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American Morning

Hunger Strikes Double at Guantanamo; Pakistani Honor Killings Part of Trend; Book Pitches a Three-Hour Diet; Remembering Unsung Heroes of Katrina

Aired December 30, 2005 - 08:30   ET

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

CAROL COSTELLO, CO-HOST: Why don't we get to that breaking news? We have breaking news to tell you about out of Iraq. There has been an explosion in central Baghdad. We don't know much more than that or if there were any injuries. When we have more information, of course, we'll pass it along to you.
We also have new details emerging about the suspect in those Christmas day shootings outside of Washington, D.C. Police say they have connected 27-year-old Nathan Cheatham to two other shootings. It's believed Cheatham and a man who would later become one of his victims shot at other homes in the area. No one was hurt but police say Cheatham was nervous about the shootings and that may have played a role in his Christmas Day rampage. He's suspected of killing five people, including his mother, and then himself.

A little gift for some U.S. soldiers returning home from Iraq. More than 200 Louisiana National Guard troops are being kept on active duty for up to a year. That means they will continue to have full- time work in their hurricane-ravaged home towns. Many would have had no other way to make a living. They're helping to rebuild the state.

And Oscar ballots are in the mail. There are more than 300 films eligible for this year's best picture award. Top contenders are the blockbuster film "King Kong" and the cowboy love story "Brokeback Mountain." Nominations will be announced on January 31. The Academy Award show airs on March 5.

Let's head to the forecast center now to check in with Jacqui Jeras.

Good morning.

(WEATHER REPORT)

M. O'BRIEN: I think it just dried out, as a matter of fact, so that will be perfect for him. I'll be watching the Barcalounger. Actually, I'll be snoozing by that time.

COSTELLO: Yes.

M. O'BRIEN: All right, Jacqui Jeras. Thank you very much.

That long hunger strike at Guantanamo is getting worse. The number of detainees refusing food there more than doubled just last week to 84. The military is now resorting to force-feeding many of them to try to keep them alive.

AMERICAN MORNING's Bob Franken is joining us from the Washington bureau, but Bob has had numerous trips down to Gitmo over the past few years.

Bob, just give us a sense. Why are things worsening, do you think, worsening there right now?

BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is something that's fairly cyclical. In a prison like this, we've always read and heard that there is a communication even through seemingly impenetrable walls and the like, and so something like this can spread.

And you have a situation down there where there is an ongoing desperation. These are people that the United States government repeatedly says are among the most dangerous in the world, people who are dangerous enemies of the U.S. That has been something that has been quite subject to debate.

But whatever the status of these people, they are desperate. They're desperate and, of course, that can breed danger and that can breed the kind of thing that you're seeing. They're desperate because they have by all indications no communication with the outside world and no hope, as far as we know, that they're ever going to leave there.

So they are left with few ways to protest. This would be one of them. As I said, it's ongoing that there are hunger strikes going on. Oftentimes they go on for awhile and then one hunger striker is replaced by another. When he starts running into health problems, then they'll force-feed them, as they're doing with so many of them now.

M. O'BRIEN: Bob Franken in Washington, thank you very much -- Carol.

COSTELLO: We return to a shocking story about so-called honor killings in Pakistan. A man admitting he slit the throats of his three little girls and 25-year-old stepdaughter says he did it to protect the family's honor. It happened in a rural village in Pakistan's eastern Punjab province. Apparently, there are hundreds of honor killings of Pakistani women and girls each year.

Nisha Varia of Human Rights Watch is her now. She's traveled to several countries, including Pakistan, researching injustices against women.

This sounds like such an extreme case. Is it?

NISHA VARIA, HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH: Unfortunately, as you said, Pakistan witnesses hundreds of honor killings every year, and we have every reason to believe that there's actually more, that these are cases that are not reported.

COSTELLO: Well, this case is so horrible. This father slits the throat of his stepdaughter because he thinks she's committed adultery, and then he slits the throats of three very young daughters because they might commit adultery in the future. What kind of mindset is this?

VARIA: This is a society where women and girls have an extremely low status. Many families consider girls to be an economic burden on the family.

And what's even more disturbing is the lack of protection that Pakistan offers women and girls. In the case of honor killings, many killers go off scot-free because there is a provision that allows the victim's family to pardon the killers. However, in honor killings, it's the same family, and so they have no incentive to take these cases to court.

COSTELLO: Now, we interviewed someone from Pakistan yesterday, someone from the government. And he said President Pervez Musharraf has condemned these killings and that there are -- there is a law that will send this man to jail. But you're saying there's a loophole that may not?

