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American Morning
Shelter Evacuees Moving Again; Pregnant Woman Attacked; Minding Your Business; New James Bond Chosen; 'New You' Checkup
Aired October 14, 2005 - 07:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Isn't he handsome?
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: No, he's not!
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, he is.
MILES O'BRIEN: He's not Bond. That is not Bond.
Crew, what could do you say? Pete?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not Bond.
MILES O'BRIEN: Not Bond.
Bruce, Bond or not Bond?
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: This is Daniel this is the actor . . .
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.
MILES O'BRIEN: No. No.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: This is the actor Daniel . . .
MILES O'BRIEN: We would say junk Bond.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: This is the actor Daniel Craig. He's British. And he's the new James Bond. They're moving away from Pierce Brosnan.
MILES O'BRIEN: Huge mistake!
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: He's what's he doing on the bridge with all the paparazzi?
COSTELLO: He's going to performing an incredible stunt . . .
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: Really?
COSTELLO: To prepared people for the James Bond movie. No.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: Wow.
MILES O'BRIEN: You think like a PR person.
Actually, I've dissected this. I've been thinking about this. I've been moving and they haven't been able to reach me. SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: Uh-huh. Anyway. Oops, we almost lost the shot there. Daniel Craig, 37. He was in a very well-known film called "Layer Cake." Oh, did you miss that?
COSTELLO: I did.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: Did you see that?
MILES O'BRIEN: Yes, he pops out of the cake, no clothes on. Yes.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: No, that's a whole different . . .
MILES O'BRIEN: Oh, that's another that's another that's Bond did.
COSTELLO: Actually, I just got some hot news.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: What's that?
COSTELLO: He's supposedly dating Sienna Miller, Jude Law's ex.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: Oh, yes, because he had that whole manny (ph) . . .
MILES O'BRIEN: I thought they were back together.
COSTELLO: No.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: Oh, come on, Sienna. Don't fall for that.
As we continue to circle the drain here this moaning . . .
MILES O'BRIEN: We are.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: Let's move on and talk about actually a very big story here in the Northeast, which is the weather, which is bad, just bad. Rain, rain, rain. Long Island getting hammered too.
Chad.
(WEATHER REPORT)
MILES O'BRIEN: Let's talk about what's going on this weekend. An important, pivotal moment, really, in the country of Iraq. The new Iraq. Carol Costello here with a little bit on that and other headlines for us.
Good morning, Carol.
COSTELLO: They're already voting today, at least some people are in Iraq. High alert in Baghdad ahead of the country's vote on a new draft constitution. Hundreds of police and army troops fanning out across Iraq to keep order. There was an explosion today outside of political offices in central Baghdad, but Iraqi police say no one injured. At least four polling sites came under attack late Thursday. In the meantime, some Iraqis have already cast early ballots but the official vote is tomorrow. Millions are expected at the polls. The referendum will pave the way for permanent leadership in Iraq.
The focus reportedly shifting now in Pakistan after that devastating earthquake. According to the Associated Press, authorities are officially calling off the rescue operation and moving into relief and recovery mode. A United Nations spokesman says there is less than a 1 percent chance of finding anyone still alive beneath the rubble. At least 23,000 people were killed in Saturday's quake. Some 2.5 million are left homeless. International aid, including heavy-duty military helicopters from the United States are now reaching the now. The UN relief coordinator said the choppers are "worth their weight in gold."
The plot thickens for former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay. A Texas prosecutor has issued subpoenas requesting phone records from DeLay's home and from his campaign office. Similar records from DeLay's daughter were also subpoenaed. DeLay is facing charges of money laundering and conspiracy in a Texas campaign finance case. He denies any wrongdoing.
The full version of the videotape showing a New Orleans man being beaten by police has now been released. The Associated Press has video of the entire incident that played out last Saturday on Bourbon Street. It shows one of the officers punching Robert Davis on the face. And once on the ground, Davis is heard yelling, "if you allow me to turn over, I will." Davis has pleaded not guilty to charges, including intoxication and resisting arrest. The three patrolmen face battery charges.
Losing everything. That is the toughest issue for some Katrina survivors. A new CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup Poll shows more than half of the evacuees polled already have returned home, 27 percent say they are planning to return and another 19 percent say they will not. But the numbers are drastically different for former residents of New Orleans. Only 5 percent of the people polled from there have returned home and only about half are planning to return home at all.
