Return to Transcripts main page

American Morning

Discussion with Picabo Street; Mining Disasters; Week Six of "New You Resolution"

Aired February 14, 2006 - 08:32   ET

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


ZAIN VERJEE, CNN ANCHOR: The governor of West Virginia wants the state's mine safety chief to have a better idea of what it's like. He wants someone who's been in the mines, but for the families of those who lost their lives at the Sago Mine and in other mining disasters, much more needs to be done.
CNN's Kathleen Koch brings us that story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SARAH BAILEY, DAUGHTER OF SAGO MINER: My dad was more than just a dad to me. He was my best friend. He was my leader. My companion.

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Grief and emotion from the families of the lost Sago miners was front and center at the House Forum on Mine Safety. Sarah Bailey read publicly for the first time a letter found with the body of her father George Hamner.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The section is full of smoke and fumes. So we can't escape. I just want you and Sarah to know I love you both, and always have.

KOCH: But equally intense, the anger of families of 13 Alabama miners killed in a similar accident in 2001.

WANDA BLEVINS, WIDOW OF ALABAMA MINER: There was several recommendations that was made. And had they been implemented and followed, gentlemen, you would not be dealing with Sago today. You would not be dealing with Sago today. Nothing was taken into consideration after Brookwood. Nothing. So did my husband die in vain?

KOCH: Families asked lawmakers to require better communications equipment and supplies of food, air and water underground for miners in case they are trapped. They also want better enforcement of mine safety rules and regulations.

CHUCK KNISELL, FORMER SAGO MINER: It's time now for the government to stand up and take care of this problem. These coal companies are getting away with murder.

KOCH: No one from the coal industry, nor the government agency that inspects mines, testified. When asked to respond to the questions raised at the forum, both declined CNN's request for an interview.

Kathleen Koch, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(WEATHER REPORT)

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks you for the theme music. Practice makes perfect. In this case, a perfectly breathtaking fall for American skier Lindsey Kildow. So will she be able to compete, or will she go home with a medal, or just a hospital bracelet?

Picabo Street knows what this is all about. The 1998 Nagano gold medal winner is now a skiing analyst for NBC. She knows Lindsey well of course.

Picabo, good to have you with us.

PICABO STREET, 1998 OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST: Thanks for having me.

O'BRIEN: You've seen her. You've talked to her. How's she doing?

STREET: She's great. She's actually more comfortable today than we expected her to be. I talked to her first thing this morning, and she can already bend over and touch her toes, so she's just real sore in her low back, but I truly don't believe it's something that's going to keep her out of the all of the competitions here at the Olympics, but she is now going to have decide where her priorities are.

O'BRIEN: So she might have to pick and choose. I love this quote from her roommate Rusty Stigler (ph), saying "Lindsey is Gumby so she should be good." Gumby can do that stuff ask not get hurt. Is she really Gumby?

STREET: She is. I knew immediately that her knees weren't in jeopardy at all with the crash.

O'BRIEN: Really?

STREET: I knew for sure that her back was going to be where the pain was going to be isolated. So I was nervous and bummed for her, but quite comfortable with the positive outcome from the get-go.

O'BRIEN: Did you actually see the crash live in person?

STREET: I did.

O'BRIEN: What was that like? As a ski racer, it's hard for all of us to watch it, just who recreational ski. But as a ski racer, what's that like? You've been there and felt that.

STREET: Yes. It's scary. She really, honestly just relaxed her skis out, tried to let them go away from her as they do now, and they split apart. The snow is very grippy and it just caught her edges, and so they started to go. She actually controlled them, brought them back together again, and then when those boots hit together, it high- sided her, and that's when it spun her and her and landed her on her back.

So it was a little bit scary for her, but the fact that she maintained consciousness and was kind of in control up on her elbows the whole time was my sign that she's OK. Some of the most horrific- looking crashes, you walk away without a scratch, and some of the more simple ones are the one where you actually really get hurt.

O'BRIEN: Yes, it's funny.

STREET: So it just depends.

O'BRIEN: It's like that in auto racing, too, sometimes.

STREET: Absolutely.

O'BRIEN: I'm curious, when you see those yard sale falls, you know, just goes on and on and on, and it seems like it's going on for 20 minutes, what goes through your mind?

