten teens has tried the stimulants Ritalin or Adderall without a doctor's prescription. And one in 11 teens has used over-the-counter cough medicine simply for the purpose of getting high.
It's something Adam's mother is all too familiar with.
STACY HALL, MOTHER OF DRUG ADDICT: It started with the abuse of Robitussin, which led to marijuana and then eventually the prescription drug use.
GUPTA: So why are more kids turning to these drugs?
DR. HERBERT KLEBER, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY: There's this myth on the street that these are safer drugs than heroin or cocaine because they're prescribed. They're medicinal, they're pure.
GUPTA: And they're easier to get. Val Maroulis didn't have to look far to get his fix.
MAROULIS: Friend's cabinets, their houses. Sometimes my mom, very rarely, just -- you could buy it off people.
GUPTA: Once Stacy Hall recognized her son's problem, she tried to get help to get him clean.
HALL: I had Adam go to an outdoor rehabilitation program for 42 days and I thought he was fixed, and I let my guard down.
GUPTA: But Adam got hooked again.
HALL: Adam died two years ago, on February 17, 2003, from a drug overdose of cocaine, methadone, diazepam and antidepressants.
GUPTA: Yes, diazepam or Valium, and antidepressant, found in a lot of medicine cabinets.
HALL: You just don't think to lock up those medications. At least we didn't then. We do now.
GUPTA (on camera): Now, Stacy and other parents face the daunting task of learning about this growing trend.
KLEBER: You need to know what kind of drugs these adolescents are using, how they're getting hold of them and what you can do to help safeguard that.
GUPTA (voice-over): Val Maroulis has kicked his addictions. He's been clean now for seven months, and he has this to say to other teens.
MAROULIS: Just watch out for the people that you hang out with, you know, to know what drugs are, what they do to you, you know, health risks.
GUPTA: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, Atlanta. (END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: Nearly half of the teens surveyed said they saw little risk in experimenting with prescription drugs.
Well, you've seen the headlines. You've heard the hype. So what's really behind the claims that you can live longer if you're just a little bit overweight? And just how much is just a little bit overweight? Well, it all starts with calculating your body mass index. Learn how to find your BMI this weekend. Plus find out if bigger is really better. That's live on CNN Sunday morning.
HEMMER: Talk about a bad hair day. There's a woman in Washington state not happy with her cut. Police say Julie Anderson (ph) confronted her stylist in a parking lot, robbed her, robbed the salon at gunpoint. She got about 100 bucks out of there. She shot the stylist's car and drove off. Police arrested Anderson 45 minutes later at a nearby salon. That's her kneeling right there, left side of the photo. Get this. Police say she used one of the stolen $20 bills to pay for a new haircut.
O'BRIEN: I'm not saying she should have done it, but I am saying if you've ever had a bad haircut, you know the levels of frustration. You can't shoot your stylist's car, obviously, and...
HEMMER: What are you talking about?
O'BRIEN: Have you ever had a really bad haircut?
HEMMER: Well, yes, but I don't go...
O'BRIEN: I said it wasn't the right thing to do, I just said you can understand her frustration. And where did she get a $20 haircut?
HEMMER: Tell us. Not in New York.
(WEATHER REPORT)
O'BRIEN: Wookies and Jedis and Jar Jar. Why thousands of star wars fans are playing dress-up a month, a whole month, before the movie even opens.
HEMMER: Crazy kids.
Thought you knew everything about Enron, right? One of the biggest flame-outs in corporate history hitting the big screen. We'll have a look at that, too, let you know if it's worth it or not.
Back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: From Indianapolis, Star Wars fans out in force there, too; 30,000 expected to attend a four-day Star Wars convention. The May 19th premiere of "Star Wars Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith." It's the final film in George Lucas' series. They're getting ready already.
Now to the rise and fall of Enron. It's a subject of a documentary film opening this weekend, shedding some light on what may be the most painful chapter in corporate history.
Brooke Anderson has a preview this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The other thing about people at Enron, is a lot of them were former nerds.
BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): "The Smartest Guys in the Room" tracks the rise and fall of Enron's unholy trinity, Ken Lay, Jeff Skilling and Andrew Fastow. The film portrays the trio as a ruthless clique of corporate cowboys who, simply put, exaggerated Enron's bottom line and walked away with millions of dollars. When another executive blew the whistle, the company collapsed, and the government took them to trial.
