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American Morning

Response to North Korea; Same-Sex Marriage; Emmy Nominations Announced

Aired July 06, 2006 - 09:00   ET

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

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you. I'm Miles O'Brien.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Carol Costello, in for Soledad.

O'BRIEN: We begin with North Korea. That country today saying it will keep on launching missiles.

A divided U.N. Security Council meets in two hours to decide on a response to this crisis. The U.S., Britain and Japan all want a resolution that imposes sanctions and demands North Korea stop making and testing missiles. Russia and China against sanctions, and they each have veto power on the Security Council.

Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill arriving in China this morning. He'll talk with the other nations involved in the six- party disarmament talks with North Korea.

The White House does not want to get drawn into a one-on-one with North Korea. And this morning the Bush administration is insisting the world is speaking with one voice against North Korea's actions.

Suzanne Malveaux at the White House with more on that.

Good morning, Suzanne.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning, Miles.

As you know, the White House has really been trying to downplay the significance of North Korean's actions. It was just yesterday they said it doesn't rise to the presidential level. But clearly, President Bush is now very much involved in this high-level diplomacy and talks, trying to get North Korea to come back to the negotiating table, to abandon its nuclear ambitions.

Now, President Bush picked up the phone, called two very important allies. One, of course, South Korea's president, Roh Moo- hyun, the other, Japan's leader, Koizumi. Both of them thanking them for condemning North Korea's actions, but also pressing here that he is stressing a United front when it comes to the U.N. Security Council's position.

As you said, of course, it is Britain, it is the United States, as well as Japan, all of them pushing for strong, perhaps even economic, sanctions against North Korea. But a very strong condemnation, a resolution there.

Russia and China simply balking at this. They do not believe that is the best way to really win North Korea over. They are looking more at incentives, in carrots, not in those sticks.

So, clearly, the administration here is trying to buy time, essentially, lower the rhetoric, get a unified group together in the six-party talks, the permanent five members of the U.N. Security Council, before they make any kind of grand statements about how is best to deal with North Korea. But they essentially don't want to get caught up in this showdown, if you will, between the United States and Pyongyang -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: Suzanne, this rhetoric, this toned-down rhetoric stands in contrast to a lot of statements in advance of these tests. Why the change?

MALVEAUX: Well, you know, it's very interesting, because the Bush administration was criticized, as you know, in the lead-up to the war in Iraq that it was not working with allies, that it did not have the kind of intelligence -- it was faulty intelligence, as you know -- to go into that kind of confrontation, that conflict with Iraq. They are trying to bend over backwards, if you will, to show that they are working diplomatically and that they are not kind of in this lead-up or this run-up to some sort of military confrontation.

O'BRIEN: Suzanne Malveaux at the White House.

Thank you -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Will gay and lesbian couples be allowed to get married in New York State? Maybe. We have been waiting for this decision to come down all morning long, and it has. So, what has the court decided?

Let's get right to CNN Senior Correspondent Allan Chernoff.

What did the courts decide?

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SR. CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning, Carol.

A defeat for gay rights advocates here in New York State. The decision coming out just two minutes ago.

The high court here, the court of appeals, saying the status quo should remain. And they are basically saying that the state's domestic relations law is just fine as it is, that there is no reason for the court to actually sanction same-sex marriage. It's a decision the court is saying that should be left to the legislature in New York State if there is any change to be made in the law.

We prepared a background report about the plaintiffs. Let's have a look at that right now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) CHERNOFF (voice over): Daniel Hernandez and Nevin Cohen tell people they're married even though the law says otherwise. They share a lifelong commitment, they live together, have mutual finances, and both have a desire to make their relationship legal.

NEVIN COHEN, PLAINTIFF: We built a home together. And it's time for us to get married. We want to do that.

CHERNOFF: But New York, like most states, denies marriage rights to same-sex couples. So lawyers for Daniel and Nevin and 43 other New York couples pressed their case all the way to the state's highest court.

SUSAN SOMMER, SR. COUNSEL, LAMBDA LEGAL DEFENSE: Bedrock constitutional principles of liberty and equality require that New York extend the right to marry to same-sex couples.

CHERNOFF: Lawyers for New York aren't commenting on the state's opposition to allowing gay couples to marry, but in court they argue that New York should only encourage marriage between men and women for the sake of creating strong traditional families with the potential to procreate and raise children. That same argument failed in Massachusetts, which is now the only state allowing same-sex couples the right to marry. But both partners have to be state residents.

Gay rights advocates in Vermont and six other states have gained the right to be joined in civil unions or domestic partnerships. Those victories have led to a backlash around the country.

