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American Morning

Crisis In Nepal; White House Shake-up; Postpartum OCD; Ready For 'United 93'?

Aired April 20, 2006 - 07:30   ET

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

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Top stories now.
It's summit day a the White House. The massive U.S. trade deficit with China, Iran's nuclear program, political ideology all topics that will be on the table as China's President Hu Jintao meets with President Bush this morning.

Oil prices up again. Another crude record hit today. Bubbling at 72.49 per barrel, although the price has fallen by a few cents for those of you keeping score.

And in Alexandria, Virginia, at the federal courthouse, more family members of 9/11 victims expected to testify for the defense today. They're saying that Zacarias Moussaoui's life should be spared. They don't want revenge, they say.

Good morning to you. I'm Miles O'Brien.

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everybody. I'm Betty Nguyen in for Soledad.

We've got a lot to tell you about, including this. We are following a crisis in Nepal this morning. More than 100,000 pro- democracy demonstrators -- take a look at them -- are on the outskirts of the city. Some of them clashing with police. Three demonstrate have been killed, at least 100 others injured. Correspondent Dan Rivers joins us live on the phone.

Dan, what is going on there?

DAN RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's total chaos here, Betty. The central of the capital, Kathmandu, has been locked down. There's a total curfew. But out on the outskirts of the city, as you say, there are tens of thousands of people protesting, demanding that democracy is restored and demanding that the king, Gyanendra, steps down. He seized democracy a year back dismissing the elected government. They want power back. And it's been pretty angry. There have been shootings. There have been a lot of stone throwing. Pretty tense and pretty chaotic.

NGUYEN: Yes, we've got reports of three dead, 100 injured. So let me ask you this, what is the king doing in response to these protests?

RIVERS: Well, at the moment, he's sitting tight. He's offered some concessions. He's offered the former prime minister his job back, the prime minister -- ex-prime minister said no. And at the moment, the king apparently has ordered his security forces to impose this very tight curfew around the city center and he's told his security forces to in effect put a ring of steel around the outside of the city and to make sure that his security forces stand strong. So far they are keeping those protesters at bay.

NGUYEN: So the curfew is working at this point?

RIVERS: The curfew is working in the city center. I'm just in one of the suburbs where it's probably (ph) here there are a lot (ph) of people out on the streets now. And if you go further out around the roads that encircle the city, there are violent clashes still going on. A lot of stones being thrown at the riot police and the riot police responding in some parts by opening fire.

NGUYEN: So despite a curfew, the violence does continue on yet another day. Dan Rivers joining us by phone. Thank you for that, Dan.

Miles.

MILES O'BRIEN: The new White House chief of staff, Josh Bolten, promised to shake things up in the West Wing and so far he has been a man of his word. Out yesterday, Press Secretary Scott McClellan and Karl Rove given a smaller portfolio, in charge of politics, not policy any longer. Former White House Staffer Mary Matalin joins us now from Washington.

Mary, good to have you with us this morning.

There's a lot of stuff in the morning papers this morning that this shake-up reflects an admission at the White House that they're in some trouble. How much trouble are they in?

MARY MATALIN, FORMER ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT: Well, this is a very critical midterm election year and there's a lot of big, bold initiatives on the plate and it's critical that we maintain control of both chambers of Congress. And it's critical that the public understands the progress that's being made in Iraq, that understands how robust this economy is. Those are all big missions and there's more to get done. And we -- and the president gave Josh Bolten the mandate to make this White House more effective.

MILES O'BRIEN: If the president's numbers, though, were not in the 30s, we wouldn't be seeing these changes would we?

MATALIN: You know, I don't know. I mean, change is good. Those are tough jobs. And there was a lot of change. There's a lot of change always in the White House and in Washington in general.

But, yes, there is obviously a recognition that when we have a robust economy and four out of five people say they're better off today than they were four years ago, yet 50 percent think we're in a recession, there's a disconnect. When 80 percent of the Iraqis feel optimistic about their future and 50 percent of American's don't, there's a disconnect. When the Democrats have put nothing on the table and people are looking favorably at debt, there's a disconnect. So the objective here is to have an effective connection with the public to continue to pursue the big policy and the strategic trajectory that the president's put in place. We've got three years here.

MILES O'BRIEN: All right. Mary, the dissatisfaction with the war, though, is now in the 60 percentile. And the one person who seems not to be losing his job for sure is the defense secretary. That, to me, seems like a bit of a disconnect.