But employees who had invested their 401(k)s in Enron stock were left with nothing.
ALEX GIBNEY, DIRECTOR: Skilling and Lay were not willing to talk to me. I think their characters actually come through very, very well, particularly Skilling. You see his hours and hours and hours of him going before the Senate and House committees, and also a lot of in-house company stuff, including some skits. That's where, you know, I was surprised to find those.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We can add a kazillion dollars to the bottom line.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Jeff! All right, that sounds fantastic!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: The documentary, which debuted at the Sundance Film Festival, features telling conversations between Enron's energy traders.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All the money you guys stole from the poor grandmothers?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GIBNEY: Enron had a commercial slogan, ask why. It's deeply ironic now. So I guess if I want people to come out of the film with a message, it is, ask why.
ANDERSON: Like Enron workers did at this company meeting, two months before Enron went bankrupt. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're down to questions, and I've got a few up here. I would like to know if you're on crack. If so, that would explain a lot. If not, you may want to start, because it's going to be a long time before we trust you again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON (on camera): Lay, Skilling and Fastow didn't get off scott-free. Fastow pleaded guilty to fraud charges, and faces 10 years in prison. The other two are set for their days in court next year.
Brooke Anderson, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: And "Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room." That film opens nationwide today -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Andy's ahead this morning. He's minding your business. He'll tell us why Ruffles potato chips were banned by Europe. Stay with us. AMERICAN MORNING continues right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody.
CAFFERTY: In the world of high finance, Warren Buffett's buying, as in stake and a brewery, and potato chips ruffle feathers in Europe. Andy Serwer's here "Minding Your Business."
Good morning.
ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: All food and beverage all the time here this morning, Jack.
Let's talk about the markets first of all. After falling five out of the past six days, the markets soared yesterday. The Dow up over 200 points, a humdinger, as they call that on Wall Street. Bargain hunters swooping in and buying up shares. This morning, though, futures looking a little bit to downside. The price of oil heading back up. Here we go again, back towards $55 a barrel.
Jack was talking about Warren Buffett, the Oracle of Omaha, apparently buying a steak in Anheuser-Busch, Budweiser. And you know, Buffet's famous for being kind of a contrarian. Budweiser, Anheuser- Busch has been a great stock over the past decade, but this past year it's kind of fallen flat. Miller's been revived and marketshare has been slipping a little bit. And Buffet is also famous for walking around with a can of Diet Coke, because he's a big shareholder in the Coca-Cola company. Be nice to see if he starts walking around with a Michelob on weekends.
What do you think? JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: I don't know if his stock holders want to see that.
SERWER: Well, you know, he eats McDonald's.
CAFFERTY: He's doing all right. How old is Warren?
SERWER: I think about 74.
CAFFERTY: He's past worrying about that both food pyramid.
SERWER: So now he can just drink as many Buds as he want.
CAFFERTY: His pyramid is made of 100 dollar bills.
SERWER: Yes, it sure is.
Hey, speaking of Coke, tomorrow is an ignominious day in the history of marketing. Twenty years ago Saturday, Coke -- 20 years ago, I should say, Coke rolled out New Coke. You remember New Coke, 1985? New Coke...
CAFFERTY: Lasted about an hour.
SERWER: It was terrible. People hated it. And they wrote into the Coca-Cola company, and it actually lasted a little bit longer than that. It was less than three months.
(CROSSTALK)
SERWER: Yes, they make a lot of that stuff, sell a lot of that stuff.
Less than three months and they just yanked it.
And then finally moving on to another healthy food category, potato chips. This is in Europe. Pepsi makes Ruffles potato chips, and they've been trying to sell them in Europe. They tried to introduce them there in 1996. The European Union said no, because a company called -- I love this -- Intersnack Knabber-Geback, Intersnack Knabber-Geback made a product called Riffels, Riffels. This is very much like Ruffles. Pepsi appealed, and it took them nine years, Jack, to finally say no. You cannot sell potato chips with the word Ruffles on them.
CAFFERTY: They served those at Camilla's wedding, did you know, Riffles.
SERWER: They did?
CAFFERTY: They did, yes.
SERWER: I didn't get it.
O'BRIEN: I think he's kidding.
