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American Morning

Hostage Deadline In Iraq; High Cost Of Heating; Life Support Struggle In Massachusetts; Minding Your Business

Aired December 09, 2005 - 07:30   ET

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

ANNOUNCER: You're watching AMERICAN MORNING with Soledad O'Brien and Miles O'Brien.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: That is a close-up of the statue of Christopher Columbus there at Columbus Circle. And I think if Columbus had run into this, he would have turned right back around and gone to Spain, don't you?

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: I think you're right.

MILES O'BRIEN: Yes. He said, you know what, forget about it. Yes.

COSTELLO: Because, boy, it's really (INAUDIBLE). Even the cabs aren't speeding, so you know the roads must be bad.

MILES O'BRIEN: It's sure a litmus test. If the cabs are not fishtailing and speeding.

COSTELLO: That's right. It's so nasty over much of the country. So I guess we should head right to the forecast center to fill people in.

MILES O'BRIEN: Yes. Bonnie Schneider is there.

Good morning, Bonnie.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: For other news of the morning, let's get right to Kelly Wallace.

Good morning.

KELLY WALLACE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol, and hello to all of you.

We're beginning in Chicago where federal officials are opening their investigation this morning looking into what went wrong at Midway International Airport last night. You're looking at some live pictures right now of Midway Airport and that Southwest plane that skidded off the runway, through a fence, crashing into two cars. A child in one of the cars was killed. Eleven other people are injured. Officials say the weather, especially the condition of the runway, could be the focus of today's investigation. And, of course, we'll be following this story throughout the morning here on AMERICAN MORNING. To California now where Governor Around Schwarzenegger is still considering the fate of Stanley "Tookie" Williams. Attorneys for the convicted killer asked the governor Thursday to spare his life. Meanwhile, advocates for both sides are speaking out. Actor Jamie Foxx says Williams turned his life around in prison and wrote children's books, so he is supporting clemency. But a victim's stepmother says she doesn't believe he's changed at all and says he has never shown remorse for his crimes.

We're waiting to hear this morning from Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff. He's expected to address Wednesday's shooting at Miami International Airport. You'll recall that incident on Wednesday when air marshal shot to death a passenger who was heard to say he had a bomb. White House Spokesman Scott McClellan had said the two air marshals appear to have acted properly. An investigation now underway. Chertoff is set to take the podium next hour and we'll monitor for any developments and bring them to you.

And today is a very big day for soccer fans. Three hundred fifty million viewers are expected to tune in for the 2006 World Cup drawing this afternoon. And it's not just because super model Heidi Klum is co-hosting. That's right. Thirty-two countries have qualified, including the United States. Today's drawing determines who will play whom. The World Cup will be held next summer in Germany.

Miles, I don't know if your kids are soccer fans, but if they're home, they could be watching the drawing.

MILES O'BRIEN: Suddenly I'm becoming a soccer fan based on all of that. Yes. No, actually they are. They are.

All right, thank you.

COSTELLO: Somehow I knew that comment was coming.

MILES O'BRIEN: Yes. Thank you very much, Kelly Wallace. Appreciate that.

COSTELLO: All right. Let's get to our other top story this morning, a it's a terrible story to tell you about out of Iraq and those four Christian aide workers being held hostage. You know Islamic militants, they keep changing the date. Well now they say tomorrow is the deadline for their demands to be met or else those hostages will be killed. AMERICAN MORNING's Bob Franken joins us now from Washington. He has the latest on this.

Hello, Bob.

BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.

Well, for the American and the three others, they went over there to work for peace and fairness to all sides. But now they are the ones who are facing a deadly ultimatum.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) FRANKEN, (voice over): They are seen on newly released video, Tom Fox of Virginia and one of the three other hostages, appearing as their kidnappers extended their execution deadline until Saturday. In addition to Fox, the three include a Canadian and two British citizens. In an earlier tape, an American accent is heard.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As a representative of Christian peacemaker teams, we feel that continued American and British occupation is not in the best interest of the Iraqi people.