A New Orleans music legend is back home in New Orleans. Fats Domino returned to find his New Orleans house covered in sod. He's experienced what so many others have experienced.
MILES O'BRIEN: Look at his piano.
COSTELLO: Look at his piano.
MILES O'BRIEN: Look at his piano. I mean, think how many wonderful piece of music were created there.
COSTELLO: I know and what wonderful memories are gone. You know, he was rescued in the city's lower ninth ward some weeks ago.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: Yes, remember that.
COSTELLO: Rescued just like, you know, a lot of other people. MILES O'BRIEN: Fats is looking good, by the way. He's getting up there, isn't he?
COSTELLO: He's in his upper 70s.
MILES O'BRIEN: He looks great.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: But, you know, people come home and they see that and it just got to just rip their hearts out.
COSTELLO: And, by the way, you know, he's been staying in a crowded apartment with his daughter's boyfriend.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: Family.
COSTELLO: Yes.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: That's sad.
COSTELLO: That is tough for Fats Domino.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: Oh, sad for him. Sad for so many of the Katrina victims. I mean, you know, the truth is, his story is the same for so many. And, in fact, you know, thousands of the Katrina victims are still living in shelters.
One of those shelters, we actually is where we did the show from, that shelter, the River Center in Baton Rouge. Alina Cho spent the day there yesterday.
Alina, good morning.
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Soledad, good morning to you.
It is one of the largest shelters in the state and, yes, it is closing today. The mayor of Baton Rouge says simply needs it back. It needs $900,000 in repairs. And in just a month, it has lost $100,000 in revenue. Those are the numbers. But to the people who have been staying there, those numbers don't mean much.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHO, (voice over): Bonnie Vernon has been living on this cot in the Baton Rouge Convention Center for a month. Now, the city is shutting the shelter down so Vernon and the rest of the hurricane evacuees, all 500 of them, have to move again.
Where are you going next?
BONNIE VERNON, EVACUEE: I have no idea where I'm going.
CHO: Vernon got an offer to work construction at $20 an hour near New Orleans, but she can't get there because she doesn't have a car. She lost that, along with her home, in the storm.
VERNON: All I want now is to get my life in order and I don't want to be sent to another shelter, you know? I just want to be able to get me a place somewhere and go to work. And that's all I want to do.
CHO: Some evacuees are staying in hotels at FEMA's expense. Vernon will likely end up here in Baker, Louisiana, in a trailer park for evacuees. This one is nearly filled to capacity, so the town is getting more trailers. But there won't be enough. Kim Johnson is one of the lucky ones.
Air-conditioning in here?
KIM JOHNSON, EVACUEE: Yes.
CHO: Wow.
She moved from the convention center to her very own trailer on Wednesday.
What's the best part about it?
JOHNSON: The best part is privacy. That's the best part. I can go in there and shut the door.
CHO: On Thursday, Johnson and others got an additional boost and New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin paid them a visit.
MAYOR RAY NAGIN, NEW ORLEANS: You know what, I still see a lot of stress. I still see a lot of strain. But I also see a little glimmer of hope.
CHO: Bonnie Vernon isn't so optimistic. She's been waiting for federal assistance for more than a month.
VERNON: I would like to actually get my little bit of money I have coming from FEMA so I can get a car, so I can go to work and get my life back together again.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHO: FEMA has set a self-imposed deadline of tomorrow to get everyone out of the emergency shelters. But FEMA admits that deadline is unrealistic. And, Soledad, I can tell you from being at these shelters, that it is not only unrealistic, it will be impossible.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: So it's not going to happen.
Alina Cho for us this morning.
Alina, thank you.
Miles.
MILES O'BRIEN: Well here's a story that will give you pause this morning. Police in Pittsburgh say a woman clubbed another woman in her third trimester of pregnancy over the head, took her to the woods, cut her baby out of the womb. Were it not for a 17-year-old boy on an ATV who saw this happen, the woman would very likely be dead. Joining me now is Scott Andreassi. He is the district attorney for Armstrong County.
Mr. Andreassi, good to have you with us, on very troubling circumstances.
First of all, what is the condition this morning of the mother and the baby?
SCOTT ANDREASSI, ARMSTRONG COUNTY D.A.: The baby is doing very well. Was delivered by c-section yesterday morning. The mother, we understand, is improving, but still in critical condition.
MILES O'BRIEN: Is she expected to recover?
ANDREASSI: The hospital has indicated at this point that they anticipate recovery, but they're not willing to commit to that right now.