MATALIN: Well, that's not a disconnect. This is a brand new kind of war. It's an unconventional war, asymmetrical. These terrorists don't fight by the rules such as it were. This is a problem that wasn't addressed for the 20 years preceding this administration, preceding 9/11. And Secretary Rumsfeld is not only at the helm of overseeing that, he's also overseeing a transformation for the 21st century for the military.

So, yes, there's going to be a lot of dissension, a lot of contention. The president has confidence in Secretary Rumsfeld, as do the thousands, thousands of generals and other personnel in the military and in the Defense Department. He's been an incredible secretary of defense and he's going to stay.

MILES O'BRIEN: What do you say to those critics who say these changes are too little and too late?

MATALIN: I would just say they're wrong and the proof is in the pudding. Josh has been there all of three days now and in that time he's put an incredible person at OMB in Congressman Portman, which also enhance our relationships with the Congress. And he has readjusted the inner workings of the White House to fit his style and he's met his mandate, is beginning to put in place a structure that meets the mandate that the president gave him, which is to be an effective and aggressive and assertive White House for the three remaining years.

So it's not -- you know the whole notion that you just move chairs around to appease some chattering classes is not what the president's about here. It's not gamesmanship. It's not cosmetic. It's a change to be more effective going into the future for the three years. We do not have the luxury to not be an effective White House for the next three years.

MILES O'BRIEN: Mary Matalin, thanks for your time.

MATALIN: Good morning, Miles. Thank you.

NGUYEN: Time now to get a check on the weather outside. Chad Myers is at the CNN Center with the latest on some severe weather that has rolled through and more to come?

(WEATHER REPORT)

NGUYEN: Well, some new moms are just terrified of harming their babies. We've heard about postpartum depression, but now there are new fears about another postpartum condition, obsessive compulsive disorder. An article about the disorder appears in this month's "Self" magazine. Deborah Feyerick has the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): Even before her daughter was born, Wendy Exnarady (ph) admits she was a worrier.

WENDY EXNARADY: I always worry about everything. I would be afraid that I left like a window open or a door unlocked or the oven on or an iron.

FEYERICK: After giving birth to Madison four years ago, Wendy became obsessed something or someone, even Wendy herself, might hurt the baby.

EXNARADY: I was afraid that she would fall down the stairs, she would drown in the tub. Whether it was by me, by my husband, by somebody, I was just horrified.

FEYERICK: It got so bad Wendy was afraid to be alone with her own child.

Did you think, oh my God, could I be an Andrea Yates?

EXNARADY: Yes. Of course. That was my worst fear. And I think that's what -- you know, I kind of hid myself.

FEYERICK: Andrea Yates is the mother who drowned her five young children in the bathtub. Yates was diagnosed with postpartum psychosis. Wendy was not. Her problem was different, something more common than most people realize. It wasn't just postpartum depression, but postpartum OCD, obsessive compulsive disorder, triggered by the birth of her baby. Dr. Shari Lusskin is a psychiatrist who treats mental illness in new moms.

DR. SHARI LUSSKIN, NYU MEDICAL CENTER: Up to 40 percent of mothers with postpartum depression also have obsessive thoughts. And in general, in contrast to OCD in other situations, women who are postpartum have obsessions about the baby. So they worry in particular that they're going to do harm to the baby.

FEYERICK: That fear became so great Wendy withdrew. Experts say that's a common reaction among new moms suffering from the disorder.

EXNARADY: I'm scared to death.

SONIA MURDOCH, POSTPARTUM RESOURCE CENTER OF NEW YORK: The fears of OCD with moms are very, very real.

FEYERICK: Sonia Murdoch runs the Postpartum Resource Center of New York, which is where she and Wendy first met.

Do these women fear that if they share their concerns, their thoughts, that their child might be taken from them? MURDOCH: Absolutely. That is one of the greatest fears of moms going through postpartum OCD. They are afraid that they are going to be judged as bad people, bad mothers.

FEYERICK: Murdoch and other experts say many women don't seek help because they are so ashamed of their own thoughts. But the overwhelming question -- could these violent thoughts lead a woman to harm her own baby?

LUSSKIN: The short answer is, absolutely not. The hallmark of OCD is that the patient recognizes that the thoughts are illogical and therefore they won't act on them.

FEYERICK: Through her lamaze coach, Wendy got in touch with a therapist and also a psychiatrist who put her on anti-anxiety medication.

EXNARADY: As soon as I started getting help, you know, and when I joined the group at the resource center, there were other women there, there were other mothers that were going through the same thing and it made it more normal to me.

FEYERICK: Wendy now volunteers at the Postpartum Resource Center talking to other women about her own experiences. As for her daughter . . .