CAFFERTY: I'm kidding.
O'BRIEN: She's the duchess of something. They didn't serve potato chips at her wedding.
SERWER: I'm missing something on that. My bad.
All right, anyway, Riffles don't have ridges.
CAFFERTY: It's time for "The Cafferty File." Several states are considering selling lotto tickets on the Internet for those of you who missed this story in Carol Costello's headlines. Lawmakers hope that Internet sales will bring more affluent families to the Lottery, reducing states dependent on the poor to drive sales. Lottery sales last year, $50 billion, and they sell them in 40 states and Washington D.C. Once prizes and costs are paid, $15.1 billion left in revenue for the states. Over 60 percent of lottery profits go to education funding.
This may be a great idea if it reduces the line of lottery ticket buyers who clog up my local convenience store in the morning so I can get my coffee faster. Get the tickets online and get out.
It's been 43 years since she died. The fascination with Marilyn Monroe continues. Items from her estate will be up for auction in June. Stored for 43 years, this is the first time a lot of the stuff has been seen in public. There's the gray silk dress that she wore in a 1960s film "Let's Make Love," estimated to fetch $15,000. A group of beauty products may bring $300, just ordinary stuff, I guess, that she had in her makeup place. An original water color that she painted and inscribed to president Kennedy for his birthday. They say it will bring $8,000. My hunch is that will bring a whole lot more than that.
You can bid on Monroe's divorce papers from her marriage to Joe DiMaggio. No thanks, I have my own to read. And her little black book containing hundreds of names, including Frank Sinatra, Henry Fonda and Jane Russell.
Finally, if you're concerned about airport security, this should put your mind at rest. Killer penguins are being strip searched for weapons before being allowed to board. Penguins Pat and Penny were returning from a business trip when security screeners asked that they be taken out of their carrying case and made to waddle through the metal detectors. Pat and Penny live in Sea World in San Antonio, Texas. They were returning from Fort Collins, Colorado, where they were part of a career week for the kids of Anheuser-Busch employees.
That's all I have.
SERWER: That's insane.
HEMMER: Who was waiting on the other side of that metal detector with the camera?
SERWER: Can I see your boarding pass. You know how they always ask that right when you walk through.
HEMMER: Take off your belt and your shoes, Mr. And Mrs. Penguin.
CAFFERTY: And the tuxedo, too, while you're at it.
O'BRIEN: Cute pictures.
Thanks, Jack.
O'BRIEN: Well, Bennifer, version 1.0 didn't work out well. But maybe version 2.0 has a shot. "90-Second Pop" tackles a big new rumor that's floating around. That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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Aired April 22, 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: Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Arlen Specter says his chemotherapy is tough, but he's doing just fine. The 75-year-old senator was diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease in February. He's lost much of his hair since the treatment and says he stays busy to get through the bad days. He even plays squash.
Jurors in the Michael Jackson trial will hear about the teenaged accuser's alleged sexual activity. The defense hopes it will shake the boy's credibility. It had also rejected the prosecution's bid to call a domestic violence expert to explain how years of abuse might have affected the accuser's mother. Court reconvenes on Monday.
And you may soon be able to pick four while sitting in your very own living room. Dozens of states are looking to sell Lottery tickets over the Internet. Supporters say it would put more money in state pockets and help school funding, but others say it would make it easier for teens to gamble online.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: As long as the money goes to education, all right.
COSTELLO: Yes, but how much of it really does?
HEMMER: Sure. Thank you, Carol.
COSTELLO: That's the controversy.
HEMMER: I'm telling you.
It's Friday, time for "Gimme a Minute." Our panel from New York, Rachel Maddow, back this week again from Air America. How you doing, Rachel?
RACHEL MADDOW, AIR AMERICA: I'm great. Thanks for having me.
HEMMER: Terrific. Welcome back.
In D.C., Republican consultant, Tara Setmayer. Welcome back. And good morning to you.
TARA SETMAYER, REPUBLICAN CONSULTANT: Thank you.
HEMMER: And Andy Borowitz. This guy never leaves. Borowitzreport.com.
Let's start with Rachel. John Bolton. There are reports today that Colin Powell is weighing in on this. Some reports say that, OK, he's saying Bolton is smart but problematic. Does this change the equation in any way, Rachel?
