Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live At Daybreak

Bird Flu Basics; Who is Judge Alito?

Aired November 01, 2005 - 06:31   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

ANNOUNCER: From the Time Warner center in New York, this is DAYBREAK with Carol Costello.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning to you. Thank you for waking up with us. We'll take a look at your forecast in just a minute.

Also coming up this half-hour, all about the avian flu. Dr. Sanjay Gupta has the skinny on what you need to know about the bird flu.

And the supreme choice. Just who is Judge Alito? We'll talk to one of his former law clerks.

But first, "Now in the News."

Israeli forces rounded up nearly two dozen suspected Palestinian militants in overnight raids this weekend in the West Bank. A military source says 13 members of Islamic jihad are among the 23 people taken into custody.

Eunice Kennedy Shriver is in the hospital this morning. The 84- year-old sister of the late President John F. Kennedy was hospitalized Saturday at UCLA Medical Center. She had a minor stroke.

The body of civil rights icon Rosa Parks has been returned to Detroit after being honored beneath the Rotunda at the Capitol in Washington. People will pay their respects at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African-American History through tomorrow. Parks died Monday at the age of 92.

To the forecast center now.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: Turning now to the bird flu and how to prevent it. That's the president's focus this morning as he lays out his strategy for dealing with a possible worldwide flu outbreak.

The White House press secretary says that strategy will include fighting a flu outbreak as soon as it appears, containing it and then treating it, developing strong protections against the flu, such as vaccines and antiviral treatments. And the government would respond quickly to save lives.

The president unveils his strategy plans more specifically for a flu pandemic at 10:10 Eastern this morning. Of course, we will bring that you live right here on CNN.

Health experts fear the flu that's currently causing concern about birds in Europe and Asia could one day spread rapidly from person to person, triggering that deadly pandemic that could kill millions of us.

CNN medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta has more for you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Avian flu, or H5N1, has infected more than 100 people so far in at least 10 countries.

ROBERT WEBSTER, ST. JUDE CHILDREN'S RESEARCH HOSPITAL: The virus in Asia is killing more than 50 percent of humans infected. If this virus learns to transmit human to human and maintains that level of killing humans, we've got a global catastrophe.

GUPTA: Under electron microscope, flu viruses look like spiky creatures, akin to tiny hedgehogs. H5N1 may seem unassuming in the lab, but, to be sure, it has the ability to cause a public health crisis.

In fact, experts say that H5N1 resembles the strain responsible for the 1918 flu pandemic. That strain mutated to spread between people and ultimately killed as many as 50 million around the world.

Today, there have been handful of human-to-human transmissions of avian influenza, but it certainly does not spread easily.

But scientists warn that H5N1 could change to become an explosive killer. That is, it could mutate on its own, like the 1918 flu did, or it could combine with the common flu that circulates every year.

Here's what I mean. Let's say this chicken farmer has the regular flu, which always spreads like wildfire from person to person. Then, he gets infected with H5N1 from one of his chickens. Now, both viruses are in his cells, where they exchange some of their eight genes. That's called reassortment.

If they shuffle the genes just right, the H5N1 strain can pick up the gene that makes it easy to pass from person to person, just like the winter flu does. And that is the biggest fear of all.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Again, the president will be speaking about this at 10:10 Eastern Time. CNN will carry his remarks live later this morning.

Let's talk about New Orleans. It's at odds with environmentalists about how to dispose of all of that debris following Hurricane Katrina. Miles O'Brien joins us live from New Orleans with what's ahead on "AMERICAN MORNING."

Good morning, Miles.

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Carol.

There are all kinds of issues related to the debris. We were flying over some of the levees and landfills yesterday. And we saw about 100,000 refrigerators that were just lying out there on top of a landfill, requiring, first of all, to be pressure washed, the Freon chlorofluorocarbons removed, not to mention whatever is inside the refrigerators.

Huge environmental problems here at all kinds of landfills that have been closed and had to reopened. And the concern long-run is what does this mean for the environment?

In addition today, Carol, we're going to talk about neighborhoods and getting back into neighborhoods. And what is it going to take to get people to feel confident enough to come back to their homes and start rebuilding?

Among other things, they're probably going to want some levees that can handle a category 5 storm. And that won't be very easy to build -- Carol.

COSTELLO: No. It's going to be really expensive, too. Thank you, Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes.

COSTELLO: The British royals are coming for an American visit. But does anybody care? Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, arrive in New York today. The prince got a grand reception during an official visit some 20 years ago, but that time he had Princess Diana by his side.

A new CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll asked you about the royal arrival. Less than 20 percent of you said you were even interested in the visit. Eighty-one percent say they didn't really care.

Well, what about a face-to-face meeting with the royal couple? Would that make it more interesting? Again, there does not seem to be much interest. Only 19 percent would take the opportunity.

In contrast, 30 percent of you would like to meet up with Princes William and Harry.

In other news across America now.

