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American Morning

An Interview With Senator Harry Reid; And the Nominees Are...

Aired January 31, 2006 - 08:31   ET

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

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: It is State of the Union morning. What will the president say and how will he say it tonight? And how will Democrats respond? For a prequel, if you will, we are joined by Senator Minority Leader Harry Reid.
Good morning, Senator. Good to have you with us.

SEN. HARRY REID (D), NEVADA: Good morning, Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: I want to share some numbers with you. You've seen these numbers, but just so our viewers have seen them. This is an "L.A. Times" poll which shows the president is at just nearly Nixonian levels on favorability. Low numbers, 30s and 40s, 40 percent. Why is it, in spite of all this, Democrats can't get any traction?

REID: Well, I think if you look at those polls, Miles, you'll find we've gotten a lot of traction. Even though people are down on Congress generally because of the culture of corruption we have here in Washington, led by Abramoff and his Republican pals, the People believe that Democrats can handle the situation by a 12 to 13 percent margin over the Republicans. So I think our message is getting through, basically one of credibility versus noncredibility.

I hope the president, in his State of the Union, will really try to do what he said he's going to do for five years. That is be a uniter, not a divider. It's almost Orwellian. Everything that he's done is just the opposite of what he's said.

M. O'BRIEN: What are you going to do about uniting the Democratic Party, though? When people look at Democrats, they see them all over the map on the war. They see them all over the map on Alito, and whether they should filibuster. You know, it's the classic Democratic scenario, it's not a very well-organized outfit. What can you do to bring them together?

REID: Well, Miles, I think it may be in your mind a classic Democratic scenario, but it's not in the minds the American people. We've done a great job. We've stopped the privatization of Social Security. We've got drilling in ANWAR. We've stopped a nuclear option. We've been able to stop all these mischievous programs of the president, and we've been together more than in the history of this country.

The Democrats in the House and Senate, we have the same message, along with the DNC, the mayors, the governor. Tonight, you're going to hear a tremendous message from Governor King. He's going to do the rebuttal. He's part of the program with the national governors who have been working hand in hand with us. So we believe we're more together than we've ever been, and we believe the American people will recognize that come this next November.

M. O'BRIEN: But here's the rub, as you well know, when you're in a position, as you are, as the minority party, and you're stopping things, which is, in a sense, how the Democratic process works, you're not known for putting things forward. You're known as not Bush. And it's difficult to resonate with particular issues and ideas with voters.

REID: Miles, I would agree with you, miles. We've put a lot of things forward. We put things forward dealing with the war in Iraq, dealing with homeland security, dealing with health care, dealing with the environment, dealing with education and the deficit. And on party-line votes, we're defeated every time.

We bring issues forward; it's just that the Republicans are a unitary government. Bush has refused to veto a single bill, but there is no reason he should, because the separation of powers has not worked because Congress does whatever the president wants as a Republican-controlled Congress.

M. O'BRIEN: Have you seen Paul Begala and Jim Carville's book?

REID: I have talked to both of them.

M. O'BRIEN: What do you think of that? He says Democrats need to get a spine. What do you think about that?

REID: Well, I think that I like both of them very much. But I think both of them should learn to read and see what's going on, and they would find that we do have a spine. I think, you care, I care for them both greatly, but they're out trying to sell books; we're trying to convince the American people that what's going on here in Washington is wrong. It's two different agendas.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes, but what they're saying is that it was very difficult in the course of the last presidential campaign for Americans to really pinpoint what the Democrats really felt, and they really had a sense, a very visceral sense, of what Bush was all about.

REID: Well, let me just say this, you're going back to the presidential election; I'm talking about elections this coming November. They're two different things. We have different leaders. And I think that I'm not looking backwards; I'm going to looking forward. I think the Democratic Party is the party of the future.

M. O'BRIEN: All right, one final thought. I want to throw some more numbers up here. There's one thing that the Democrats have to deal with, and that is the issue of terror. And of all the low numbers we've been telling you about, this is the one number where the president is able to stay above the 50 percent range, and that is handling of terrorism, whether it's the wiretapping issue, whatever the case.

The Democrats, it seems to me, have to come up with an answer to this one. What is it?