MADDOW: The weird thing about the Bolton situation is that they're never actually defending Bolton. It's all these Republicans and administration officials coming out and saying no to this guy, but they can't defend him, so they just attack the critics. These incredible attack ads against Voinovich in Ohio. I'm expecting to see Powell loves Osama billboards now that Colin Powell's coming out and speaking out.
HEMMER: Well, the reports say that Powell offers no recommendation. So I guess he's kind of like Switzerland in all this. Tara, is Bolton a bully or is he just a demanding boss?
SETMAYER: Well, I mean, last time I checked, a docile temperament wasn't a requirement in Washington politics. I mean, Chuck Hagel supported John McCain, who isn't exactly -- you know, has a volatile personality. But this is a basic policy dispute. You're dealing with a recalcitrant Washington bureaucracy. And Bolton is a good guy. Powell admitted that. But there are personality conflicts and that shouldn't disqualify him for this position.
HEMMER: Andy's his own boss. We know that. Right, Drew?
ANDY BOROWITZ, BOROWITZREPORT.COM: Absolutely. It's getting very personal. Powell's been saying that Bolton looks like a bad guy on "Magnum P.I."
HEMMER: Stayed tuned for more next week.
Tom DeLay, here's the issue now. Some Republicans say they're willing to investigate him if the Democrats go ahead and change some of the rules. Tara, does this have a chance?
SETMAYER: Well, you know, I think that this is an issue where the Ethics Committee needs to convene, they need to get themselves together. Democrats need to stop holding their breath and stomping their feet and allow the investigation to go through. If DeLay is guilty of something, let the investigative process work. But I think they're scared because there are several other members, including Democrats, that are coming out now in the media that show they've done similar things. So I think they're concerned about that.
HEMMER: Rachel, would you give a little to get a little?
MADDOW: Listen, what the Republicans offered was to investigate DeLay in exchange for an offer to guarantee a party line vote against any investigation of justice. So calling that a deal is like calling me a supermodel. It's a stunt. It's a ridiculous.
HEMMER: It's all about the art of the deal, we thought. Here's Andy. What's happening?
BOROWITZ: I say investigate this guy before he shreds all his receipts. Come on.
HEMMER: Do it now! All right, Senate filibusters. Here's the next issue. The president wants an up/down vote on his judicial nominees. How bad is it getting in Washington, Rachel?
MADDOW: Well, the filibuster situation is meant to keep extremists off the bench, right? No extreme nominees. And the Republicans want to get rid of it because they think the world will end before the Democrats are ever back in power. But I think there are some conservatives in the Senate looking into their crystal ball and seeing a Democratic president, Democratic Senate and Ralph Nader on the Supreme Court. This thing is ridiculous. It's never going to fly.
HEMMER: What's wrong with an up/down vote, Rach?
MADDOW: What's wrong with an up/down vote? The filibuster's there for a reason.
HEMMER: All right, Tara, tell me about it.
SETMAYER: I think that's ridiculous. Maybe Rachel should switch with Andy with that. What's going on here is that the -- you know, what the Republicans are trying to do is have an up/down vote on good, conservative judges. They are far from extremists. And the Democrats recognize they're losing on this issue, because they're being obstructionist. All we want is have -- end the filibuster on judicial nominations only, not legislative nominations. So, you know, they're overreacting and they know that they're losing on the issue.
HEMMER: Up or down, Andy?
BOROWITZ: If we get rid of filibusters, C-SPAN's going to have to show reruns of old filibusters.
HEMMER: And you would hate that.
BOROWITZ: I don't want to live in a world like that.
HEMMER: Tara, what did we miss this past week? Tell us, what's under the radar?
SETMAYER: This week marks the tenth anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing and there are still several unanswered questions about whether Terry Nichols an Tim McVeigh had accomplices, including possible ties to Middle Eastern terrorist groups, with Terry Nichols' calls to the Philippines and things. And the national security of America, the people of America, deserve a full investigation into the background.
HEMMER: And you still believe that, huh?
SETMAYER: Yes, I do.
HEMMER: Rachel?
MADDOW: That's the worst retroactive justification for the Iraq War I've ever heard. My undercovered story is that Henry Hyde is retiring and he is speaking out with some regret about the impeachment of President Clinton. He now says that it was payback for Nixon, of all things. Who knew?