Congress passed a law proclaiming the U.S. will not recognize same-sex unions or grant gay married couples federal benefits like Social Security. A total of 43 states have passed statutes forbidding gays to marry. That makes the New York case especially important, because it would allow same-sex couples from any state to come to New York to exchange marriage vows.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHERNOFF: Of course, gay rights advocates are going to keep the fight going. In fact, they have four cases pending in Washington, Iowa, New Jersey, as well as California. So, of course, this battle will continue, but for now Massachusetts remains the only state in the union to actually permit same-sex marriage -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Allan Chernoff reporting live for us from Albany, New York.

Thank you.

Just a short time ago this year's primetime Emmy nominees were announced. So let's find out who made the cut and who didn't.

Entertainment Correspondent Brooke Anderson live in L.A.

And, ooh, some big shows did not make the cut.

BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: You're right. There were a lot of snubs, Carol.

But look who I'm standing with, one of the big nominees from this morning, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who was nominated for lead actress in a comedy series for the new CBS show, "The New Adventures of Old Christine."

Congratulations.

JULIA LOUIS-DREYFUS, ACTRESS: Thank you.

ANDERSON: You seem very giddy. How are you feeling?

LOUIS-DREYFUS: I feel weird, and I can't believe it.

ANDERSON: Weird?

LOUIS-DREYFUS: Yes, it was -- this has been a whirlwind and indescribably thrilling.

ANDERSON: OK. For "Seinfeld," you were nominated seven times.

LOUIS-DREYFUS: Yes.

ANDERSON: Won once.

LOUIS-DREYFUS: Won once.

ANDERSON: Here you are. They called it "The Seinfeld Curse," but you've obviously broken the curse. Here you are with a successful TV show and an Emmy nomination under your belt.

Did you expect it at all?

LOUIS-DREYFUS: No, I didn't. And so that makes it even sweeter.

And -- and I'm very grateful. I'm surprised that after only 13 episodes that this has happened. And I'm very grateful, particularly to Kari Lizer, who wrote and executive produces our shows. You know, you can't do it if you don't have the scripts. So, I'm really just lucky. Lucky, lucky, lucky, lucky.

ANDERSON: It's a very smart show. I enjoy it. You do an incredible job on the show.

LOUIS-DREYFUS: Thank you.

ANDERSON: And let's talk about what this means for you in going forward. How do you look at it? How do you take it?

LOUIS-DREYFUS: Well, you try to keep a good head on your shoulders and focus on the work, to be brutally honest. And as important as this is, I'm -- we're going back into production in just a couple weeks. And what's even more important is making sure that those shows are good -- making sure that those shows are good, too. And I have every intention of doing that. ANDERSON: You have come in here. This is the first season of the show. No "Desperate Housewives" are nominated in this category. What do you think about coming in and really being the buzz, the talk of the town, and here you are?

LOUIS-DREYFUS: Well, I am -- I have to say that it's hard to even believe it. You know?

I mean, you dream about these kinds of things, and then it happens, and it doesn't seem real, kind of. I'm so -- I'm still -- I'm still digesting this. I don't quite know how to answer.

ANDERSON: Well, you are doing just fine. Congratulations.

LOUIS-DREYFUS: Thank you.

ANDERSON: It's really great to meet you and to talk to you.

LOUIS-DREYFUS: I'm so happy. Thank you.

ANDERSON: No "Seinfeld" curse for Julia Louis-Dreyfus.

We appreciate it. Thanks so much.

LOUIS-DREYFUS: Thank you so much.

ANDERSON: We'll talk leading up to the Emmys, as well.

LOUIS-DREYFUS: Oh, lordy. OK. All right. Bye

ANDERSON: Bye-bye.

And some other big stories here today, Carol.

"Grey's Anatomy," 11 nominations. One of the big dramas here that was nominated.

"24" received 12. It was the drama with the most nominations.

But "Grey's Anatomy" nominated for best drama, and also a couple of supporting nods for Sandra Oh and also Chandra Wilson.

A huge surprise here that everybody is talking about is "Two and a Half Men." This is nominated for best comedy series.

Also, Charlie Sheen was nominated. And also, Jon Cryer. This knocked out "Desperate Housewives," "Entourage," a lot of great shows from that comedy category.

But here we are, 58th annual primetime Emmy Awards. And they will be announced, the winners, in late August.

Carol, back to you.

COSTELLO: And I must say, "Lost" was not nominated. I was kind of stunned by that, too. ANDERSON: Who was that, Carol?

COSTELLO: "Lost," the show "Lost."