MILES O'BRIEN: All right.
Take us back now. What's the story as best you know it right now?
ANDREASSI: Based on our investigation and the evidence we've discovered, sometime yesterday morning, the attacker attacked her victim. Miss Conner attacked Ms. Oskin with a baseball bat in Ms. Oskin's trailer. And we believe she was knocked unconscious. At some point after that, she was transported to a rule area of Armstrong County. This was after the attacker had dropped off the victim's seven-year-old son at another relative's home in Ford City (ph).
MILES O'BRIEN: Can we stop there? So she actually took the seven-year-old in the car after having beaten the mother and dropped the seven-year-old off?
ANDREASSI: Yes. In fact, the seven-year-old, we know, was in the trailer when the attack occurred. What's not clear is if the seven-year-old witnessed the attack.
MILES O'BRIEN: Oh, the poor child. Has anybody had a chance to talk to the child?
ANDREASSI: We've asked Children Youth and Family to intervene and we're hoping to interview the child today.
MILES O'BRIEN: All right. Let's pick up the story from there. The seven-year-old is dropped off. What happens after that?
ANDREASSI: After that, they then traveled to a rural area of Armstrong County. This is also on the 12th of October. We believe that it was on arrival at that area that the slashing occurred where the attacker attempted to remove the child from Ms. Oskin's abdomen. And she would have been successful had the 17-year-old not come upon the scene while riding his four-wheeler.
MILES O'BRIEN: OK. A couple of things here. First of all, she actually cut with like a razor cutter of some kind?
ANDREASSI: We believe yes, we believe it was with a razor blade.
MILES O'BRIEN: An long and old scar from a previous c-section, is that correct?
ANDREASSI: That's what we understand, yes.
MILES O'BRIEN: Had the 17-year-old, who was riding an ATV, had he not come by, what would of happened?
ANDREASSI: It's our opinion and the medical indications are that the victim would of bled to death because she was not receiving any medical care at all. And, of course, that leaves open the question, what would have happened then with the baby.
MILES O'BRIEN: So is this an attempted murder?
ANDREASSI: Yes.
MILES O'BRIEN: OK.
ANDREASSI: She is being charged with attempted first-degree murder.
MILES O'BRIEN: OK. A first-degree premeditated.
ANDREASSI: Yes.
MILES O'BRIEN: Tell us about what you know about the premeditation here. The allegation here is that the suspect told people, or at least her partner, that she was pregnant.
ANDREASSI: Yes. In fact, she not only told her partner, she made it known to the community that she was pregnant, substantial amount of the way along her pregnancy. When we executed a search warrant in her trailer, we discovered what you would expect to see an expectant mother would have, bassinets, blankets, swings, every indication that there would be a baby arriving soon, very soon. In fact, she had made comments to friends and family that day or the day prior that she was expecting a child very soon.
MILES O'BRIEN: Had she been pregnant or was she pregnant ever in this time frame?
ANDREASSI: According to the information we have from the hospital, tests that were conducted yesterday morning on the, I guess it would be the 13th of October now, she was not pregnant.
MILES O'BRIEN: Scott Andreassi is the Armstrong County district attorney. Thanks for your time.
ANDREASSI: You're quite welcome. Thank you.
MILES O'BRIEN: All right. So how's that for a way to start your day?
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: Wow. That's you know what I find weird about those stories? And we've covered probably three or four high profile one. In almost every case that I can recall, the woman who's accused of stealing the baby has children already.
MILES O'BRIEN: Yes.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: And this woman had three children of her own.
MILES O'BRIEN: There's the mystifying thing. I mean it's . . .
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: Bizarre.
MILES O'BRIEN: It's hard to understand what's going on in the mind. But you could understand in a childless family, somebody desperately wanting a child, how that might occur. In any case . . .
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: So bizarre. So bizarre.
MILES O'BRIEN: That 17-year-old is a hero. We'd love to talk to him. Maybe we can get him tomorrow.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: Yes, no question.
MILES O'BRIEN: Well, not tomorrow but Monday maybe.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: Or tomorrow. You could work on Saturday.
MILES O'BRIEN: I'll be in. I'll be in.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: Ahead this morning, guess what? Famed Director Steven Spielberg's got a new gig. Andy's going to tell us about it as he minds your business just ahead. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: All right. He's already an Oscar winning director, but now he's got a new gig. I'm talking about Steven Spielberg and we're talking about it with Andy Serwer. Sorry.