VARIA: Exactly. And they made amendments to this law last year. However, this amendment did nothing to fix this loophole. That loophole still exists. And if the victim's family decides to pardon the killer, they still can just never see any jail time at all.

COSTELLO: So what will happen to this man?

VARIA: Well, that's for us to see. But one thing is for sure, is that for every case that receives international attention there are hundreds more that go neglected where there aren't aid groups or the press looking at what's happening. And in those cases there's usually no justice at all.

COSTELLO: So what needs to be done?

VARIA: Well, all of these killings are taking place in the context of a much larger problem of violence against women in Pakistan. Rape cases, burnings of married women, throwing acid. These are all things that are taking place in Pakistan.

There are very discriminatory laws that are on the books called the Hudood ordinances, which makes it very difficult for any woman, for example, who's been raped to receive any justice.

COSTELLO: Because she needs four male witnesses to say she was indeed raped. They don't take her word for it.

VARIA: That's right. And so we think these Hudood ordinances must be repealed immediately. If Musharraf is serious about preventing and responding to violence against women and to honor killings, they must repeal the Hudood ordinances. They must provide resources for police to respond better to these problems and to provide healthcare and shelter.

COSTELLO: What would it do if Pervez Musharraf came on television and said to the world that these killings were terrible, that he's condemned this man and that they really do give this man the maximum sentence, which would be death?

VARIA: Well, what I think is important is that he needs to address the systemic problems that are taking place. It is not enough -- it would be important for him to come out and condemn these killings, but he also needs to back up his words with actions, and much more serious changes need to take place.

COSTELLO: And you don't think that this extreme case might be -- might effect change?

VARIA: We would hope so, but just earlier this year, we saw the case of Matar Mai (ph), who was a gang rape victim. The rape was ordered by tribal elders in her village.

Now in this case when she wanted a visa to come to the United States and talk about her ordeal, her visa was denied. And Musharraf made many disparaging remarks saying that women are claiming to be raped just to get visas. You know, this is not the type of attitude that we need from the country's leader.

COSTELLO: We'll see what happens. Thank you so much for joining us this morning. Nisha Varia of the Human Rights Watch -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Coming up on the program, let's meet some of the heroes of Hurricane Katrina. We've talked so much about the foibles in the wake. What about the people who really stepped up to the challenge? The Coast Guard, among them, saving countless lives in the storm's aftermath, tirelessly, courageously. But they weren't the only ones to go above and beyond. We'll take a look back at some of the heroes we remember when AMERICAN MORNING continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CO-HOST: All this week on AMERICAN MORNING, we've been talking about five diets that work. One each day with lessons for the health-conscious dieters.

Today's plan comes from the three-hour diet. It's a book by Jorge Cruise. And the key to weight loss with this plan is timing.

Joining us once again is nutritionist Heidi Skolnik. She's also a contributor to "Men's Health" magazine.

Nice to talk to you. Every three hours you're supposed to eat a small meal. Why physiologically is that the argument here?

HEIDI SKOLNIK, NUTRITIONIST: The argument he's making is that it helps your body composition. So he's really looking at this from a whole different perspective, looking at your lean mass versus your fat and saying that if you go into a starvation mode, which he is claiming is every three hours, and that might be a little bit an overstatement, that you get into what's called a catabolic state, and you're breaking down your muscle mass, which is what keeps burning at higher calorie levels. So every three hours, again, I think what it really does is help to provide some structure into people's lives. It helps to prevent you from getting so hungry and ravenous that you overeat. There's this diet mentality that I'm going to have a light lunch because I'm dieting. Then, you know, you get so hungry at night you just keeping eating. And this prevents that. It's a preemptive strike against that by creating a structure to the day.

S. O'BRIEN: Do you use this strategy with some of your clients?

SKOLNIK: I think it's a great strategy. It's not -- I'm not as like keyed into it has to be three hours, but definitely eating throughout the day to keep your metabolism going to prevent that over consumption.

S. O'BRIEN: But you work with athletes, like the New York City Ballet and the New York Giants. I mean, I would think that they wouldn't want five small meals. They want big giant meals.

SKOLNIK: Well, they get to eat more than we might eat following the same plan, but there's a lot-- nutrient timing is the hottest newest emerging science that we're going to see more about. And it's going to have to do, not just with metabolism. We're going to see it also relates to insulin, cholesterol, other markers of our health and well-being. So it's a very interesting concept that I think we're going to hear more and more about.

