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American Morning

More Than 1,000 U.S. Forces Battling Insurgents Near Syrian Border; Derby Winner

Aired May 10, 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.


(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a photo finish. On the wire, it's Giacomo who has won the 131st Kentucky Derby!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: And what a race it was on Saturday. A new star is born in the horse racing world. That was the 50-to-1 longshot, Giacomo, who won the derby on Saturday. And we're going to talk to the winning jockey in a moment here. That man is Mike Smith. He's in our studio. He's coming up in a moment here. The ride of his career. Find out whether or not that horse can do it again. Two big races coming up, the Preakness and the Belmont. We'll talk to Mike in a moment -- Soledad.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Other stories making news today, three U.S. Marines died in operations west of Baghdad. And a car bomber blew himself up outside a police station in Baghdad today. Only the bomber was killed. But at least seven Iraqis died in a separate car bombings. Three more Marines have been killed in a large-scale operation.

More than 1,000 U.S. forces are battling insurgents near the Syrian border for a third day.

Barbara Starr is live at the Pentagon for us this morning.

Barbara, good morning to you. How are they telling you the offensive is going so far?

BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it is difficult at the moment, Soledad. The fighting continues, as you say. More than 1,000 troops in Operation Matador, as the military is now calling it, moving through western Iraq, against those foreign fighters that they have known have been out there. They tell us more than 100 insurgents have been killed.

But a key development today in the U.S. military strategy, as we look at that map. What they tell us is that U.S. troops have now secured a key bridge over the Euphrates River. That, they believe, will keep pushing the insurgents north, keep them from crossing south of the river and staging more attacks.

Now, as the fighting goes on, there is a reporter embedded with those troops, a reporter for "The Chicago Tribune," James Jenega. We spoke to earlier this morning. He recounted, as he moved with those U.S. forces, how the fighting unfolded over the weekend.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMES JENEGA, "CHICAGO TRIBUNE" REPORTER: The majority of the Marine units that were going to push across the Euphrates River were gathered on the south bank of the Euphrates River, near the town of Ubati (ph). Ubati was behind them, on the south side of the river. And as they were waiting to put bridging equipment across the river there, they began taking mortar fire, some pretty exact mortar fire, as well as small arms fire from the town. The Marines had not intended to make it part of their operation, but were taking such intense fire from behind them, that they smartly turned around and went into the town itself, the fighting lasted most of the day Sunday and part of the morning on Monday.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STARR: That's what the climate of the fight is all about, Soledad. They're moving through small towns, small villages, rooting out the insurgents as they find them. The fighting continues today, and they say it may go on for several more days, Soledad.

O'BRIEN: And, Barbara, all of this is the direct response to these car bombs we keep reporting?

STARR: Indeed. U.S. military officials tell us, you know, the answer to the difficult question, why now? It has been known that the foreign fighters are out in the region near Syria. So why are they moving against them now? It is partially new intelligence, but partially, Soledad, as you say, also a response to this rise in violence.

The suicide car bomb attacks another staggering statistic. During April, they estimate there were 135 car bomb attacks in Iraq, mostly in this area in Baghdad and to the west, 135 car bombs; about half were suicide car bombs. That's what they believe these foreign fighters are staging. And they tell us they've seen yet another new technique. People driving these cars laden with explosives, and they don't even know, they're not told that they're driving car bombs. So an effort to really move against the violence -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: What a terrible new wrinkle there. Barbara Starr at the Pentagon for us. Barbara, thanks.

Let's get right to Carol Costello now for a look at some of the other stories that are making headlines this morning.

Carol, good morning.

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

Now in the news, President Bush is heading back to Washington after a four-nation tour of Europe. The president and the first lady left the former Soviet republic of Georgia just a short time ago. Earlier this morning, the president addressed crowds in freedom square in Tbilisi, telling them, quote, "The American people will stand with you."

In northern Illinois, police say they have questioned several people, including family members in connection with the stabbing deaths of two second-graders. The girls, one eight years old, the other nine, disappeared on Sunday night. Their bodies found in a city park the following morning. "The Chicago Tribune" reports police have also taken clothing worn by some family members, but they still have no solid leads in this case.

Georgia authorities say they hope to make a decision by early next week about possible charges against the so-called runaway bride. Duluth city officials estimate they spent more than $43,000 looking for Jennifer Wilbanks. The woman's future father-in-law spoke publicly Monday night, thanking authorities for their quick response in the early hours of the case.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I just wanted to use this as a public forum to congratulate the city on their professionalism, and the way they handled themselves throughout this is just gratifying for me and it makes me so glad to be a citizen here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: An attorney for the city is expected to meet with Wilbanks' lawyer to discuss possible restitution, which could include community service.