FRANKEN: While members of Fox's Quaker group back home demonstrate their support, family members wait and desperately hope.

KATHERINE FOX, DAUGHTER OF HOSTAGE: I want to be able to communicate just how loved my father is. But more than that, I just want to hug him. I want to find a way to give back the strength he has given to me.

FRANKEN: The pleas for the safety of the hostages have been heard around the world. Public statements by Islamic leaders. Even an al Qaeda leader, Aba Katada (ph), held in Britain, who said, release the four prisoners. In London, Home Secretary Jack Straw spoke out.

JACK STRAW, BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY: If the kidnappers want to get in touch with us, we want to hear what they have to say.

FRANKEN: President Bush has taken a harder line. No deals with terrorists.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We, of course, don't pay ransom for any hostages. What we will do, of course, is use our intelligence gathering to see if we can't help locate them.

FRANKEN: The ransom in this case, the release of all prisoners in Iraq in return for the release of these four.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FRANKEN: We can't tell, of course, if there are any secret negotiations going on. But whether there are or not, the four face a deadline. The kidnapers promised to kill all four of them by tomorrow.

Carol.

COSTELLO: Bob Franken live in Washington this morning, thanks.

MILES O'BRIEN: So, as the snow falls here in New York City and much of the East Coast and as the temperatures remain frigid throughout much of the nation, many of us are wondering what is going to happen in January? That dreaded moment when the home heating bill comes. Joining me now is energy expert Mark Wolfe. He is executive director of the National Energy Assistance Directors Association. He is in our Washington bureau where the thermostat has been adjusted accordingly.

Good to have you with us, Mark.

Mark, let's talk about the numbers first. I want to lay them out here on the screen. We showed this the other day, but it's worth pointing out to people. Because I think they're going to spend a lot of money at Christmas and these bills are going to come afterwards, they're going to really be upset. Basically, far right of your screen, look at that projected cost of $989 for and we say 20005 but it's actually the 2005-2006 season. Way above last year. And certainly, as you go back a few years, a steady trend upwards with 2000 having a little blip there. It's a complicated question and we have to boil this all down to just a few minutes. But can you give us a sense of why it is going up so high this year?

MARK WOLFE, NATIONAL ENERGY ASSISTANCE DIRECTORS ASSOCIATION: Well, energy prices are going up for a couple of reasons. For heating oil, it's going up because of global demand. You know, there also is an implicit premium for the war in Iraq. That's helping to drive your prices. Increase demand from China and India.

Natural gas is a slightly different story though. That's really -- domestic supplies are very tight. There hasn't been any new drilling in the United States in a long time. And that, you know, natural gas is a very clean burning fuel so everyone wants to use it. You know, companies are switching from using coal to generate electricity to natural gas. So all that's pushing natural gas to record levels.

The other thing is that the economy's improving. So as industry ramps up, they use more energy. So those are the kinds of things that are result in these higher prices. And the other thing that's important to mention is that this is the second year in a row of significant increases. So families are spending about 60 percent more this coming winter heating season than they did just two years ago.

MILES O'BRIEN: Wow. That hurts.

WOLFE: So that's why it feels so significant.

MILES O'BRIEN: That hurts.

WOLFE: Yes.

MILES O'BRIEN: That hurts. That's time to break out the cardigans on that one.

WOLFE: Yes, right.

MILES O'BRIEN: You can't -- a lot of people can't get away from the notion that somehow, some way, the oil companies are -- oil and energy companies are taking advantage of them. That they're gouging them. How do you address that one?

WOLFE: Well, you know, there is that feeling because some of you see prices shoot up. But you have to remember, two or three years ago when prices hit record lows, adjusted for inflation, I mean, there were tables showing that energy was cheaper than it was in the 1920s. No one complained then. You know, when it goes up, everyone complains.