HEMMER: He didn't say that. What he said was that he thinks some other Republicans may have done it because of payback from 30 years ago.
MADDOW: He said I can't say no to that. I think that's pretty close.
HEMMER: All right. Andy, what's happening?
BOROWITZ: Well, Michael Jackson this week said that he thinks his trial is going well, a statement which could come in handy if he decides to plead insanity.
HEMMER: Still a possibility.
BOROWITZ: Still is.
HEMMER: Rachel, Tara, Andy, have a good weekend.
BOROWITZ: Peace out.
MADDOW: Thank you.
SETMAYER: Thank you.
HEMMER: OK -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: We are "Paging Dr. Gupta" this morning about a disturbing trend among teenagers. Many are turning to prescription drugs for a fix. And as Sanjay tells us, the problem hits families right where they live.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Adam, Stacy and Val Maroulis were both abusing drugs, but not the kind you'd might expect.
VAL MAROULIS, RECOVERING DRUG ADDICT: I started taking prescription drugs like Xanax, Oxycontin, Vicodin, Percocets, all kinds of painkillers.
GUPTA: You heard right, prescription drugs. More and more, today's teenagers are getting their fix from inside the home instead of on the streets.
ROY BOSTOCK, PARTNERSHIP FOR A DRUG-FREE AMERICA: We could have about 25 percent of a quarter of our teens in this country abusing prescription and OTC drugs. That is a huge number.
GUPTA: The nonprofit organization Partnership for a Drug-Free America surveyed more than 7,300 teenagers. Their findings paint a troubling picture. One in five teens abuses Vicodin, the prescription painkiller. One in ten teens has tried the stimulants Ritalin or Adderall without a doctor's prescription. And one in 11 teens has used over-the-counter cough medicine simply for the purpose of getting high.
It's something Adam's mother is all too familiar with.
STACY HALL, MOTHER OF DRUG ADDICT: It started with the abuse of Robitussin, which led to marijuana and then eventually the prescription drug use.
GUPTA: So why are more kids turning to these drugs?
DR. HERBERT KLEBER, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY: There's this myth on the street that these are safer drugs than heroin or cocaine because they're prescribed. They're medicinal, they're pure.
GUPTA: And they're easier to get. Val Maroulis didn't have to look far to get his fix.
MAROULIS: Friend's cabinets, their houses. Sometimes my mom, very rarely, just -- you could buy it off people.
GUPTA: Once Stacy Hall recognized her son's problem, she tried to get help to get him clean.
HALL: I had Adam go to an outdoor rehabilitation program for 42 days and I thought he was fixed, and I let my guard down.
GUPTA: But Adam got hooked again.
HALL: Adam died two years ago, on February 17, 2003, from a drug overdose of cocaine, methadone, diazepam and antidepressants.
GUPTA: Yes, diazepam or Valium, and antidepressant, found in a lot of medicine cabinets.
HALL: You just don't think to lock up those medications. At least we didn't then. We do now.
GUPTA (on camera): Now, Stacy and other parents face the daunting task of learning about this growing trend.
KLEBER: You need to know what kind of drugs these adolescents are using, how they're getting hold of them and what you can do to help safeguard that.
GUPTA (voice-over): Val Maroulis has kicked his addictions. He's been clean now for seven months, and he has this to say to other teens.
MAROULIS: Just watch out for the people that you hang out with, you know, to know what drugs are, what they do to you, you know, health risks.
GUPTA: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, Atlanta. (END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: Nearly half of the teens surveyed said they saw little risk in experimenting with prescription drugs.
Well, you've seen the headlines. You've heard the hype. So what's really behind the claims that you can live longer if you're just a little bit overweight? And just how much is just a little bit overweight? Well, it all starts with calculating your body mass index. Learn how to find your BMI this weekend. Plus find out if bigger is really better. That's live on CNN Sunday morning.
HEMMER: Talk about a bad hair day. There's a woman in Washington state not happy with her cut. Police say Julie Anderson (ph) confronted her stylist in a parking lot, robbed her, robbed the salon at gunpoint. She got about 100 bucks out of there. She shot the stylist's car and drove off. Police arrested Anderson 45 minutes later at a nearby salon. That's her kneeling right there, left side of the photo. Get this. Police say she used one of the stolen $20 bills to pay for a new haircut.