And a big surprise, Oscar winner Rene Zellweger is now Mrs. Kenny Chesney. A spokeswoman confirms the actress married the country music singer on Monday in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Zellweger met Chesney in January at a tsunami-relief benefit. No word on a honeymoon for the new Hollywood/national couple. Chesney's next concert is scheduled for Thursday in Little Rock, Arkansas.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HEMMER: Life sure is good for Mike Smith. He's the jockey who turned the Run for the Roses on Saturday into the ride of his life. Smith guided a 50-to-1 longshot named Giacomo to victory at the Derby. It was his first derby win in 12 tries. And Mike Smith is in the studio this morning. Great to see you.

MIKE SMITH, DERBY-WINNING JOCKEY: Thank you.

HEMMER: And congratulations.

In the interest of full disclosure, you were not on my radar before the race began Saturday.

SMITH: We weren't on too many people's radar to tell you the truth, but we had a lot of confidence in him, believe it or not. We thought he was coming up in the race in great order and loved his last couple of serious works that he had to do before the Derby, and was doing really well, so... HEMMER: That's got to be a great sign, too.

Watch the monitor up there, Mike, a second here. We're going to play the homestretch.

SMITH: OK.

HEMMER: And I was watching you hit that horse, a lot. Take us through it.

SMITH: Well, right in here, I ducked to the inside and then got pushed out just a little bit there by Wilco right in there, and was fortunate enough to split horses right here, and then I got busy.

HEMMER: Wow.

SMITH: Now it was time to win the derby.

HEMMER: I heard you say throughout the entire race, wherever you pointed the horse, the horse went in that direction.

SMITH: He really did. I mean, he handled the mile-and-a-quarter distance very well. And I knew it was going to be a very fast pace and it was important to get him to relax, you know, the first part of it, and hopefully find seams to get through and follow horses that were moving forward.

HEMMER: That was great to watch, too. Now the NBC reporter comes up to you, right. You're huffing and puffing on top of Giacomo after this thing. And you said the first time you ever sat on top of Giacomo, you said to the owner, or was it the trainer, you said, you know what, I think we've got a shot at the derby with this horse. Is that a fact?

SMITH: It was actually the trainer. What I told him was I had ridden Giacomo's father, who has Holy Bull. He was a great, great horse that I rode. And I just told him he reminded me a lot of him, and he's got that kind of ability, and this might be our derby horse. And just to have gotten there was pretty neat. And then to go on and win it was incredible.

HEMMER: Holy Bull finished a disappointed, what is it, 12th in 1994?

SMITH: I believe it was 12th.

HEMMER: But went on to be the horse of the year. So there's some excellent pedigree with this horse, Giacomo.

SMITH: Exactly.

HEMMER: You finished what three times, second place in the derby?

SMITH: Three times, second. I was second last year to Smarty Jones. HEMMER: You're going to be 40 pretty soon, in August?

SMITH: Pretty soon.

HEMMER: Were you thinking that, man, this thing's never going to come my way?

SMITH: I was starting to. You know, you start to, because I've been very fortunate to have ridden some great horses in the derby, and it eluded me. I've been second, and second and second, you know. So to finally have gotten through, now I can breathe.

HEMMER: And breathe well, too.

"The New York Times" had this headline this week, "Rivals Think Derby Winner is Beatable at the Preakness."

SMITH: Certainly they're going to say that because he was a longshot and he pulled it off. It was a real fast pace that came back to him. But what a lot of people don't know, that he's just getting better. And I don't think you've seen the best of him yet. You'll start seeing it now. He'll start showing it.

HEMMER: Do you know, the thing about -- Smarty Jones was so cool.

SMITH: Yes, and...

HEMMER: The Funny Side was cool two years before that. How is the horse responding now with the cameras and the people and the attention that comes with this victory?

SMITH: He's taking it like a champ. You ought to see him.

HEMMER: Yes?

SMITH: Oh, the next morning, all the press was out there and he just -- he's a lot like his father. His father was a big ham, you know, he loved the cameras. And he's a lot like him. He doesn't get nervous around them a lot. As a matter of fact, when he starts hearing them snap, he puts his ears up and poses for them.

HEMMER: So he like the attention?

SMITH: He seems to love it.

HEMMER: How do you feel about the Preakness? Two weeks and counting.

SMITH: Very good. You know, we're just going to -- keep riding the ride, you know. We're going to have fun in every race and not let the pressure build up too much and just have a good time and let him show his stuff.

HEMMER: Good luck to you.

SMITH: Thank you.

HEMMER: Happy birthday early. Mike Smith out New Mexico.