ANDY SERWER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's OK.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: We're "Minding Your Business" this morning.
SERWER: It's Friday.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: I know but I usually get your last name right.
SERWER: You do. You do.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: Good morning.
SERWER: Good morning to you.
Steven Spielberg, master story teller, will be making video games. You know we've been telling you for a while how the video game business is as big as Hollywood. And, of course, the graphics and the videos are getting almost as good as movies, so why not have confluence of these two businesses.
Stephen Spielberg will be making three video games for Electronic Arts, which is, of course, a giant in the video game business. They do the Sims and Madden Football. And he's not going to be making these games based off of previous movies like "Raiders of the Lost Arc" or "E.T." or "Saving Private Ryan." They're going to be original stories. So he's really going to be bringing that storytelling mindset to games, which is interesting stuff.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: And tons of money in gaming.
SERWER: Oh yes.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: Tons and tons of money.
SERWER: Yes. As if he needs it.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: Well, you know, you can always use a little, right?
SERWER: Always use a little bit more, that's right.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: I think that's always the mantra there.
You got a look at the markets?
SERWER: Indeed. Yesterday, a mixed session on Wall Street. Still dancing around look at inflation and corporate earnings. And more to come today, Soledad. At 8:30 Eastern we get a key inflation report, the September CPI, inflation for that month. And General Electric earnings are out and they're looking pretty good, so futures are up this morning.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: All right, Andy, thank you.
SERWER: You're welcome.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: Check in with you again.
Miles.
MILES O'BRIEN: It's a role made famous by Sean Connery. That's my Bond accent.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: Please, no! Please, no! No!
MILES O'BRIEN: There were those terrible Roger Moore years and then, more recently, Pierce Brosnan. And this just in this morning, breaking news, in super spy style, the new James Bond was announced. He doesn't look the part, I don't think. Sibila Vargas has a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PIERCE BROSNAN, ACTOR: Bond. James Bond.
SIBILA VARGAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): Move over, Pierce Brosnan, there's a new bond in town. And for the very first time, this bond is blonde.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE, ACTOR: You're joking!
VARGAS: After months of speculation, the identity of the new 007 was finally revealed as British Actor Daniel Craig, which poses the question.
DANIEL CRAIG, ACTOR: (INAUDIBLE).
NICKI GOSTIN, "NEWSWEEK": He's quite well-known in England. He's been around for quite a few years and he's done some movies that people would have seen but he certainly has not been in one big hit that everyone immediately knows who he is.
CRAIG: I am the future. So don't you ever talk to me that way again.
VARGAS: Craig's past includes "Road to Perdition" where he played Paul Newman's psychopathic son, a role chasing Angelina Jolie in "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider," and a womanizing poet opposite Gwyneth Paltro in "Sylvia." In his latest film, "Layer Cake," he played the crafty drug dealer.
CRAIG: Don't take this personally. It's business.
VARGAS: Some say his versatility is just the right thing to stir things up.
BROSNAN: Shaken, not stirred.
VARGAS: Craig is now the sixth man to take on the formidable franchise, which has grossed $1.3 billion in North America alone.
CRAIG: There's a lot that goes with playing a part like that. There, obviously, there's a lot of money to be made in playing a part like that. But there's also a lot to lose.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you ready, Mr. Bond?
VARGAS: Craig may be ready for 007 fame, but are audiences prepared for a blonde Bond?
LEAH ROSEN, "PEOPLE" MAGAZINE: Hey, blondes have more fun. We'll see.
VARGAS: Sibila Vargas, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MILES O'BRIEN: I said the question I ask our audience and I ask you, Soledad, is, what is wrong with this picture? Roll the tape. Roll the tape, Manny (ph), please. SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: Oh, I know.
MILES O'BRIEN: Take a look. Take a look. Oh, it's my telestrator (ph) just went dead. Oh, James Bond wearing a life jacket? Give me a break!
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: And he doesn't look manly there. I'm sorry! I'm sorry. I hate to say it.
MILES O'BRIEN: A life jacket. Come on!
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: I know. I know.
MILES O'BRIEN: That is so un Bondy (ph).
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: But, you know, they've got time before they start shooting. They're going to clean him up and make him look tough.
MILES O'BRIEN: With slick backed hair.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: Who knows if he'll really be blonde when the movie comes out.
MILES O'BRIEN: Maybe they can change that.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: They can change that.
MILES O'BRIEN: They can change all these things.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: That's not hard to fix.