O'BRIEN: I'm not saying she should have done it, but I am saying if you've ever had a bad haircut, you know the levels of frustration. You can't shoot your stylist's car, obviously, and...
HEMMER: What are you talking about?
O'BRIEN: Have you ever had a really bad haircut?
HEMMER: Well, yes, but I don't go...
O'BRIEN: I said it wasn't the right thing to do, I just said you can understand her frustration. And where did she get a $20 haircut?
HEMMER: Tell us. Not in New York.
(WEATHER REPORT)
O'BRIEN: Wookies and Jedis and Jar Jar. Why thousands of star wars fans are playing dress-up a month, a whole month, before the movie even opens.
HEMMER: Crazy kids.
Thought you knew everything about Enron, right? One of the biggest flame-outs in corporate history hitting the big screen. We'll have a look at that, too, let you know if it's worth it or not.
Back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: From Indianapolis, Star Wars fans out in force there, too; 30,000 expected to attend a four-day Star Wars convention. The May 19th premiere of "Star Wars Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith." It's the final film in George Lucas' series. They're getting ready already.
Now to the rise and fall of Enron. It's a subject of a documentary film opening this weekend, shedding some light on what may be the most painful chapter in corporate history.
Brooke Anderson has a preview this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The other thing about people at Enron, is a lot of them were former nerds.
BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): "The Smartest Guys in the Room" tracks the rise and fall of Enron's unholy trinity, Ken Lay, Jeff Skilling and Andrew Fastow. The film portrays the trio as a ruthless clique of corporate cowboys who, simply put, exaggerated Enron's bottom line and walked away with millions of dollars. When another executive blew the whistle, the company collapsed, and the government took them to trial.
But employees who had invested their 401(k)s in Enron stock were left with nothing.
ALEX GIBNEY, DIRECTOR: Skilling and Lay were not willing to talk to me. I think their characters actually come through very, very well, particularly Skilling. You see his hours and hours and hours of him going before the Senate and House committees, and also a lot of in-house company stuff, including some skits. That's where, you know, I was surprised to find those.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We can add a kazillion dollars to the bottom line.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Jeff! All right, that sounds fantastic!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: The documentary, which debuted at the Sundance Film Festival, features telling conversations between Enron's energy traders.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All the money you guys stole from the poor grandmothers?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GIBNEY: Enron had a commercial slogan, ask why. It's deeply ironic now. So I guess if I want people to come out of the film with a message, it is, ask why.
ANDERSON: Like Enron workers did at this company meeting, two months before Enron went bankrupt. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're down to questions, and I've got a few up here. I would like to know if you're on crack. If so, that would explain a lot. If not, you may want to start, because it's going to be a long time before we trust you again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON (on camera): Lay, Skilling and Fastow didn't get off scott-free. Fastow pleaded guilty to fraud charges, and faces 10 years in prison. The other two are set for their days in court next year.
Brooke Anderson, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: And "Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room." That film opens nationwide today -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Andy's ahead this morning. He's minding your business. He'll tell us why Ruffles potato chips were banned by Europe. Stay with us. AMERICAN MORNING continues right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody.
CAFFERTY: In the world of high finance, Warren Buffett's buying, as in stake and a brewery, and potato chips ruffle feathers in Europe. Andy Serwer's here "Minding Your Business."
Good morning.
ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: All food and beverage all the time here this morning, Jack.
Let's talk about the markets first of all. After falling five out of the past six days, the markets soared yesterday. The Dow up over 200 points, a humdinger, as they call that on Wall Street. Bargain hunters swooping in and buying up shares. This morning, though, futures looking a little bit to downside. The price of oil heading back up. Here we go again, back towards $55 a barrel.
Jack was talking about Warren Buffett, the Oracle of Omaha, apparently buying a steak in Anheuser-Busch, Budweiser. And you know, Buffet's famous for being kind of a contrarian. Budweiser, Anheuser- Busch has been a great stock over the past decade, but this past year it's kind of fallen flat. Miller's been revived and marketshare has been slipping a little bit. And Buffet is also famous for walking around with a can of Diet Coke, because he's a big shareholder in the Coca-Cola company. Be nice to see if he starts walking around with a Michelob on weekends.