SMITH: I appreciate it. Thank you.

HEMMER: Thanks for making time for us. We'll be watching.

SMITH: You bet. Thank you so much.

HEMMER: All right, here's Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Ahead in business news this morning, the godfather comes back to life with an IPO offer you can't refuse. Andy explains as he minds your business ahead.

And we're "Paging Dr. Gupta." He says eating more might actually be the key to lowering your cholesterol. It all depends on what you're eating. That's up next on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: We are "Paging Dr. Gupta" this morning about cutting the fat from your diet. It might help you lose weight, but will it make you any healthier? As Sanjay tells us, that's a question that Stanford University researchers put to the test.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): How's this for a piece of advice? If you want to lower your cholesterol, eat more. Yep, go ahead. Researchers from Stanford have found that if you switch your diet to more plant-derived foods, you'll be getting a blend of good cholesterol-lowering chemicals. And the more of these chemicals, the better the effect.

(on camera): Well, I really like specifics, so I decided to put this to the test in my own kitchen. You remember in the mid-90s, the focus was on a low-fat diet, according to the American Heart Association.

So this is what a meal would look like. For example, for breakfast, a plain bagel, one tablespoon of jelly, three tablespoons of cream cheese. You get a cup of coffee, you get eight ounces of grape juice in the morning, as well. For lunch, a turkey/baloney sandwich with a tomato, as well. A cup and a half of potato chips and a caffeine-free diet coke. If you wanted snacks throughout the day, you got a couple of Snackwells cookies. Remember those? For dinner, you got two cups of potato chicken casserole. You also got eight ounces of apple juice. Now that was going to be your traditional low- fat diet of the mid '90s.

By the time 2000 rolled around, there was much more focus not only on low fat, but also lowering your cholesterol. The first thing you'll notice here, there's a lot more food.

First of all, for breakfast, you get two cups of whole grain oatmeal, you get some raisins sprinkled on top, a half a cup of blueberries. Some green tea as well. Ten ounces of soy milk. For lunch, a soy burger with a little cheddar cheese, an egg -- one egg -- and some confetti slaw. Also, eight ounces of carrot juice. Now, if you want snacks throughout the day on this diet, you get a half a cup of seedless grapes, seven pieces of licorice and again, some more sun- dried raisins. Now for dinner, the big meal here, two cups of garbanzo beans -- this is with tomato sauce. A cup and a half of whole grains. Two cups of essential salad, more green tea, and for dessert, one whole grain fudge cookie.

The big focus here -- what they were trying to figure out is which diet would actually lower your cholesterol further?

(voice-over): They found simply that those who ate the diet with more plant products did better. Specifically, those on a regular low fat diet saw their cholesterol levels drop nearly five percent. But those on the plant-based low-fat diet saw their bad cholesterol drop nearly twice as much, down 9.4 percent.

Now, in full disclosure, neither diet caused much weight loss or weight gain in the long-term. But the evidence is clear. With certain foods, you can eat as much as you want and still lower your cholesterol.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: Dietitians say when you're planning a plant-based diet, consider whole grains and vegetables, especially red peppers, carrots, broccoli and cabbage. But, they say, you should avoid iceberg lettuce.

HEMMER: Another health note, Soledad: men who want to prevent diabetes may want to head for the dairy counter. A new Harvard study says that men who eat low-fat dairy products every day may reduce their risk of developing type two diabetes. That's the most common form of the disease. Low-fat milk, yogurt and cheese -- said they worked the best, although researchers say they still do not know why. That study's out today.

Bumble Bee is about to put its brand name on one of the fastest growing products in the supermarket. That story's up after a break on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody.

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: At the top of our business report this morning, we want to note for the record that Andy Serwer is the customer of the week at the Rockefeller Center Starbucks.

O'BRIEN: Yes, well done.

CAFFERTY: If you go in there, you get a discount if they say they know you, right?

ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: FOA, if you're a friend of Andy's yes.

O'BRIEN: They've got his picture up.

CAFFERTY: And if you say you've never heard of him, the coffee's free.

SERWER: Very good. I knew that was a set-up.

CAFFERTY: Talking about fish oil.

SERWER: Yes, we're going to talk about fish oil. Actually a couple of oil stories, but it's not what you think. Your stockbroker may be calling you very soon to make an offer that you can't refuse. A company called Jenco is going public. And if that sounds familiar to you, it should, because that was the name of the fictitious company run by Vito Corleone in "The Godfather." Remember Jenco Olive Oil. Importers of olive oil, that's all we do.

CAFFERTY: That's all, we're in the olive oil business.

SERWER: That's all we do. We're just...