But it's more that there are just no new major resources available of oil. And then, frankly, the war had a lot to do with it. The war, you know, took Iraq off from producing and -- so supplies are tight globally and that's a lot of it. And then, of course, you know, we had the hurricanes in the Gulf, that also tightened up supply. So that's what's driving this.

It's an extremely volatile market. I think part of the reason why people might feel they're being gouged is, you know, a couple of years ago energy was extremely cheap. You could buy gasoline for a dollar a gallon. You could heat your home for $600 in the winter. You know energy was a bargain. Now people are spending $1,000, $1,200 a year more for their whole energy bill than they did two years ago.

MILES O'BRIEN: So we were just kind of drunk on cheap fossil fuels and here's the hangover, huh? Is that basically it?

WOLFE: Yes, I mean that's really it because, you know, you make choices. You know, people buy SUVs. Well, SUVs work when gasoline is really cheap.

MILES O'BRIEN: Oh, boy, do I regret that, Mark, I'll tell you.

WOLFE: Yes.

MILES O'BRIEN: Yes.

WOLFE: I mean, you know, or you buy a bigger house because you're not thinking of the cost of heating it. So now you have to think about the cost of energy and that's a big shift in our thinking.

MILES O'BRIEN: One final thought here. The gas prices in general at the pump have seen, since August really, have kind of gone down. Why is it different for home heating energy?

WOLFE: Well, home heating energy is a little bit different. You know, heating oil has also come down somewhat. Not as much as gasoline. Part of that is because it's, you know, demand in the Northeast. They have to, you know, ramp up the refinery capacity and that's part of what drives price.

But the other part that we're, you know, extremely concerned about is, what happens to working families and low income people. You know, the main federal program, the low component (ph) assistance program, really has been flat-funded for a couple of years. And, you know, we're very, very concerned about that and how that's going to affect people this winter.

MILES O'BRIEN: Well, I hope people who are unable to pay their bills won't be without any sort of assistance. Is that possible?

WOLFE: Well, no. Right now it looks like we'll have at least as much money as last year. But the purchasing power is way down. You know, the administration yesterday came out and asked for an additional $1 billion for home heating assistance but that really won't be enough to cut it. We really need an additional $3 billion because not only are we seeing, you know, the five million families that always ask for assistance, but we're seeing all these new families. Families, you know, that have incomes like between $30,000 and $40,000 a year that usually don't need any help. But with energy prices being so high, you know, even those families are starting to find energy unaffordable.

MILES O'BRIEN: All right. Let's keep the heat on them, if you will. Mark Wolfe is the executive director of the National Energy Assistance Directors Association. We hope people aren't going cold this winter because they can't afford to pay their bill. That would be a terrible thing.

COSTELLO: Well, that's who it's going to hit the hardest, the people who can't afford to pay their bills and aren't on some sort of payment plan.

MILES O'BRIEN: Yes, going to get squeezed.

Coming up on the program, more on the new Vioxx controversy. Company-funded study appears to have held back key information about side effects. Andy will give you the fallout of this on Wall Street.

COSTELLO: It's been pretty nasty.

Also a follow-up to a story we've been telling you about, that 11-year-old girl in Massachusetts. She's on life support and her stepfather is trying to keep her alive, but is he doing that just to avoid murder charges? The stepfather's lawyer will join us next on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Earlier this week, we told you about 11-year-old Haleigh Poutre. She's now in a coma and doctors say she has no hope of recovery. Her stepfather is trying to keep her on life support but he's accused of abusing the girl. Abuse which allegedly led to coma in the first place. Now if she dies, he could be charged with murder. Ed McDonough represents the stepfather, who's name is Jason Strickland.

Welcome, sir.

EDWARD MCDONOUGH, ATTORNEY FOR STEPFATHER: Good morning, Carol.

COSTELLO: You argued this case before the Massachusetts Supreme Court. It's now in the court's hands what to decide. Why does Mr. Strickland want to now be so involved in the girl's life? Because it's a very complicated story. She was adopted. Her adopted mother is dead and Jason Strickland was the stepfather. Did he ever make any move to adopt her legally before this?