STREET: Well, in the beginning of a crash like that, you try to control it, but like I said, she was able to pull her feet back together again. But at some point, you have to relinquish that control and just kind of roll with it, try and keep your feet up off the snow, so your skis don't bounce around and blow your knees apart. And then you just slide with it. And in those Lycra suits, sometimes that slide is a lot longer than others.

O'BRIEN: Yes, I should say. I mean, you must get -- do you think, oh God, there goes the Games for me. I'm sure that might go through your head, too. What would you advise her as far as what events to do and what events to sit out?

STREET: I advised her that if she's going to go into the Super G at about 75 or 80 percent, if she thinks can compete with the best of the world at that, saddle up on Wednesday. But I think she'll get up, kind of test it out a little bit, and probably put her focus more importantly on the Super G, where she really has still a great chance of winning a medal.

O'BRIEN: You know about the Super G. You've got to keep your powder dry, don't you? That's really important.

Hey, let me ask you about the course, though, Is there anything wrong with the course?

STREET: Anytime man interrupts or interferes with nature, it's going to innately be a little more dangerous and a little more difficult to adjust to. But the same people that regulate that on the World Cup are here at the Olympics. They know what these women are capable of. Therefore, they're not going to send them out of the gate unless they're confident, and I believe they are confident.

So it's not really a risky course, not anymore than any other downhill that's out there. Crashes are a part of the deal. You're going to see girls go in, guys go in, and they're used to it. So just like Lindsey, it's going to take a whole lot more to get out of the Game.

O'BRIEN: All right, final thought -- what's the deal with Bode? Is he going to win anything?

STREET: I think if Bode parties and kind of sticks to what he likes and kind of keeps it on a casual level, yes, he has lots of chances to win. But yes, your guess is as good as mine, and I'm enjoying the show as much as everybody else.

O'BRIEN: Everybody is enjoying the show. So if continues partying, that's the training table to Bode Miller, happens to be at a bar.

STREET: To each their own.

O'BRIEN: All right, Picabo Street. To each their, exactly. Thank you very much for being with us. Picabo, by the way, has an Olympic blog which you can see at the Panasonic Web site. To read it, go to Panasonic.com/Olympics.

What kinds of stuff are you sharing on there, Picabo?

STREET: I'm sharing how it is for me to experience the Games and be on a different side of it. Usually when you're an athlete, you're cocooned and whisked here and there, and you really don't kind of get the feel of the Olympic movement and what a big ordeal it is. And I've been able to see it from another side. And so I'm commenting on that Web site about how I'm seeing it and what experiences I'm having from the other side. And quite frankly, it's really awe inspiring, and I'm really honored to have been a part of it, so it's neat to be able to share those thoughts on panasonic.com.

O'BRIEN: Excellent. All right, check it out. Check out the blog. Picabo, always a pleasure. Thanks for dropping by.

STREET: Thanks for having me.

VERJEE: To each their own, she said, I think.

Here's Andy.

ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: I know that rule.

O'BRIEN: I love that. If he keeps partying and keeps having a good time, he'll win a medal. I love that. That's good.

SERWER: Makes sense to me.

All right, you guys, can you understand me now? Alan Greenspan, no longer Fed chairman. He's looking to cash in, though. Does that make sense? Stay tuned. We'll discuss that, coming up on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) O'BRIEN: Is Teller the guy who talks or not? Teller is the silent one. Penn's the talker; Teller the -- so...

VERJEE: Here is Andy on demand with Disney on Demand.

SERWER: OK. Now, we're going to talk about Disney on Demand. Thank you, Zain. This has to do with movies on demand Disney style. It's a new service called Movie Beam rolled out today in 29 cities. And I'm not sure about this one, folks. I'll tell you about it, though. It's a new set top box from Walt Disney, costs you $230, comes preloaded with 100 movies. You get 10 new ones each week that you would rent at regular video rental prices, if you will. You would get Disney films the same day they were released on DVD, so you'd get them in your home day the day they hit the stores.

O'BRIEN: But just Disney?

SERWER: Right, so that's a good point. I think consumers want an agnostic service. They don't care which movie studio. And I don't want another set-top box. I really don't. Please. I mean, you can see all of these companies trying to scramble with this iVideo, Netflix, Video on Demand. I do not think this is the solution. But who knows, we shall see what happens.