S. O'BRIEN: Let's throw on the screen here basically how his plan, the Three-hour Diet, breaks down. He says you need three 400- calorie meals, two 100 calorie snacks and then a little calorie snack.

SKOLNIK: So recognize that, that in the end, this is still a 1500 calorie diet, and so that's why you're losing weight, that ultimately it's still about portions. He's just taking the food that you would eat throughout the day and distributing it more evenly.

And I think that makes perfect sense for a whole range of reasons in terms of how you're getting the nutrients and your body can use it. But in the end it's about portion. It's very well-balanced because you're allowed to eat and encouraged to eat carbohydrate, protein, fat, dairy, all the different components of a healthy diet.

S. O'BRIEN: Does he have restrictions in this book? I mean, does he say, "Listen, you can't eat fried food," or you shouldn't eat this or you shouldn't eat that?

SKOLNIK: He's very realistic. There's fast food in here. There's frozen meals, but it's still portion driven. So you can have what -- he uses the term treats. You can have treats, but they're still portion controlled.

S. O'BRIEN: There's a big old workbook in this book, as well. A big section of this book is for people to take notes. What do you think as a nutritionist of that in a diet book?

SKOLNIK: Well, I think when you can make it an interactive experience where you're coming up with your own goals and applying it to your own situations in your own life, that is very helpful.

S. O'BRIEN: Two thumbs up on this one, too?

SKOLNIK: Two thumbs up.

S. O'BRIEN: Heidi Skolnik, thank you. Happy holidays to you.

SKOLNIK: Thank you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

M. O'BRIEN: All right. Those are the diets that work. You have your choice of five. Pick one. I don't think you should do all five simultaneously. Probably would...

COSTELLO: I told you that might be more fun, try one day of all five.

M. O'BRIEN: Kind of multitasking your diets is a bad idea.

Anyway, on Monday, Heidi will be back. She'll tell us how to keep all those resolutions, whichever one you choose, keep those resolutions by setting reasonable goals. Reasonable goals. Reasonable is a good thing. And that way you might deliver on your resolutions.

Do you make resolutions?

COSTELLO: Yes, I do every year.

M. O'BRIEN: And generally, do you follow through?

COSTELLO: No.

M. O'BRIEN: No.

COSTELLO: No. Because last year, it was I was always supposed to look at the glass half full but that lasted like a week.

M. O'BRIEN: All right. A little while ago you were offering some positive spin on something, so that was good. I'll try to remember what it was. It was good.

All right. Still to come, the heroes of Hurricane Katrina, speaking of half full.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAMMA D, SAVED NEIGHBORS IN HURRICANE KATRINA: I know they're coming home. I'll tell you what. You come have some gumbo with me in about six months. I'll introduce you to my neighbors. I promise you I will.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

M. O'BRIEN: You know, I would love to be there and do just that. Mamma D is one of our friends that we thought of when we were thinking about heroes in the wake of Katrina. We'll introduce you to some of the people who stepped up to plate, filled the void and offered some inspiring tales for us. That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Be sure to check out our Web site, CNN.com, for the latest on this morning's top stories including, of course, those wildfires in Texas and Oklahoma. Authorities are very worried about New Year's Eve and fireworks. They're warning people please don't do that.

A new fire broke out just outside of Oklahoma City this morning. Firefighters are busy at work.

Also at CNN.com, the most popular story. This one about Valerie Plame. You know the former secret spy and her husband, Joe Wilson. Apparently they're in the airport. Their 5-year-old says loudly to everybody standing around, "Hey, my daddy is famous and my mommy is a secret spy." So Valerie Plame outed once again by her 5-year-old.

And the other most popular story on CNN.com has to do a 16-year- old Farris Hassan. He's an American of Iraqi descent, and he wanted to go to Iraq just to find out what was up there. So he got $900 from his bank account, boarded a plane and he's in Baghdad this morning. His parents are very worried. Supposedly he's supposed to be home on Sunday. Read more about his adventure on CNN.com.

And if you're about to head out the door for work or school, you can stay in touch with CNN and AMERICAN MORNING by of course, as I said, logging on to CNN.com. And of course, our pipeline video service, you can catch live, commercial-free news updates. It's all there at CNN.com/pipeline.

M. O'BRIEN: You know, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, we told you many stories of the failings of our government and charities to answer pressing needs. And lost amid all that talk were perhaps some inspiring tales of people who gave their all and did make a difference in a timely way, and there are plenty of candidates.