REID: Well, I hope this is an issue we can be on the same page as the president. There is no question the war on terror is something we all want to defeat. We're going to continue to do that. And that's why I hope in the State of the Union tonight, the president says, meet with me, we'll work together on this, because we care about it just as much as he does.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes, but do Americans trust Democrats as much when it comes to this, the war on terror, do you think?

REID: Of course, they do. They know that Democrats are just a patriotic as Republicans. It's not a question of patriotism; it's a question of how we're going to get the job done.

M. O'BRIEN: Senator Harry Reid, who will be watching, along with us all tonight, thank you for your time.

REID: Your sure welcome, Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: CNN's coverage of the president's State of the Union begins at 7:00 Eastern, 4:00 Pacific. We'll start off with Wolf Blitzer and Paula Zahn, a special edition of "THE SITUATION ROOM." And then of course a reminder, if you're not a night owl, I'll be asleep by the time the president starts talking, but I'll have Soledad to help me out tomorrow morning, and so will you. She'll be in Washington, and we'll give you a complete wrap-up beginning at 6:00 a.m. Eastern. You won't miss a thing if you tune in tomorrow as well -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: We are just a few moments away from the nominees for the Academy Awards to be announced. Let's get right to Sibilia Vargas. She's in Beverly Hills waiting, along with us.

Hey, Sibilia, good morning.

SIBILIA VARGAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.

That's right. I mean, the countdown has definitely begun. In about a minute, we will be hearing those announcements. But, you know, big expectations, of course, for "Brokeback Mountain." I mean, this has been a critical gem. It swept the Golden Globes, and everyone is expecting to hear "Brokeback Mountain," Heath Ledger possibly for best actor. Jake Gyllenhaal for best supporting actor, and maybe Michelle Williams for supporting actress. Ang Lee took home this weekend the DGA, the director -- the best director for the DGA Awards, so expect Ang Lee to be big on this nomination list.

But something interesting happened over the weekend at the SAG Awards. "Crash" actually ended up winning the best ensemble cast. So that kind of sort of invigorated everything, because we know that anything is possible when it comes to these awards ceremonies. We never know how anybody is going to vote. I mean, one award show is different from the next. So it should be an interesting day for sure.

In about 30 seconds, though, the cabinet president and Mira Sorvino will be making those announcements. So we'll see what happens very shortly. It should be exciting, though -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Yes, no question about that. And big snub for "Brokeback Mountain." I think people were really surprised. I mean, the cast of "Crash," obviously, utterly thrilled. And it was great to see Terrance Howard up there holding the award, and being very pleased and congratulating all of his peers, but i think people were very surprised by that.

VARGAS: They were surprised, but you know, it was also best ensemble cast. And if you look at that movie with so much about the cast, difference cultures, different races as well, so it was really something that was about the cast and the ensemble, as opposed to maybe the best picture. But they're going to start right now.

S. O'BRIEN: Yes, let's listen in. The nominees are being announced. Let's listen.

SID GANIS, AMPAS, PRESIDENT: Good morning, everybody. Good morning. I'm Sid Ganis, president of the Academy.

And before we reveal the nominees for the 78th Annual Academy Awards, I would like to introduce my co-announcer this morning, please welcome Oscar-winning actress, Mira Sorvino.

MIRA SORVINO, ACTRESS: Thank you, Sid. Good morning, everyone.

GANIS: The 2005 nominees for best performance by an actress in a supporting role are Amy Adams in "June Bug," Caterine Keener in "Capote," Frances McDormand in "North Country," Rachel Weisz in "The Constant Gardener," and Michelle Williams in "Brokeback Mountain" -- Mira.

SORVINO: Thank you.

For best performance by an actor in a supporting role, the nominees are George Clooney in "Syrianna," Matt Dillon in "Crash," Paul Giamatti in "Cinderella Man," Jake Gyllenhaal in "Brokeback Mountain," and William Hurt in "A History of Violence."

GANIS: For best performance by an actress in a leading role, the nominees are Judi Dench in "Mrs. Henderson Presents," Felicity Huffman in "TransAmerica," Keira Knightley in "Pride and Prejudice," Charlize Theron in "North Country," and Reese Witherspoon in "Walk the Line."