O'BRIEN: What's the monthly?

SERWER: The monthly is you just pay for the movies that are, say, a $3 per movie fee.

O'BRIEN: It's going nowhere. Mickey mouse Would agree with you.

SERWER: Well put.

VERJEE: Greenspan?

SERWER: Alan Greenspan. Thank you. Yes, writing a memoir, reportedly looking to get a million-dollar advance. And even more than that, Zain, he is out out speechifying. The man has only been out of his esteemed chair two weeks, and he's already out there on the rubber chicken circuit making six figures per speech. The man made $180,000 a year so, you know, ka-ching, ka-ching. He speaks twice, and he makes more than his annual salary. I don't think this is a good thing at all, because people are listening to his speeches. It's moving the markets, only a certain amount of people hear it. He's talking about interest rates. He's not revealing any confidential information, I'm sure. But still, he's suggested, according to reports, that short-term interest rates need to rise. That's moved the markets. He's overshadowing his successor, Ben Bernanke, who's scheduled to appear before Congress on Wednesday and Thursday.

And you know, when you leave, you leave gracefully. You don't look to collect and cash in right away. You don't look to overshadow someone who's coming in to fill your shoes. It surprises me that he's doing this. I don't think it's right.

O'BRIEN: It's the free-market system. SERWER: Well, and he's a proponent. But why don't you just chill for three months.

O'BRIEN: A little bit of grace period.

SERWER: Yes, grace would be the operative word, Zain. Well put.

O'BRIEN: You might say there's high interest in Alan Greenspan, continues to be.

SERWER: You might.

O'BRIEN: All right. From Greenspan to Greenies now. Listen up, dog lovers. "PAULA ZAHN" tonight, we're going to look at this dog treat, Greenies. We have them at home, and...

SERWER: What are they?

O'BRIEN: They're little dog bone things that supposedly that clean their teeth and help their breath. Turns out may be a dark side to the Greenies. Some veterinarians and some dog owners are questioning the safety of these things. They might be dangerous. They might even be fatal. We'll hear exclusively from the makers and hear what they have to say about those rather dire claims.

If you're a dog owner and you have these things, you're going to want to watch, "PAULA ZAHN NOW" at 8:00 Eastern tonight, right here on CNN.

VERJEE: When do you give your dog a Greenie? After...

O'BRIEN: Well, you know, just a small treat, when we're leaving him for a little while, so they have something to...

SERWER: Give him a Greenie, huh?

O'BRIEN: Yes, no more Greenies for now. I will watch the piece. We'll watch the piece. We'll judge. We'll judge.

Coming up, something every guy should know, especially on Valentine's Day. Diamonds are a girl's best friend. Do you believe that hype, Andy, the diamond thing?

VERJEE: Why don't you ask me?

O'BRIEN: Because I know your answer. We know your answer.

VERJEE: It may surprise you.

O'BRIEN: The question is, if you go to Costco and buy the diamond and it's not in the light blue box, if you know what I mean.

SERWER: You can just get a light-blue box.

O'BRIEN: Yes, just get a light-blue box, exactly what I would do. And then there is the "New You Resolution" we're going to get into, the Rampollas. It's a wild ride for them. They were doing well. They went on vacation. We're going to see how they're doing. That's next on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VERJEE: Welcome to week six of the "New You Resolution." Our participants are now at their three-quarter poll and heading for home.

O'BRIEN: Heading around the home stretch, the clubhouse turn. Just two weeks remaining. Our three power pairs keeping up with their programs.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta at the CNN Center to bring us up-to-date on how everybody is doing. Hello, Sanjay.

SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, guys. Happy Valentine's Day to both of you. You know, as you know, Miles, we've talked about this. Our pairs -- "New You Resolution" has a hundred percent success rate. So we're hoping that stays true this year, as well. Six weeks into any health program, though, there are often some major obstacles.

Our pairs are still going strong, make no mistakes. Ups and downs are to be expected. Our military couple reminded us of that this week.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GUPTA (voice-over): It's full speed ahead for Denise and Pedro Rampolla's new health plan, with only a few minor hurdles.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's good!

GUPTA: Working out with their trainer Mary Holte (ph) has been a cinch. What's been tough, eating the right foods regularly. To overcome that, they found a new motivator: guilt.