EXNARADY: You've got to move out of the way when I come back, OK? Mommy's going to hurt you.

FEYERICK: A life so precious . . .

EXNARADY: That's fun, isn't it?

FEYERICK: Wendy and her husband are now talking about having a second child.

Deborah Feyerick, CNN, Patchogue, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: OK, here's what you need to know. Postpartum OCD can come on suddenly, but there are some signs that could tip women off. And they include trauma or family history of depression. Deb's report first aired on "Paula Zahn Now" which you can watch weeknights at 8:00 Eastern.

MILES O'BRIEN: Andy is "Minding Your Business."

Good morning, Andy.

ANDY SERWER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning you guys.

There is a new NBC in town, the National Broadband Company, and, yes, it is a cousin of the peacock.

Plus, what if your TV network didn't let you change channels during commercials. That's right, it could be coming up. We'll talk about it next on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MILES O'BRIEN: Live pictures. The fourth floor of the Time Warner Center, Columbus Circle, New York. That's my office. That's my chair. That's my computer. Hey, and there's my bowl of Grapenuts. Oh, I forgot to wash it. Oh, I'll have to do that later.

This is the Miles Cam, which at 10:30 Eastern Time that seat will be occupied by yours truly taking your e-mail. So before you tune into Pipeline at 10:30, which is at cnn.com/pipeline, and I know you know about Pipeline and all the wonderful things it does, we would like you to send an e-mail to me which I will try to address. Am@cnn.com is the e-mail address. Start sending that stuff now. Towards the end of our program we'll answer a few just to give you a little flavor of what lies ahead for the Miles Cam segment today, every Thursday here on CNN and cnn/pipeline.

Betty.

NGUYEN: Can you wash that cereal bowl while you're at it, Miles, today? OK. I mean, come on. We're trying to keep the place clean around here.

MILES O'BRIEN: I will. I'll do that while I'm on the Miles Cam.

SERWER: I was going to ask him what his favorite cereal was, but now I know.

NGUYEN: Now you know.

SERWER: It's just not (INAUDIBLE).

NGUYEN: Hey, here's something that we don't know a whole lot about that coming, this new web TV thing where you're getting all a certain network on the web?

SERWER: Right. A lot of the networks, Betty, are obviously looking to put their programming on the web. We've heard about ABC's efforts in this field. Now we learn that NBC and its 213 affiliates are forming a joint venture called the National Broadband Company, get it NBC.

NGUYEN: Got it.

SERWER: To put programming generated by the affiliates on the web. So, in other words, if there was some programming, say a sporting event in Modesto and you lived in Atlanta and wanted to see it for some reason, you could. It will be sports, news, weather, entertainment news. And what happens here, Betty, is they'll put this up there and then they'll sell advertising against it. And this is to offset all the ad dollars that are going towards the Internet and sort of leaving television to a degree. When you put some of these programs, say, from the network on, say a "Lost" like ABC was doing the next day, affiliates are saying, you know, they may be losing some revenue there as people leave television and move to watch the show on the Internet.

NGUYEN: The Internet, yes, exactly.

SERWER: So they lose. This is a way perhaps to recoup those dollars.

NGUYEN: But aren't you watching it on the Internet?

SERWER: You'd be watching it on the Internet but they'd be selling different ads. So, in other words, it would be sponsored by Ford, it would be going to the affiliates as well.

NGUYEN: So the money's going to -- I gotcha. It's all about, again, all about the money, right.

SERWER: That's what happens.

NGUYEN: Well, speaking of watching habits. A lot of us keep clicking through those commercials. There's a new device out there that may not let you do that anymore?

SERWER: Yes, this is actually a shocker, disturbing, irritating. Call it what you will.

NGUYEN: It's just not right is what it is.

SERWER: It just ain't right, Betty, that's probably the best way of putting it. A new technology developed by Phillips, the Dutch company, a patent, not out there yet, but it's an anti-commercial skipping device. And the way it would work is, if you were watching a television program and a commercial came on say for like a Pizza Hut that was irritating you and you tried to click it, it wouldn't let you change channels. It would not let you change channels. To me, that is a step . . .

NGUYEN: How's that legal?

SERWER: Three steps, five steps, 10 steps too far.

NGUYEN: Exactly.

SERWER: And so I don't think it's ever going to get rolled out, but it's interesting to hear about.

NGUYEN: I'm with you there. Let's just squash that.

SERWER: Yes.

NGUYEN: Forget about that idea.

SERWER: That's it.