MILES O'BRIEN: Fix it in post (ph).
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: They can make him suave. Please try.
Still to come this morning, Dr. Sanjay Gupta has a final "New You" checkup this morning. We're talking about Sandra Garth. Remember Sandra? She weighed 200 pounds when the year started but look at her now! We're going to show you the videotape in just a little bit. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: Remember back in January when five people participated in our "New You" revolution? Each one wanted to break a bad habit and try to form a healthy one. Well today we're checking in on our final participant, Sandy Garth, Sandra Garth. Remember at the end of eight weeks she had come out and spoken publicly about her depression. She'd also lost more than 15 pounds. The question now, was she able to keep it off? Here's a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SANDRA GARTH: I can just think back to when I first got started, when I went for that physical, everything hurt all the time and my blood pressure was through the roof.
SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): As a fitness instructor, Sandra Garth was always in shape. But when she got arthritis, her exercising stop and her love for food got the upper hand.
GARTH: (INAUDIBLE) I'm a junk food junky, I'm a chocoholic. I like everything that is not good for me.
GUPTA: And so the weight started to creep up. When her "New You" revolution began, she weighed in at 200 pounds.
GARTH: I started out in January. I was wearing a size 18.
GUPTA: So we enlisted the help of M-Fit, the health promotion division at the University of Michigan to teach Sandra how to eat better, control portion sizes, exercise safely. One important tool, a pedometer.
GARTH: They said, well you've got to do 10,000. And I wasn't working out and I was just wearing it. And I'm like, how on earth am I going to get 10,000 steps?
GUPTA: But she did by walking and walking and exercising and walking. And we watched as weight began to drop.
GARTH: So that is awesome! Seven pounds.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Seven pounds in four weeks.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That is fantastic.
GARTH: I've lost 13 pounds.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. You've lost 13 pounds.
GUPTA: And at the end of our eight-week program.
GARTH: No! Nineteen pounds? Nineteen pounds?
GUPTA: But could she continue to lose the weight? This is how Sandra looked at the beginning of the "New You" revolution. This is Sandra eight months later.
GARTH: The last time I weighed was in the first part of August. And according to that scale, it was 145, down from 200 in January.
GUPTA: She now wears a size 10.
GARTH: I wanted to be fit at 50 and I wanted to be fabulous at 50. Well, I'm on my way to fit. I'm really close to it. When you know you're eating to be healthy, not just to wear a smaller size, that's the best motivation in the world.
GUPTA: Which is why Sandra is confident this time the weight will stay off. Dr. Sanjay Gupta for the "New You" revolution.
MILES O'BRIEN: Give it up for Sandra. Wow!
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: Yes, good for her. But, you know, you can see she's so, so motivated.
MILES O'BRIEN: Yes.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: And she really pushed herself each and every day and that's hard to do without you know, with a camera following you and also without.
MILES O'BRIEN: Yes, but, you know, it reminds me of which one was it that went a little too fast and hurt himself? He was trying to . . .
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: Oh, Harald Fricker.
MILES O'BRIEN: Harald. Now she was committed over the long haul and was able to pull that off by just staying committed for the full period of time. Wow. That's what a great story.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: Yes. Well, you know, congratulations to all of them. It's hard to agree to do and it's hard to do.
And now we're looking for more because we got another "New You," another new year coming up in a bit.
MILES O'BRIEN: A new them this time.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: Yes.
MILES O'BRIEN: They're couples.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: Yes, we're doing couples. Three couples, three pairs who want to be fit in the new year.
MILES O'BRIEN: So, you think you've got what it takes to be featured and a part of this next challenge? The place to go to sign up is cnn.com/am. Sign up. Put in the forms in triplicate and we will consider them, as they say.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: We're in. We're doing it this year.
MILES O'BRIEN: Yes, we're doing it.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: What's ahead this morning?
MILES O'BRIEN: Informally anyhow.
We'll meet a family we told you what are their names again? I lost it. They're all j's.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: Oh, the Duggars (ph).
MILES O'BRIEN: Yes, the Duggars are coming up.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: Duggars.
MILES O'BRIEN: Yes, baby number 16 has arrived but they're not stopping. They're not stopping.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: On Tuesday. Yes. These kids are cute.
MILES O'BRIEN: Apparently, the dad is into politics and he's just trying to build a constituency. So we'll tell you more about that in just a moment.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: It's working. We're back . . .
MILES O'BRIEN: Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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