CAFFERTY: Just some humble guys trying to make an honest living.

SERWER: Leave the gun, bring the IPO.

Jenco Shipping is the name of the company, and it's a perfectly legitimate company, I think. It's in the transport business. They carry coal and those sorts of things in ships, and they say that they've got nothing to do with the other company. It's kind of a generic name. I guess it's inevitable.

CAFFERTY: Yes.

SERWER: Now, here's the second oil story. This is fish oil. See, the first one was olive oil.

CAFFERTY: It's a theme show.

SERWER: Yes, no crude oil involved here at all. Fish oil. One of the fastest growing nutritional supplements in the world. Ten years ago, sales about $30 million in the United States. Today, over $300 million. And guess who's getting in the business? It makes sense. Bumble Bee. Bubble Bee-brand fish oil tablets will be coming to a drug store near you soon in July. $6.99 for a bottle. And get this, $9.99 for a bottle that's vanilla-flavored scented. So that it doesn't smell like fish oil.

HEMMER: What if you're friend of Andy?

SERWER: Well, probably $5.99.

And it makes sense, because I bet Bumble Bee has got a lot of fish oil lying around, not on the floor, but...

(CROSSTALK)

CAFFERTY: One of my daughters got me a bottle of cod liver oil, but they're capsules so you just take them. And she said it would help improve my memory.

SERWER: yes.

O'BRIEN: Did it?

CAFFERTY: I don't remember to take them usually. No, but I mean, she really did. She said -- she reads all this health stuff. She said, you know, should take this fish oil.

SERWER: You say I tell the bad jokes.

CAFFERTY: Yes, well, that was a terrible joke, but I really did get a bottle.

SERWER: All right, that's enough of that.

CAFFERTY: Futures? Yes.

SERWER: I want talk about the markets very quickly. Yesterday a good one for investors. You can see the Dow was up 38 points, and Nasdaq trying to get back to 2000. Futures a little bit lower this morning, though, Jack.

CAFFERTY: All right, thanks, Andy.

SERWER: You're welcome.

CAFFERTY: Time for the "File," as promised. There we are. Time for the "File," as promised. I'll wait until you guys catch up. A stray dog in Nairobi, Kenya has rescued an abandoned baby girl. Look at these pictures. The dog found the baby wrapped in a plastic bag, picked her up, carried her across a busy road, through a barbed wire fence, to a shed, where she had a litter of her own puppies. Local children found the baby after hearing her cries and found the dog lying protectively beside the child. That's just one of the coolest things ever.

SERWER: That's very cool.

CAFFERTY: I mean, that brings a tear to your eye. No joke. I mean, that's pretty neat. And people think they're dumb animals.

In a age where we're all in debt, and we are -- credit card, mortgages, car loans, et cetera. Here's a refreshing story about the value of living within your means. George Kyle worked 46 years as a clerk for the St. Louis, Missouri public library. There's old George. He never made more than $18,000 a year. Coworkers say he ate the same thing for lunch every day for 46 years, a baloney sandwich on white bread with two graham crackers. But he saved his money. And when he died two years ago at the age of 88, he left the library a gift of $350,000. He wants the money to be used to buy books.

HEMMER: Here's to George. Well done.

O'BRIEN: Wow.

CAFFERTY: And in North Carolina, if you're not married, you best not be living together. Shacking up has been against the law in the Tarheel state for 200 years, and now the ACLU has filed a lawsuit on behalf of 40-year-old Debra Hobbs who said she had to quit her job as a sheriff's dispatcher because she wouldn't marry her live-in boyfriend. Pender (ph) County Sheriff Carson Smith told Hobbs to get married, move out or find another job. He said Hobbs' employment was a moral issue for him, as well as a legal question. Seven states currently have laws that ban cohabitation.

HEMMER: Only seven?

CAFFERTY; Just seven, yes. The rest of us are in the 20th century or maybe a little ahead. But there are seven mired back there somewhere prior to that.

O'BRIEN: Interesting.

HEMMER: Thank you, Jack.

SERWER: I wonder what's going on with that sheriff. I mean, come on.

CAFFERTY: He's an idiot.

O'BRIEN: Moral issues.

SERWER: Just catch the criminals. Get out on I-95 and catch the drug traffickers that come north from Florida with carloads of cocaine and marijuana, and don't worry about who's living with whom in your department there.

HEMMER: And another thing!

O'BRIEN: Just one solution.

HEMMER: Keep your eye on the proverbial ball, come on.

O'BRIEN: Thanks, Jack.