DENISE RAMPOLLA, "NEW YOU" PARTICIPANT: Well, if one of us forgets, the other just guilts the other one into it.

PEDRO RAMPOLLA, "NEW YOU" PARTICIPANT: And I know she's caught me a couple times. Hey, you didn't take anything for lunch, so what are you eating?

D. RAMPOLLA: Yes.

P. RAMPOLLA: Having a salad.

GUPTA: On recent trip to Puerto Rico, the guilt resurfaced. The Rampollas avoided fatty foods, but forget their exercise plan at home.

P. RAMPOLLA: Before you know it, the vacation is over and you're going, oh, I didn't do a whole lot.

GUPTA: On the way back to Cheyenne, Pedro ended his week-long streak of avoiding fast food, but...

P. RAMPOLLA: And I kind of felt sick afterwards. I thought that was kind of a good thing.

D. RAMPOLLA: The Rampollas admit they didn't sign up to lose weight, but to fight against a family history of heart disease. That's what drives their new eating habits and their workouts.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm really making sure they do enough cardio, because cardio is going to strengthen the heart muscle.

P. RAMPOLLA: Turns out, even with occasional lapses, the plan is working.

D. RAMPOLLA: Definitely do feel healthier, do feel that my clothes fit better. I think even looking at him, though, I think his uniforms fit him pretty well. He's got a little bit more room in places, and yes.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GUPTA: And they got a couple of more weeks still, as well, to make sure that they win at this "New You Resolution." The twins and the lobbyists have shared their own highs and lows with us -- it's been six weeks now -- including cigarette and pancake withdrawals.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GUPTA (voice-over): Frank is 26 pounds leaner, but still faces an occasional snack attack.

FRANK PURCELL, "NEW YOU" PARTICIPANT: I have chips, which is fine. You know, a little while later, I'm like...

GUPTA: He says eating right increases his energy.

PURCELL: Makes it look so easy even Dad could do it.

GUPTA: And Frank's "New You" partner Donna got some lot tough love.

DONNA BRIGHTHAUPT, "NEW YOU" PARTICIPANT: My grandma found out. She's blind and I don't understand how she found out that I smoke, so she nicely asked me if I could try to stop. And when she speaks, the world stops.

GUPTA: Now Donna, 3.3 inches leaner, ends her morning run with water, sans the smoke.

BRIGHTHAUPT: The patch was on sale yesterday and I just thought I'd pick one up and try it out.

PURCELL: Bacon, and them pancakes on the side. My last meal!

GUPTA: Mark got his fill of pancakes before the "New You" started, but "Cooking Light" chef Billy has Mark back on flapjacks, but with a low-fat recipe that is chocked full of fiber and complex carbs.

CHEF BILLY, "COOKING LIGHT" MAGAZINE: That will keep you from being hungry in your office, traveling around at 10:30, 11:00, in the morning.

GUPTA: It was enough to please even the toughest critics.

Chef Billy had Stuart drinking to his health. They made low fat, high protein smoothies.

BILLY: What's better than peanut butter, chocolate and banana?

GUPTA: And portable fritatta to help Stuart stave off the late night E.R. munchies.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GUPTA: And a frittata looks almost as good as those pancakes, if you're eating at home.

Here are some take-home tips for those of you following the pairs' "New You Resolution." First of all, avoid eating fast food on the road. Easier said than done, but try taking some snacks with you, like nuts or dried fruit. Also, stay away from what Chef Billy calls the three evils. White flour, white sugar and salt. And how about a partner? Not just at the gym -- sometimes that's hard to do -- but a food buddy. Having someone to remind you to eat right all day long to help you stay on your plan.

And for more about all of this, log on to on CNN.com/newyouresolution, and you can vote for which pair you think is your biggest inspiration for week six. It looks like the Rampollas are in the lead this week, guys.

O'BRIEN: Oh, they're in the lead, interesting. Despite that vacation setback, huh?

GUPTA: That's right.

O'BRIEN: Interesting. All right, thank you, Sanjay.

VERJEE: Thanks, Sanjay.

Coming up, Sanjay will be back to talk about a new test to find out if you're at risk for heart trouble. It's not only painless, it's also quicker and cheaper than angioplasty. That story is just ahead here on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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