SORVINO: The nominees for best performance by an actor in a leading role are Philip Seymour Hoffman in "Capote," Terrance Howard in "Hustle and Flow," Heath Ledger in "Brokeback Mountain," Joaquin Phoenix in "Walk the Line," and David Strathairn in "Good Night and Good Luck."

GANIS: And for category of best achievement in directing, we have Ang Lee, "Brokeback Mountain," Bennett Miller for "Capote," Paul Haggis for "Crash," George Clooney for "Good Night and Good Luck" and Steven Spielberg for "Munich."

SORVINO: For best original screenplay, the nominees are Paul Haggis and Bobby Moresco for "Crash," George Clooney and Grant Heslov for "Good Night and Good Luck," Woody Allen for "Match Point," Noah Baumbach for "The Squid and the Whale," and Stephen Gaghan for "Syrianna."

GANIS: And for adapted screenplay, we have Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana for "Brokeback Mountain," Dan Futterman for "Capote," Jeffrey Caine for "The Constant Gardener," Josh Olson for "A History of Violence," and Tony Kushner and Eric Roth for "Munich."

SORVINO: For best foreign language film, we have, from Italy, "Don't Tell," from France, "Joyeux Noel," from the Palestinian Authority, "Paradise Now," From Germany, "Sophie Scholl, the Final Days," and from South Africa, "Tsotsi."

GANIS: Now for best animated feature film, the nominees are "Howl's Moving Castle, Hayo Miyazaki (ph)," Tim Burton's "Corpse Bride," Tim Burton and Mike Johnson, and "Wallace and Gromitt in the Curse of the Were-Rabbit," Nick Park Box and Steve Box (ph).

SORVINO: And finally, I'm pleased to announced the film select as the best picture nominees for 2005 are "Brokeback Mountain," Diana Ossana and James Jamus (ph) producers, "Capote," Caroline Barren (ph), William Vince and Michael Ohoven (ph) producers, Crash, Paul Haggis and Kathy Shillman (ph) producers, "Good Night and Good Luck," Grant Heslov producer, and "Munich," Kathleen Kennedy, Steven Spielberg and Barry Mendel (ph) producers.

GANIS: So, everybody, please join us on March 5th when the envelopes will be opened. See you then.

Thank you, Mira.

SORVINO: Thank you, Sid.

Congratulations to all of the nominees.

S. O'BRIEN: All right, that was the Academy president Sid Ganis, along with Oscar winner Mira Sorvino announcing some of the nominations.

When you look at the list, a lot of the names that you would expect, no question about that. "Brokeback Mountain" getting something like eight nominations overall. They just announced some of them, not all of them, obviously. "Crash," six. "Capote," five nominations overall. "Walk the Line," five nominations as well.

So we will be chatting a little bit later with Bradley Jacobs about what all this means and who looks like the big winners potentially on March 5th, as they mentioned, which is when the Academy Awards air.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

M. O'BRIEN: Coming up, Dr. Sanjay Gupta joins us live on a checkup on the participants in our "New You" 2006 resolution contest. I botched that thing somehow. But anyway, the question is, how are they doing? And we'll let you know.

Later, you know him, you love him, you can't get enough of him, can you? Britain's infamous politician/reality show/danskin wearing/booty shaking, hand-shaking guy he's going to be with us! And we're going to ask him all kinds of questions, ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

M. O'BRIEN: It's just about halftime in the "New You Resolution" series, which means it's time for a hot dog, right? No, you don't...

S. O'BRIEN: No!

M. O'BRIEN: You don't want to do that.

S. O'BRIEN: No!

M. O'BRIEN: How are you doing on yours? You doing all right?

S. O'BRIEN: I was having multi-grain toast a minute ago, with lots of butter...

M. O'BRIEN: You working out?

S. O'BRIEN: ... just the way I like it.

M. O'BRIEN: Sounds awful.

S. O'BRIEN: Yes, kind of, sometimes.

M. O'BRIEN: You might as well have them bring you cardboard.

S. O'BRIEN: I'm trying. No, it's not so bad. I'm trying.

Anyway. Week four, with "New You" times two, as you know. And Dr. Sanjay Gupta's at the CNN Center with a little progress report for us.

Hey, Sanjay, good morning.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning. I'm sure that whole grain toast tasted just wonderful, Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: The butter helped.