In just a moment, proof that money cannot buy happiness. A Florida man finally gives up the fight for the swamp that he calls home. Well, now, he's a whole lot richer and a whole lot more miserable. We'll explain his story ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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Aired May 10, 2005 - 08:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a photo finish. On the wire, it's Giacomo who has won the 131st Kentucky Derby!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: And what a race it was on Saturday. A new star is born in the horse racing world. That was the 50-to-1 longshot, Giacomo, who won the derby on Saturday. And we're going to talk to the winning jockey in a moment here. That man is Mike Smith. He's in our studio. He's coming up in a moment here. The ride of his career. Find out whether or not that horse can do it again. Two big races coming up, the Preakness and the Belmont. We'll talk to Mike in a moment -- Soledad.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Other stories making news today, three U.S. Marines died in operations west of Baghdad. And a car bomber blew himself up outside a police station in Baghdad today. Only the bomber was killed. But at least seven Iraqis died in a separate car bombings. Three more Marines have been killed in a large-scale operation.

More than 1,000 U.S. forces are battling insurgents near the Syrian border for a third day.

Barbara Starr is live at the Pentagon for us this morning.

Barbara, good morning to you. How are they telling you the offensive is going so far?

BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it is difficult at the moment, Soledad. The fighting continues, as you say. More than 1,000 troops in Operation Matador, as the military is now calling it, moving through western Iraq, against those foreign fighters that they have known have been out there. They tell us more than 100 insurgents have been killed.

But a key development today in the U.S. military strategy, as we look at that map. What they tell us is that U.S. troops have now secured a key bridge over the Euphrates River. That, they believe, will keep pushing the insurgents north, keep them from crossing south of the river and staging more attacks.

Now, as the fighting goes on, there is a reporter embedded with those troops, a reporter for "The Chicago Tribune," James Jenega. We spoke to earlier this morning. He recounted, as he moved with those U.S. forces, how the fighting unfolded over the weekend.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMES JENEGA, "CHICAGO TRIBUNE" REPORTER: The majority of the Marine units that were going to push across the Euphrates River were gathered on the south bank of the Euphrates River, near the town of Ubati (ph). Ubati was behind them, on the south side of the river. And as they were waiting to put bridging equipment across the river there, they began taking mortar fire, some pretty exact mortar fire, as well as small arms fire from the town. The Marines had not intended to make it part of their operation, but were taking such intense fire from behind them, that they smartly turned around and went into the town itself, the fighting lasted most of the day Sunday and part of the morning on Monday.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STARR: That's what the climate of the fight is all about, Soledad. They're moving through small towns, small villages, rooting out the insurgents as they find them. The fighting continues today, and they say it may go on for several more days, Soledad.

O'BRIEN: And, Barbara, all of this is the direct response to these car bombs we keep reporting?

STARR: Indeed. U.S. military officials tell us, you know, the answer to the difficult question, why now? It has been known that the foreign fighters are out in the region near Syria. So why are they moving against them now? It is partially new intelligence, but partially, Soledad, as you say, also a response to this rise in violence.

The suicide car bomb attacks another staggering statistic. During April, they estimate there were 135 car bomb attacks in Iraq, mostly in this area in Baghdad and to the west, 135 car bombs; about half were suicide car bombs. That's what they believe these foreign fighters are staging. And they tell us they've seen yet another new technique. People driving these cars laden with explosives, and they don't even know, they're not told that they're driving car bombs. So an effort to really move against the violence -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: What a terrible new wrinkle there. Barbara Starr at the Pentagon for us. Barbara, thanks.

Let's get right to Carol Costello now for a look at some of the other stories that are making headlines this morning.

Carol, good morning.

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

Now in the news, President Bush is heading back to Washington after a four-nation tour of Europe. The president and the first lady left the former Soviet republic of Georgia just a short time ago. Earlier this morning, the president addressed crowds in freedom square in Tbilisi, telling them, quote, "The American people will stand with you."

In northern Illinois, police say they have questioned several people, including family members in connection with the stabbing deaths of two second-graders. The girls, one eight years old, the other nine, disappeared on Sunday night. Their bodies found in a city park the following morning. "The Chicago Tribune" reports police have also taken clothing worn by some family members, but they still have no solid leads in this case.

Georgia authorities say they hope to make a decision by early next week about possible charges against the so-called runaway bride. Duluth city officials estimate they spent more than $43,000 looking for Jennifer Wilbanks. The woman's future father-in-law spoke publicly Monday night, thanking authorities for their quick response in the early hours of the case.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I just wanted to use this as a public forum to congratulate the city on their professionalism, and the way they handled themselves throughout this is just gratifying for me and it makes me so glad to be a citizen here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: An attorney for the city is expected to meet with Wilbanks' lawyer to discuss possible restitution, which could include community service.