Here are just a few we met and we remember.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

M. O'BRIEN (voice-over): Picture a hero and what do you see? I envision a scene like this: an orange chopper lifting people up, literally and figuratively. The Coast Guard plucked more than 30,000 people from shingled islands in New Orleans, grabbing the old and the young first.

(on camera) You couldn't always get back, could you?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's correct, sir. On the way to or from, you'd see maybe someone else on the roof or more babies or other people and maybe more need. There might be a critical medevac that you had to go to. M. O'BRIEN (voice-over): They are lieutenants Kayla Carlisle (ph) and Roberto Torres (ph), and they saved more lives than they can count.

We also will never forget the horrors of New Orleans hospitals. Dark, dank and filled with heroes who transcended raw fear to keep others alive. Some sick babies were air-lifted to Birmingham with nurse Myra Waddell (ph).

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Tuesday night was the first night that outside crews have been able to get in. They were just besides themselves with joy to actually see somebody actually come in and just -- and grief stricken all at the same time. They know that they had lost most everything.

M. O'BRIEN: There were heroes at NASA Space Shuttle Fuel Tank Production Plant. Katrina caused a lot of damage here, but it would have been worse were it not for 38 volunteers who rode out the storm. Two of them manned a pumphouse beside a brimming levee, adjusting the throttles to make sure the pumps didn't conk out. Joe Barrett was one of them.

JOE BARRETT, NASA VOLUNTEER: We all knew it was unsafe, but we knew that we had to try to stay out here and run it as long as we could.

M. O'BRIEN: There were heroes in the business world, as well. The Oreck family, who runs a vacuum cleaner business made famous in commercials...

DAVID ORECK, ORECK VACUUM CLEANERS: Hi. I'm David Oreck.

M. O'BRIEN: ... had a simple, clear, reassuring message in the wake of Katrina.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We, you know, told our people after the storm that if you had a job before with Oreck before the storm you still have a job. I think as a family business, perhaps, we really do understand that it is a family, that it's a family of people who work together.

M. O'BRIEN: Families often found their own heroes. We will never forget the scene at Pat and Tim Edwards' place. They took in 50 relatives who had lost everything at St. Bernard Parish.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We don't have any privacy any more. That's out. That's gone.

I'll tell them this isn't no time for you guys to fight amongst each other. You know, you're in this thing together. You got a lot to be grateful for, because a lot of people died in that stuff and you didn't.

M. O'BRIEN: And there were others who filled the void. The woman they simply called Mamma D, the matriarch of the Seventh Ward. When the chips were down, and the water high, she organized search and rescue teams, carried the sick and elderly to shelters, turned her own flooded home into a relief center and a kitchen to gather and cook the food before it spoiled.

MAMMA D: Your freezer in the water, go get the food. We cooked that freezer full that day. You might have a chicken over here and you might have a seafood over there, red beans over here. We were feeding babies. We didn't have -- we didn't have no choice.

M. O'BRIEN: Like all good heroes, Mamma D is an optimist. She told us her neighbors are coming home.

MAMMA D: I know they're coming home. I'll tell you what. You come have some gumbo with me in about six months. I'll introduce you to my neighbors. I promise you I will.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

M. O'BRIEN: I can taste that gumbo.

That was just a few of the people, really. I mean, I think other people. I think of Gwendolyn Garley (ph), the woman we saw who evacuated her family. Sheriff Jack Stephens, St. Bernard Parish. Cecile Tevo (ph), a family that was under great duress, and she's helping the cops out there. Bobby Jindal, the congressman. And remember those three kids from Duke University who saw things on CNN, got in a car and just drove into the convention center?

COSTELLO: So many people did that.

M. O'BRIEN: I mean, it goes on and on. I just wanted to remind people that we weren't just focusing on the failings of FEMA. There were many, many stories and many people. These tragedies do -- it's a cliche, but they bring out the best and the worst in all of us. And a tip of the hat to all those who stepped up.

COSTELLO: Yes. A big thank you from us.

M. O'BRIEN: Coming up, the latest on the battle to contain those raging wildfires in Oklahoma and Texas. More than 200 homes destroyed. Many more in the line of the fire this morning. We'll have a live report for you ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

M. O'BRIEN: Good morning. I'm Miles O'Brien.

Packing sandbags in California for a huge storm that will hit in just a couple of hours. A risk of landslides and flooding. A live report is ahead.

COSTELLO: I'm Carol Costello, in for Soledad.

We're following developments in Oklahoma, where new fires have blazed up already this morning, extreme conditions there. We'll take you live to the fire zone.

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