Nearly half-a-million commuters in Philadelphia face another day without public transportation. The city's transit workers went on strike over wages and health care costs. Workers currently pay nothing for their health care. Union talks are planned. A federal fake flu shot hearing continues today in Texas. The man at the center of the alleged fraud is being held without bond. Prosecutors say the man gave nurses shots of phony flu vaccine to administer to nursing home patients. The man then charged Medicare for the service.

Riders of a Busch Gardens rollercoaster in Tampa got a little more excitement than they might have wanted. The coaster stopped in mid-ride, leaving 24 passengers hanging. You see them there. A park spokesman says the ride's computer system detected a problem, and it halted the ride as a precaution. Everyone got down safely.

Still to come on DAYBREAK, what will happen to Wall Street today after the Fed meets?

And the inside scoop on the president's new Supreme Court nominee.

But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Tuesday.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: A question this morning: With Alan Greenspan on his way out, will the Federal Reserve keep raising interest rates?

Chris Huntington joins us with a preview of today's Fed meeting.

So, what's going to happen?

CHRIS HUNTINGTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, the short answer is probably yes. Almost certainly yes, at least in the near term.

Today, Alan Greenspan will preside over one of his last meetings as chairman of the Federal Reserve. There will be one more in December and one more in January, where he will still have the reins at the Fed, but before he turns over to Ben Bernanke, who will most likely continue what Chairman Greenspan has set in motion.

It is widely expected that today the Federal Reserve policymakers will continue raising rates. It would be their 12th rate hike in a row, bringing interest rates up to 4 percent -- sorry, the short-term interest rates up to 4 percent.

The Fed is trying to curb inflation, of course, which has been somewhat on the rise, even if you exclude the runaway increases in energy prices. And inflation is still starting to poke up just a bit.

The Fed doesn't want to slam the brakes on too hard and slow economic growth. That was something that Greenspan was criticized for maybe giving of the last recession.

They are looking for a delicate balance, the so-called soft landing. The search for that balance has sent the stock market on a rollercoaster recently. Last Thursday, you may recall, the Dow lost more than 100 points after a government report showed some weakness in sales of so-called big ticket items -- refrigerators. Long-lasting items were not selling so well.

Friday, however, the Dow regained that and even more when the latest reading on the economy, the gross domestic product, came in at a pretty strong 3.8 percent. When you consider that energy prices have been very high, a lot of economists were surprised and indeed emboldened by that reading. Still, that could be revised lower, as it often is.

So, the stock market is basically, Carol, chopping wildly. But if you look at the numbers, it's pretty much where it has been for about the last year-and-a-half.

So, not a whole lot of change just if you go up and down sharply in these days, and it's a little disconcerting.

COSTELLO: I know. There is just much uncertainty in oil prices. I mean, that's good news today. It's below $60 a barrel.

HUNTINGTON: That's good news.

COSTELLO: At least it was, you know, yesterday.

HUNTINGTON: I think gas prices are coming back down a bit. The nationwide average is below $2.50. The likelihood that that will stay for any period of time is slim, because all indications point that demand is continuing to rise sharply on all fronts for all sorts of energy...

COSTELLO: The Christmas shopping season is coming.

HUNTINGTON: And, you know, economists put a lot of stock in that, in the Christmas shopping season. And there is always a lot of hammering about, oh, it's not going to be as good as last year. And then each year it seems to be just fine. Consumer spending in this country is still very, very strong. That's the main engine of growth.

COSTELLO: Chris Huntington, thank you.

Your news, money, weather and sports. It is 6:44 Eastern. Here's what's all new this morning.

Today, President Bush will announce his strategy in battling the next flu pandemic, whether it's caused by bird flu or some other strain of influenza. We'll cover his remarks live at 10:10 Eastern.

In money news, it is good to be the boss. A survey finds that a typical, a typical chief executive of the nation's largest companies got more than $5.5 million on compensation last year. That's the typical chief executive. That's up more than 30 percent from the year before.

In pop culture, Brad Pitt lends his voice to a special PBS documentary that begins tonight. The six-hour special focuses on global health issues and disease prevention in some of the world's poorest countries.

In sports, the Pittsburgh Steelers kept up their Monday night master with a winner over the Baltimore Ravens. The Steelers used a late -- well, that's not the field goal. But anyway, they used that late field goal to pull out a 20-19 win. Here it is. There it goes. Pittsburgh has now won the last 11 games on "Monday Night Football." So, the poor Baltimore Ravens go down to defeat.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: Still to come on DAYBREAK, the inside scoop on the president's new choice for the Supreme Court.

But first, it's time to say happy birthday.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Welcome back. It's 6:49 Eastern. Here's what will be making news today.

President Bush will announce a national plan to fight bird flu. It's expected to include plans to identify an outbreak as soon as it appears and work to contain and treat it.

Argentina prepares to host a summit of leaders of the Americas, which President Bush does plan to attend. But soccer great Diego Maradona is urging people to join him at an anti-Bush march at the site of the summit.

And Britain's Prince Charles and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, arrive in New York today. It's the couple's first official overseas trip together since they were married earlier this year.