And a big surprise, Oscar winner Rene Zellweger is now Mrs. Kenny Chesney. A spokeswoman confirms the actress married the country music singer on Monday in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Zellweger met Chesney in January at a tsunami-relief benefit. No word on a honeymoon for the new Hollywood/national couple. Chesney's next concert is scheduled for Thursday in Little Rock, Arkansas.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HEMMER: Life sure is good for Mike Smith. He's the jockey who turned the Run for the Roses on Saturday into the ride of his life. Smith guided a 50-to-1 longshot named Giacomo to victory at the Derby. It was his first derby win in 12 tries. And Mike Smith is in the studio this morning. Great to see you.

MIKE SMITH, DERBY-WINNING JOCKEY: Thank you.

HEMMER: And congratulations.

In the interest of full disclosure, you were not on my radar before the race began Saturday.

SMITH: We weren't on too many people's radar to tell you the truth, but we had a lot of confidence in him, believe it or not. We thought he was coming up in the race in great order and loved his last couple of serious works that he had to do before the Derby, and was doing really well, so... HEMMER: That's got to be a great sign, too.

Watch the monitor up there, Mike, a second here. We're going to play the homestretch.

SMITH: OK.

HEMMER: And I was watching you hit that horse, a lot. Take us through it.

SMITH: Well, right in here, I ducked to the inside and then got pushed out just a little bit there by Wilco right in there, and was fortunate enough to split horses right here, and then I got busy.

HEMMER: Wow.

SMITH: Now it was time to win the derby.

HEMMER: I heard you say throughout the entire race, wherever you pointed the horse, the horse went in that direction.

SMITH: He really did. I mean, he handled the mile-and-a-quarter distance very well. And I knew it was going to be a very fast pace and it was important to get him to relax, you know, the first part of it, and hopefully find seams to get through and follow horses that were moving forward.

HEMMER: That was great to watch, too. Now the NBC reporter comes up to you, right. You're huffing and puffing on top of Giacomo after this thing. And you said the first time you ever sat on top of Giacomo, you said to the owner, or was it the trainer, you said, you know what, I think we've got a shot at the derby with this horse. Is that a fact?

SMITH: It was actually the trainer. What I told him was I had ridden Giacomo's father, who has Holy Bull. He was a great, great horse that I rode. And I just told him he reminded me a lot of him, and he's got that kind of ability, and this might be our derby horse. And just to have gotten there was pretty neat. And then to go on and win it was incredible.

HEMMER: Holy Bull finished a disappointed, what is it, 12th in 1994?

SMITH: I believe it was 12th.

HEMMER: But went on to be the horse of the year. So there's some excellent pedigree with this horse, Giacomo.

SMITH: Exactly.

HEMMER: You finished what three times, second place in the derby?

SMITH: Three times, second. I was second last year to Smarty Jones. HEMMER: You're going to be 40 pretty soon, in August?

SMITH: Pretty soon.

HEMMER: Were you thinking that, man, this thing's never going to come my way?

SMITH: I was starting to. You know, you start to, because I've been very fortunate to have ridden some great horses in the derby, and it eluded me. I've been second, and second and second, you know. So to finally have gotten through, now I can breathe.

HEMMER: And breathe well, too.

"The New York Times" had this headline this week, "Rivals Think Derby Winner is Beatable at the Preakness."

SMITH: Certainly they're going to say that because he was a longshot and he pulled it off. It was a real fast pace that came back to him. But what a lot of people don't know, that he's just getting better. And I don't think you've seen the best of him yet. You'll start seeing it now. He'll start showing it.

HEMMER: Do you know, the thing about -- Smarty Jones was so cool.

SMITH: Yes, and...

HEMMER: The Funny Side was cool two years before that. How is the horse responding now with the cameras and the people and the attention that comes with this victory?

SMITH: He's taking it like a champ. You ought to see him.

HEMMER: Yes?

SMITH: Oh, the next morning, all the press was out there and he just -- he's a lot like his father. His father was a big ham, you know, he loved the cameras. And he's a lot like him. He doesn't get nervous around them a lot. As a matter of fact, when he starts hearing them snap, he puts his ears up and poses for them.

HEMMER: So he like the attention?

SMITH: He seems to love it.

HEMMER: How do you feel about the Preakness? Two weeks and counting.

SMITH: Very good. You know, we're just going to -- keep riding the ride, you know. We're going to have fun in every race and not let the pressure build up too much and just have a good time and let him show his stuff.

HEMMER: Good luck to you.

SMITH: Thank you.

HEMMER: Happy birthday early. Mike Smith out New Mexico.

SMITH: I appreciate it. Thank you.