MCDONOUGH: Well, let me say, Carol, my law firm took this case on a pro bono basis and it had nothing to do with Mr. Strickland, the stepfather. We took this case because an 11-year-old child, a helpless child, was given an unfair, one-sided hearing on whether or not she should die by starvation. I say that for three reasons, Carol.

First of all, unlike Terri Schiavo who expressed her wishes to her husband, this child being 11-year-old never had an opportunity to express her wishes as to what she would want to have happen in this situation. Secondly, this choice was made not by a family member, it was made by the government. And it was made after only nine days of custody. And they had two doctors. One of the two doctors says that removing the feeding tube and causing starvation is inappropriate. And, thirdly, Carol, there was nobody in the juvenile courtroom arguing in favor of life. And on Tuesday, before the supreme district (ph) court just being asked . . .

COSTELLO: Well, let me ask you this before we go on.

MCDONOUGH: Well, just being asked the key question. He said, who was in that courtroom arguing for life? And he asked that to the government. And the answer was, nobody. And, Carol, any trial lawyer will tell you it's pretty easy to win a case . . .

COSTELLO: Well, let me ask you this question. Let me interrupt you, sir. I must ask you this. Can . . .

MCDONOUGH: Well, it's pretty easy to win a case when no one's on the other side.

COSTELLO: OK. Let me interrupt you for just a second.

MCDONOUGH: Sure.

COSTELLO: Can an 11-year-old girl really make such a decision? And what would she say to her stepfather, who's accused of abusing her by the way, about whether she would have want to be kept alive in a vegetative estate? She's 11.

MCDONOUGH: Well, that's a good point. First of all, the stepfather is not the one accused of administering this feeding. And if anyone has a conflict, Carol, it's the state. The state is rushing to judgment here after only nine days of having custody. And in this particular case, they cannot bring a murder charge until the child dies. So what is the rush?

Secondly, they're the ones responsible for the medical bills. Now Mr. Strickland, as the stepfather, tragically, he's the only one who's -- only living adult who is close to this child who could speak to the issue the child, her religious practices, the fact that she did receive the sacraments of the Catholic church. He was excluded from the hearing. And so tragically . . .

COSTELLO: Yes, but wait a minute. Mr. McDonough, wait a minute. This girl was admitted to the hospital with broken teeth, a partly sheared brain stem, bruises, cuts, and burns. And even if your client didn't have anything to do with administering these injuries, he certainly was there and he certainly knew what was going on and he certainly didn't stop it.

MCDONOUGH: Well, all that will come out in this trial, Carol. And we should point out, what if he's proved to be innocent and by that time this child will have died by starvation. There's no need to rush this judgment. This child needs a new trial, a fair hearing where both sides are presented. And as Justice Fina (ph) said, someone needs to be there to argue in favor of life. My client is not asking to be the one to make the decision. We took this case to see that this 11-year-old child got a fair hearing and that has not happened yet.

COSTELLO: But why leave such a decision in the hands of a man who is accused of possibly murdering this child?

MCDONOUGH: Well, we're making -- that's a good point and we're not asking that the decision be left in his hands. All we're asking is that the court open the hearing to the public. The medical evidence has been sealed by an impoundment order. One of the two doctors says that starvation is not appropriate in this case. He's not asking to have the right to make the decision. We took this case in order to reopen the hearing, to make sure that it was a fair hearing and to see that somebody would be in the courtroom arguing in favor of life. The decision will be not up to this stepfather. It will be up to the court. And the focus should not be on the motives of either the state or the stepfather. The focus should be on whether or not this 11-year-old child should die by starvation.

COSTELLO: Couldn't you represent the girl? I'm just curious. It has to be a short answer because we're running out of time here. But could you represent the girl and not the stepfather?