What do you think? JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: I don't know if his stock holders want to see that.
SERWER: Well, you know, he eats McDonald's.
CAFFERTY: He's doing all right. How old is Warren?
SERWER: I think about 74.
CAFFERTY: He's past worrying about that both food pyramid.
SERWER: So now he can just drink as many Buds as he want.
CAFFERTY: His pyramid is made of 100 dollar bills.
SERWER: Yes, it sure is.
Hey, speaking of Coke, tomorrow is an ignominious day in the history of marketing. Twenty years ago Saturday, Coke -- 20 years ago, I should say, Coke rolled out New Coke. You remember New Coke, 1985? New Coke...
CAFFERTY: Lasted about an hour.
SERWER: It was terrible. People hated it. And they wrote into the Coca-Cola company, and it actually lasted a little bit longer than that. It was less than three months.
(CROSSTALK)
SERWER: Yes, they make a lot of that stuff, sell a lot of that stuff.
Less than three months and they just yanked it.
And then finally moving on to another healthy food category, potato chips. This is in Europe. Pepsi makes Ruffles potato chips, and they've been trying to sell them in Europe. They tried to introduce them there in 1996. The European Union said no, because a company called -- I love this -- Intersnack Knabber-Geback, Intersnack Knabber-Geback made a product called Riffels, Riffels. This is very much like Ruffles. Pepsi appealed, and it took them nine years, Jack, to finally say no. You cannot sell potato chips with the word Ruffles on them.
CAFFERTY: They served those at Camilla's wedding, did you know, Riffles.
SERWER: They did?
CAFFERTY: They did, yes.
SERWER: I didn't get it.
O'BRIEN: I think he's kidding.
CAFFERTY: I'm kidding.
O'BRIEN: She's the duchess of something. They didn't serve potato chips at her wedding.
SERWER: I'm missing something on that. My bad.
All right, anyway, Riffles don't have ridges.
CAFFERTY: It's time for "The Cafferty File." Several states are considering selling lotto tickets on the Internet for those of you who missed this story in Carol Costello's headlines. Lawmakers hope that Internet sales will bring more affluent families to the Lottery, reducing states dependent on the poor to drive sales. Lottery sales last year, $50 billion, and they sell them in 40 states and Washington D.C. Once prizes and costs are paid, $15.1 billion left in revenue for the states. Over 60 percent of lottery profits go to education funding.
This may be a great idea if it reduces the line of lottery ticket buyers who clog up my local convenience store in the morning so I can get my coffee faster. Get the tickets online and get out.
It's been 43 years since she died. The fascination with Marilyn Monroe continues. Items from her estate will be up for auction in June. Stored for 43 years, this is the first time a lot of the stuff has been seen in public. There's the gray silk dress that she wore in a 1960s film "Let's Make Love," estimated to fetch $15,000. A group of beauty products may bring $300, just ordinary stuff, I guess, that she had in her makeup place. An original water color that she painted and inscribed to president Kennedy for his birthday. They say it will bring $8,000. My hunch is that will bring a whole lot more than that.
You can bid on Monroe's divorce papers from her marriage to Joe DiMaggio. No thanks, I have my own to read. And her little black book containing hundreds of names, including Frank Sinatra, Henry Fonda and Jane Russell.
Finally, if you're concerned about airport security, this should put your mind at rest. Killer penguins are being strip searched for weapons before being allowed to board. Penguins Pat and Penny were returning from a business trip when security screeners asked that they be taken out of their carrying case and made to waddle through the metal detectors. Pat and Penny live in Sea World in San Antonio, Texas. They were returning from Fort Collins, Colorado, where they were part of a career week for the kids of Anheuser-Busch employees.
That's all I have.
SERWER: That's insane.
HEMMER: Who was waiting on the other side of that metal detector with the camera?
SERWER: Can I see your boarding pass. You know how they always ask that right when you walk through.
HEMMER: Take off your belt and your shoes, Mr. And Mrs. Penguin.
CAFFERTY: And the tuxedo, too, while you're at it.
O'BRIEN: Cute pictures.
Thanks, Jack.
O'BRIEN: Well, Bennifer, version 1.0 didn't work out well. But maybe version 2.0 has a shot. "90-Second Pop" tackles a big new rumor that's floating around. That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING. Stay with us.
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