HEMMER: Thanks for making time for us. We'll be watching.

SMITH: You bet. Thank you so much.

HEMMER: All right, here's Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Ahead in business news this morning, the godfather comes back to life with an IPO offer you can't refuse. Andy explains as he minds your business ahead.

And we're "Paging Dr. Gupta." He says eating more might actually be the key to lowering your cholesterol. It all depends on what you're eating. That's up next on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: We are "Paging Dr. Gupta" this morning about cutting the fat from your diet. It might help you lose weight, but will it make you any healthier? As Sanjay tells us, that's a question that Stanford University researchers put to the test.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): How's this for a piece of advice? If you want to lower your cholesterol, eat more. Yep, go ahead. Researchers from Stanford have found that if you switch your diet to more plant-derived foods, you'll be getting a blend of good cholesterol-lowering chemicals. And the more of these chemicals, the better the effect.

(on camera): Well, I really like specifics, so I decided to put this to the test in my own kitchen. You remember in the mid-90s, the focus was on a low-fat diet, according to the American Heart Association.

So this is what a meal would look like. For example, for breakfast, a plain bagel, one tablespoon of jelly, three tablespoons of cream cheese. You get a cup of coffee, you get eight ounces of grape juice in the morning, as well. For lunch, a turkey/baloney sandwich with a tomato, as well. A cup and a half of potato chips and a caffeine-free diet coke. If you wanted snacks throughout the day, you got a couple of Snackwells cookies. Remember those? For dinner, you got two cups of potato chicken casserole. You also got eight ounces of apple juice. Now that was going to be your traditional low- fat diet of the mid '90s.

By the time 2000 rolled around, there was much more focus not only on low fat, but also lowering your cholesterol. The first thing you'll notice here, there's a lot more food.

First of all, for breakfast, you get two cups of whole grain oatmeal, you get some raisins sprinkled on top, a half a cup of blueberries. Some green tea as well. Ten ounces of soy milk. For lunch, a soy burger with a little cheddar cheese, an egg -- one egg -- and some confetti slaw. Also, eight ounces of carrot juice. Now, if you want snacks throughout the day on this diet, you get a half a cup of seedless grapes, seven pieces of licorice and again, some more sun- dried raisins. Now for dinner, the big meal here, two cups of garbanzo beans -- this is with tomato sauce. A cup and a half of whole grains. Two cups of essential salad, more green tea, and for dessert, one whole grain fudge cookie.

The big focus here -- what they were trying to figure out is which diet would actually lower your cholesterol further?

(voice-over): They found simply that those who ate the diet with more plant products did better. Specifically, those on a regular low fat diet saw their cholesterol levels drop nearly five percent. But those on the plant-based low-fat diet saw their bad cholesterol drop nearly twice as much, down 9.4 percent.

Now, in full disclosure, neither diet caused much weight loss or weight gain in the long-term. But the evidence is clear. With certain foods, you can eat as much as you want and still lower your cholesterol.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: Dietitians say when you're planning a plant-based diet, consider whole grains and vegetables, especially red peppers, carrots, broccoli and cabbage. But, they say, you should avoid iceberg lettuce.

HEMMER: Another health note, Soledad: men who want to prevent diabetes may want to head for the dairy counter. A new Harvard study says that men who eat low-fat dairy products every day may reduce their risk of developing type two diabetes. That's the most common form of the disease. Low-fat milk, yogurt and cheese -- said they worked the best, although researchers say they still do not know why. That study's out today.

Bumble Bee is about to put its brand name on one of the fastest growing products in the supermarket. That story's up after a break on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody.

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: At the top of our business report this morning, we want to note for the record that Andy Serwer is the customer of the week at the Rockefeller Center Starbucks.

O'BRIEN: Yes, well done.

CAFFERTY: If you go in there, you get a discount if they say they know you, right?

ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: FOA, if you're a friend of Andy's yes.

O'BRIEN: They've got his picture up.

CAFFERTY: And if you say you've never heard of him, the coffee's free.

SERWER: Very good. I knew that was a set-up.

CAFFERTY: Talking about fish oil.

SERWER: Yes, we're going to talk about fish oil. Actually a couple of oil stories, but it's not what you think. Your stockbroker may be calling you very soon to make an offer that you can't refuse. A company called Jenco is going public. And if that sounds familiar to you, it should, because that was the name of the fictitious company run by Vito Corleone in "The Godfather." Remember Jenco Olive Oil. Importers of olive oil, that's all we do.

CAFFERTY: That's all, we're in the olive oil business.

SERWER: That's all we do. We're just...

CAFFERTY: Just some humble guys trying to make an honest living.