M. O'BRIEN: Oh, you did sneak a little butter on there?

S. O'BRIEN: Uh-huh.

GUPTA: Listen, every Tuesday we update you on our pairs working to get healthy together. We are halfway there, and I will tell you that most people watching have already broken their New Year's resolutions, but not our group.

This week's "New You" focuses on the Rasch twins. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GUPTA (voice-over): How are the Rasch twins adjusting to their new exercise regimen?

MARK RASCH, "NEW YOU" PARTICIPANT: I'm in pain.

STUART RASCH, "NEW YOU" PARTICIPANT: I feel sore, I feel tired. I don't feel any stronger, but I feel achier.

GUPTA: They're also dealing with a diet overhaul.

S. RASCH: Potato chips I like. Jelly beans, peanut butter.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Peanut butter is not a junk food. A jar of it is!

GUPTA: Take out food and eating on the run during his overnight shifts pushed Stuart's cholesterol and blood pressure dangerously high. His new diet plan requires him to eat 300 to 400 calorie mini- meals every four hours and make smarter choices from the Chinese menu.

S. RASCH: What about like steamed dumplings or something like that?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Steamed vegetable dumplings, that's a great choice.

GUPTA: Adopt healthier recipes at home and keep a food diary as a constant reminder.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My analysis of your food diary is you that you have some very excellent choices.

M. RASCH: Well, this is the "New Me" food diet, this isn't the old me food diet.

GUPTA: Since he started working on his "New You," Mark has been trying to change his high fat ways.

M. RASCH: Now, we got these, the healthier ones, you know, the 100-calorie packs. I figure if you had six or seven of these, you're pretty much OK.

GUPTA: But he still needs to add more healthy calories earlier during the day, cut out late night snacking and develop a flexible plan for the road.

The "New You" challenge has already paid off for the twins. Mark has lost 11 pounds, Stuart has lost seven, and they've still got four weeks to go.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GUPTA: I don't know if can you tell, but they're looking pretty good already, both Mark and Stuart. So good luck to them. Now let's check up on our other two "New You" pairs. The Rampollas, they're a military family, and the co-workers, Frank and Donna. This is about the power of pairs, as you know. So the question, did they mirror each other's "New You" goals?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GUPTA (voice-over): For years, Pedro and Denise Rampolla have struggled with time and balance. It's week four and balance is still a struggle.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Baby steps. Baby steps are huge. Especially for anybody who's starting out an exercise program. You want to be able to wash your hair the next day.

GUPTA: And they've taken their improved eating habits to work. Denise actually eating lunch.

DENISE RAMPOLLA, "NEW YOU" PARTICIPANT: I kind feel boxed in like, OK, I have to be in my office at 11:00 and you have to make that appointment.

GUPTA: And Pedro eating healthy. In fact, it's been 16 days since any Rampolla has had fast food. Nice.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's not about liking it. It's about getting that "New You" body.

GUPTA: She is five pounds closer to her new you goal.

DONNA WATTS-BRIGHTHAUPT, "NEW YOU" PARTICIPANT: I don't like this!

GUPTA: Her partner and boss is making strides as well. He's lost 20 pounds.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, next week we should get you to about 45 seconds.

GUPTA: Their friend the candyman is also feeling the effects of the "New You."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We ought to put sugarless gum in the M&M machine, because that would give us something to chew on.

WATTS-BRIGHTHAUPT: Because that will help with my smoking.

Get 'em out, get 'em out!

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GUPTA: So here are some take-home heart healthy tips for everyone following the power of pairs "New You Resolution." Next time you order from the take-out menu, ask for the sauce on the side so you can control your sodium and your fat. Increase soy in your diet. According to the FDA, 25 grams of soy protein a day can increase your good cholesterol and reduce your risk of heart disease. And use flavored cooking sprays to cut down on fat while maintaining flavor.

As you know, we have the Web site, CNN.com/newyou. You can follow along, you can vote for your "New You" favorites as well. Lots of people having a lot of fun with this, guys.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes, there's a blog, right?

GUPTA: There is a blog, as well. Check it out if you can.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes. These guys are good bloggers, so check it out.

S. O'BRIEN: We're having fun with it, too. Sanjay, thank you.

GUPTA: Thank you.

S. O'BRIEN: We're going to take a look at the top stories right after the short break. We're back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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