NGUYEN: Gone. All right.

There's much more to come right here on AMERICAN MORNING. Stay with us. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MILES O'BRIEN: Maybe there are no subjects that are taboo for Hollywood. A movie opening this week will certainly test the boundaries of convention. It is about one of the darkest days in our history, September 11, 2001. But it is the one 9/11 story that offered us a glimmer, a story of heroics under fire. Carl Costello has seen the movie now, she's talked to the director and some family members involved in the making of "United 93."

Carol, good morning.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So many controversies swirling around this movie. Is it to soon? Is it exploitive?

I did talk with family members who lost loved ones aboard the flight. They said, who's to say when the right time is. I do know this, all 40 families are supportive of this movie and they urge you to see it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Flight attendants, prepare for takeoff, please.

COSTELLO, (voice over): It takes us back to that beautiful day in September when the world changed.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Two planes hit the World Trade Center.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Two -- in New York. The World Trade Center.

COSTELLO: The memories from that day are still so painful the trailer to "United 93" was pulled from a New York theater. Still, the movie is set to open nationwide next week.

So we'll start with that question. Why now?

PAUL GREENGRASS, DIRECTOR, "UNITED 93": Well, I think it's the right time but I can't know for sure.

COSTELLO: British writer/director Paul Greengrass made the movie with the help of 40 families who gave it their blessing.

GREENGRASS: They believe that far from it being too soon, it's high time. And I think they are the appropriate people to make that call.

COSTELLO: Some, like Elsa Strong, whose sister Linda died that day, feel it's so important she's even promoting it.

ELSA STRONG, SISTER ON UNITED 93: It was very powerful. And I think, you know, we all felt the same sense of relief after seeing the movie that it had been done so well. COSTELLO: "United 93" is not Hollywood slick. There are no big movie stars, no beautiful sets. It feels unbearably real at times.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They are not going to land this plane. They are not going to take us back to the airport.

COSTELLO: The action unfolds in real time over 90 minutes. The dialogue is nearly all improvised. The actors spoke with the victims families.

CHRISTIAN CLEMENSON, ACTOR, "UNTIED 93": Paul Greengrass gave us everything we needed. He put us in a set that was an exact replica of this airplane. The plane moved the way the plane actually moves. The words that we chose to say were words we came up with ourselves. They just came up out of ourselves however we responded to the events happening around us.

COSTELLO: Don't you worry that you got it wrong?

CLEMENSON: No. As long as we were there emotionally.

COSTELLO: Real pilots, real flight attendants acted in the movie. In fact, the actual man who was in charge of the nation's air traffic control that day plays himself.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're going to shut down the entire country right now?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's right. Listen, we're at war with someone.

COSTELLO: America lost a lot that day, but Greengrass feels the victims of Flight 93 delivered an important victory.

GREENGRASS: They were the first people to inhabit our world, the post 9/11 world, and they were the first people to wrestle with the question that lies before us today and has done every day since 9/11, which is what are we going to do?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What are we going to do?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We don't -- we'll figure that out but get every weapon that we can.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: I did see the movie. It is intense. It did take me back to that day. I walked out sad and I walked out angry at what we've lost. The strangest feeling, I found myself rooting for those passengers and thinking they might get out alive even though I knew how it would end. And I wasn't alone in that feeling. The family members I talked with did too. The strangest thing.

MILES O'BRIEN: That's something to see for sure. Carol Costello, thank you very much.

Betty.

NGUYEN: In a moment, top stories, including the black market for FEMA trailers in Louisiana.

Then, testimony from 9/11 family members who want Zacarias Moussaoui to live.

We have a look at what is behind Karl Rove's changing role in the Bush administration.

And huge immigration bust rounding up hundreds of undocumented workers and their bosses.

Plus, Nepal on the brink. Hundreds of thousands of protesters in the streets. You see it there. A tense situation with police. We're live on the scene. You want to stay with us right here on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MILES O'BRIEN: Chaos in Kathmandu. The people of Nepal want freedom. The government responds to their massive protest with gunfire. We're live there.

NGUYEN: An aggressive move coming this morning. The government getting serious about a crackdown on illegal immigration.

KELLI ARENA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Kelli Arena at the federal courthouse in Alexandria, Virginia, where relatives of 9/11 victims testified for the defense.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: And I'm Chad Myers. Storms right around the national vicinity right now, especially north of the city. Here's a live shot from WKRN, our affiliate in Nashville. Every once in a while lightening off to the right. That is the storm that's going north of the city, but there are more storms in your future today. Stay with us.

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