SERWER: Leave the gun, bring the IPO.

Jenco Shipping is the name of the company, and it's a perfectly legitimate company, I think. It's in the transport business. They carry coal and those sorts of things in ships, and they say that they've got nothing to do with the other company. It's kind of a generic name. I guess it's inevitable.

CAFFERTY: Yes.

SERWER: Now, here's the second oil story. This is fish oil. See, the first one was olive oil.

CAFFERTY: It's a theme show.

SERWER: Yes, no crude oil involved here at all. Fish oil. One of the fastest growing nutritional supplements in the world. Ten years ago, sales about $30 million in the United States. Today, over $300 million. And guess who's getting in the business? It makes sense. Bumble Bee. Bubble Bee-brand fish oil tablets will be coming to a drug store near you soon in July. $6.99 for a bottle. And get this, $9.99 for a bottle that's vanilla-flavored scented. So that it doesn't smell like fish oil.

HEMMER: What if you're friend of Andy?

SERWER: Well, probably $5.99.

And it makes sense, because I bet Bumble Bee has got a lot of fish oil lying around, not on the floor, but...

(CROSSTALK)

CAFFERTY: One of my daughters got me a bottle of cod liver oil, but they're capsules so you just take them. And she said it would help improve my memory.

SERWER: yes.

O'BRIEN: Did it?

CAFFERTY: I don't remember to take them usually. No, but I mean, she really did. She said -- she reads all this health stuff. She said, you know, should take this fish oil.

SERWER: You say I tell the bad jokes.

CAFFERTY: Yes, well, that was a terrible joke, but I really did get a bottle.

SERWER: All right, that's enough of that.

CAFFERTY: Futures? Yes.

SERWER: I want talk about the markets very quickly. Yesterday a good one for investors. You can see the Dow was up 38 points, and Nasdaq trying to get back to 2000. Futures a little bit lower this morning, though, Jack.

CAFFERTY: All right, thanks, Andy.

SERWER: You're welcome.

CAFFERTY: Time for the "File," as promised. There we are. Time for the "File," as promised. I'll wait until you guys catch up. A stray dog in Nairobi, Kenya has rescued an abandoned baby girl. Look at these pictures. The dog found the baby wrapped in a plastic bag, picked her up, carried her across a busy road, through a barbed wire fence, to a shed, where she had a litter of her own puppies. Local children found the baby after hearing her cries and found the dog lying protectively beside the child. That's just one of the coolest things ever.

SERWER: That's very cool.

CAFFERTY: I mean, that brings a tear to your eye. No joke. I mean, that's pretty neat. And people think they're dumb animals.

In a age where we're all in debt, and we are -- credit card, mortgages, car loans, et cetera. Here's a refreshing story about the value of living within your means. George Kyle worked 46 years as a clerk for the St. Louis, Missouri public library. There's old George. He never made more than $18,000 a year. Coworkers say he ate the same thing for lunch every day for 46 years, a baloney sandwich on white bread with two graham crackers. But he saved his money. And when he died two years ago at the age of 88, he left the library a gift of $350,000. He wants the money to be used to buy books.

HEMMER: Here's to George. Well done.

O'BRIEN: Wow.

CAFFERTY: And in North Carolina, if you're not married, you best not be living together. Shacking up has been against the law in the Tarheel state for 200 years, and now the ACLU has filed a lawsuit on behalf of 40-year-old Debra Hobbs who said she had to quit her job as a sheriff's dispatcher because she wouldn't marry her live-in boyfriend. Pender (ph) County Sheriff Carson Smith told Hobbs to get married, move out or find another job. He said Hobbs' employment was a moral issue for him, as well as a legal question. Seven states currently have laws that ban cohabitation.

HEMMER: Only seven?

CAFFERTY; Just seven, yes. The rest of us are in the 20th century or maybe a little ahead. But there are seven mired back there somewhere prior to that.

O'BRIEN: Interesting.

HEMMER: Thank you, Jack.

SERWER: I wonder what's going on with that sheriff. I mean, come on.

CAFFERTY: He's an idiot.

O'BRIEN: Moral issues.

SERWER: Just catch the criminals. Get out on I-95 and catch the drug traffickers that come north from Florida with carloads of cocaine and marijuana, and don't worry about who's living with whom in your department there.

HEMMER: And another thing!

O'BRIEN: Just one solution.

HEMMER: Keep your eye on the proverbial ball, come on.

O'BRIEN: Thanks, Jack.

In just a moment, proof that money cannot buy happiness. A Florida man finally gives up the fight for the swamp that he calls home. Well, now, he's a whole lot richer and a whole lot more miserable. We'll explain his story ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

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