Let's get right to our DAYBREAK mug question, shall we? Yes, it is your change to win a DAYBREAK coffee mug. And allow me to read you the questions for tomorrow.

The first one is, what is the number one myth about job references? And, what popular actor is lending his voice to a PBS documentary that begins airing tonight?

Submit your answers online. The address is CNN.com/daybreak. That's CNN.com/daybreak. And you'll find out tomorrow if you won.

We haven't been able to do the DAYBREAK mug question lately because of breaking news. But we're glad we managed to get that cheesy segment back into DAYBREAK.

When we come back, more headlines and a look at your travel forecast. You are watching DAYBREAK for a Tuesday.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Now that President Bush has nominated Judge Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court, one thing is for sure: The president's conservative base is overjoyed with the choice.

Here's how Christian broadcaster Pat Robertson reacted to this election.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAT ROBERTSON, CHRISTIAN BROADCASTER: I think this is a grand slam homerun. I think the president has picked one of the most distinguished jurists in America. And I was listening to Senator Schumer, who would vote against anybody I think Bush put up. But to say that a man who was editor in chief of the Yale Law School "Law Review" is out of the mainstream is sort of stretching credulity a bit.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: If he is confirmed, Judge Alito could shift the balance of the Supreme Court and the laws we all live by for decades to come.

We've been hearing a lot about the official reaction since President Bush nominated him. But now let's talk to someone who knows Judge Alito on a more personal level.

Jay Jorgensen is a former law clerk of Judge Alito's who worked with him on the federal appeals court based in Philadelphia.

Good morning, Jay.

JAY JORGENSEN, FORMER ALITO LAW CLERK: Good morning.

COSTELLO: OK. So, this nickname that everyone has attached to him, "Scalito." That's got a lot of people who write editorials this morning upset. I mean, does he deserve that nickname? And what does it mean?

JORGENSEN: I really don't think so. I think it's just a factor of somebody being cute, that the two names fit together. And, you know, some people have said that there is something unfair in that it's just racial stereotypes; that they're both Italian, and they're trying to fold together their names.

Well, I can say from having worked with him that his approach to cases is much more like what we've been told John Roberts' approach to cases is than Justice Scalia's.

He's very thoughtful, very cautious and very reluctant to overturn precedence, which is more in the...

COSTELLO: Well, he's very conservative, too. Is that a fair statement?

JORGENSEN: I think that is a fair statement. He's -- I would call him a mainstream conservative. And what I mean...

COSTELLO: Well, what exactly is that? Because we were trying to come up with a definition as to what a mainstream conservative is.

JORGENSEN: You know, "The Washington Post" has a really good discussion today, and I think it hits it right on the head. It says that Judge Alito's precedence, the way he approaches cases, is really looking to just apply the law as it is rather than radically change the law. Rather than looking to overturn the cases that have already been decided, he's just looking to follow them. And that was certainly my experience when I worked with him.

COSTELLO: Well, Jay, you know, a lot of Democrats, a lot of liberals, are concerned. And part of the reason they're concerned is because the judge's mother is speaking out.

Let's listen to a bit of what the judge's 90-year-old mother had to say about her son.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROSE ALITO, NOMINEE'S MOTHER: He's an ordinary person. He's very conscientious. He likes to do a good job. He works hard. Much more than that, he's always been that way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: And actually, her son called her and said, mom, you've got to stop talking to the press. She also apparently told her priest that, of course, her son is against abortion.

JORGENSEN: Well, I'll say that in all the years I've known Judge Alito -- and I have known him now for about a decade, and I've worked closely with him -- I have never seen him inject his personal views into a case. He leaves them at home. I didn't know what religion he was after working closely with him, deciding cases. I had no idea. He doesn't bring his religion to work.

It's possible, I guess, that in his personal life he might hold that political view. But this is one thing I can assure you of: Whatever his political views are on any issue, he won't be bringing them to work, and they won't go into his cases.

COSTELLO: Were you attached to the decision where he upheld the decision that a woman should inform her husband if she wants an abortion?

JORGENSEN: This is the Casey case. It was before my time, but it actually says something a little bit different than what you just said. Pennsylvania had a law requiring some wives in some instances to notify their husband before they had an abortion. But Judge Alito's opinion does not really endorse that. It just -- as a matter of fact, it openly questions whether that's good public policy.

Judge Alito's opinion just says, under the Supreme Court's case that was governing at that time, that he thought that the law was not unconstitutional, even if it was a bad idea.

COSTELLO: Jay Jorgensen, thank you for joining DAYBREAK this morning. We appreciate it.

JORGENSEN: Thank you.

COSTELLO: Bonnie, actually you have a travel update for all of those at the airports this morning already.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: From the Time Warner Center in New York, I'm Carol Costello. "AMERICAN MORNING" starts right now.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks, Carol. I'm Soledad O'Brien.

President Bush unveils his plan to prepare America for the risks of bird flu, which experts say could kill millions of people. Well, the $6 billion price tag could prevent a public health crisis and help the president in other ways, too.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.