MCDONOUGH: As long as there's somebody in that courtroom arguing in favor of life so both sides are presented, that would be a fair hearing and that has not happened yet.

COSTELLO: Yes, but could your client be the girl and not Jason Strickland?

MCDONOUGH: Well, he's the only adult. A child doesn't have standing in a court. He's the only adult left, tragically in this case, who has information about the child.

COSTELLO: So is the answer yes or no? You could not represent the girl? You'd have to represent an adult in her life?

MCDONOUGH: At this point, that's the case.

COSTELLO: All right. Thank you very much for joining us this morning. Ed McDonough, Jason Strickland's attorney. And, of course, we'll continue to follow this case.

Miles.

MILES O'BRIEN: Still to come, we're following that deadly plane crash at Chicago's Midway Airport. Snowy weather, of course, part of that. A factor in the investigation. There's always more to it than that, though. More on it coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDY SERWER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol has a soft spot in her heart for Donny Osmond, now, I think.

COSTELLO: I loved him when I was a preteen!

MILES O'BRIEN: That wasn't Donny Osmond.

SERWER: The first picture was.

COSTELLO: The first was of Donny Osmond.

MILES O'BRIEN: Oh.

SERWER: Judi Dench is not Donny Osmond.

COSTELLO: I did not have a crush on Judi Dench, but Donny Osmond.

SERWER: They're different people, Miles. There were two pictures. OK.

COSTELLO: Didn't you love when he sang like he was a little bit of rock 'n' roll and Marie was a little bit country. I love it. I sang along.

MILES O'BRIEN: Oh, I could just about hurl right now.

All right, let's talk about Vioxx. "The New England Journal of Medicine," right?

SERWER: Yes, that's right.

MILES O'BRIEN: Very significant. And this speaks to a much larger issue about research funding. The issue is Merck. The drug is Vioxx. The question is, is the research what it purports to be?

SERWER: That's right.

MILES O'BRIEN: Andy Serwer has more on this and the implications in the market.

SERWER: Yes, Miles, this is really a startlings revelation that happened last night. "The New England Journal of Medicine" reporting that Merck withheld key data about heart attack risk concerning its drug Vioxx. "The Journal" suggests that the company deleted data about three heart attacks in this study.

And this study is funded by Merck. This is what Miles was addressing. That this is a study about the safety of this drug that was funded by the drug company that hopes to sell the drug. Well, you can see the potential conflicts of interest there.

This drug was removed, of course, in September of '04. There are now 6,000 cases pending against the company. And the company has responded by saying Merck correctly communicated about the benefits and possible risks of Vioxx and extensively disclosed the vigor data, this has to do with the study, to the scientific and medical communities and in the press, which to my mind doesn't specifically address the issues raised by "The New England Journal of Medicine."

Meanwhile, in Houston, a jury is going to deliberate to on the first federal trial concerning Vioxx. You may remember there have been two other non federal cases. One was won by Merck, one was not won by the company. And the interesting thing here is, this particular conundrum, if you will, will not be a part of this trial in Houston. But you best believe that going forward, it will become part of the Vioxx cases.

MILES O'BRIEN: It's too late to inject it into that courtroom, is that it?

SERWER: It would think so. We're trying to figure that out. But because the jury is deliberating, you would think that it's going to be too late.

Now, if the case goes against the plaintiffs, the plaintiffs' lawyers may say mistrial because we don't have all of the data here. I mean, so you can see this really complicating matters at this point.

COSTELLO: Many more suits to come.

SERWER: Indeed.

COSTELLO: Thank you, Andy.

SERWER: You're welcome.

MILES O'BRIEN: Andy Serwer, thank you.

Coming up, our online gift guide. Today we've got gift ideas for the workaholic in your life. You know, the people you never see. We're not just talking Blackberry stuff here. We've got some good stuff. Danielle Romano (ph) in the house. Stay with us for that.

COSTELLO: Love her.

MILES O'BRIEN: She's great.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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