ANDERSON: Oh, "Lost," yes. "Lost" got...

COSTELLO: "Lost" lost.

ANDERSON: After wing best drama last year, "Lost" lost. It didn't find a nomination.

COSTELLO: Alas for "Lost."

Thank you very much.

ANDERSON: Alas.

COSTELLO: Thanks, Brooke.

Let's head to Atlanta. Chad is our Emmy Award-winning meteorologist, and he is standing in front of his big weather map.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: You know, I wanted to be a media urologist. I wanted to be a doctor that was on TV, and I got this job.

COSTELLO: If you -- if you were a urologist to the stars you would be a wealthy man right now.

MYERS: There you go. Anyway, you know, all the best laid plans.

(WEATHER REPORT)

O'BRIEN: All right. Now a tale of corporate espionage, super- secret formulas and fizzy sugar water. Three people accused of trying to sell the recipe for a new drink from the Coca-Cola Company. But in this case Coke found a friend in Pepsi.

CNN's Rusty Dornin live at the federal courthouse in Atlanta with more.

Hello, Rusty.

RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Miles, it sounds like a great summer blockbuster novel, doesn't it? You've got the corporate espionage, two fierce rivals for more than a hundred years, and then one saves the other from having their secrets stolen from them. But that's what happened.

Apparently, Pepsi turned over a letter that they received that wanted to sell secrets from Coke. Coke, in turn, notified the FBI, and they put an undercover agent on it who began exchanging e-mails and money and documents with a man identifying himself as Dirk (ph). There was $5,000, $10,000, that sort of thing.

Then, according to the FBI affidavit, they had some surveillance of one of the three suspects who was an employee of Coke. She was an executive assistant, Joya Williams (ph), to an unidentified executive.

She was seen in a surveillance stuffing files into a bag, and also a very small bottle of what Coke later said was a brand-new product that was supposed to be very confidential. It turns out, at the airport there was an exchange, an Armani bag that had documents on this new product.

The FBI agent gave a Girl Scout cookie box filled with small bills totaling $30,000, but it didn't end there. Apparently, the man said that he had more documents that he was willing to sell for $1.5 million.

The FBI ended up arresting three of the suspects yesterday here in Atlanta. Coke issued a statement, telling its employees and also thanking Pepsi-Cola. And showing its appreciation for them, Pepsi, in turn, issuing a statement saying, look, you know, gosh, we did anything any responsible company would do. Competition can be fierce, but it should also be fair and legal.

The three suspects are scheduled to appear here at the federal courthouse today. They will be charged with wire fraud and obtaining and selling trade secrets. And if they are convicted they could face jail time from 10 to 30 years -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: You never know what you're going to find in a Girl Scout cookie box, huh? That's something.

DORNIN: That's right.

O'BRIEN: All right, Rusty Dornin. Keep us posted on that one. The plot is thickening in Atlanta.

Space shuttle Discovery is homing in on the International Space Station. We'll give you an update on that.

And we'll tell you a little bit about the North Korean army from someone who knows an awful lot about it.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: North Korea this morning vowing to keep launching missiles despite the protest of the United States and all the countries near the Korean peninsula. But what do the tests really prove? How potent is the North Korean military?

Joining us from Denver with some insights on this, Joseph Bermudez, who is a senior analyst with the Jane's Information Group.

Mr. Bermudez, good to have you with us.

JOSEPH BERMUDEZ, JR., SR. ANALYST, JANE'S INFORMATION GROUP: Good morning.

O'BRIEN: It's hard to understand what is going on in North Korea. Kind of an opaque situation, to say the least. But first of all, let's talk about what we witnessed yesterday over that 14-hour period.

The Taepodong-2 missile, this was the long-range one, supposedly with enough range to reach the West Coast of the U.S. Amid all this talk about missile firings, it was a dud.

Did that surprise you, first of all?

BERMUDEZ: No, it was somewhat expected. It could have gone either way. There was a 50-50 chance that it would have been successful, or 50-50 that it would fail.

O'BRIEN: So what succeeded yesterday? Those were mostly of the Scud class missiles, as I understand it, which means shorter to medium range, and not necessarily very accurate, right?

BERMUDEZ: Yes, that's somewhat correct. About half the systems that were fired were Scud class missiles, Scud C, we believe. The other half were medium range Nodong missiles, with a rang of about a thousand kilometers. And obviously, the Taepodong-2 failed shortly after liftoff.

O'BRIEN: How potent an arsenal of missile do the North Koreans have?

BERMUDEZ: North Korea actually has one of the largest missile forces in the world today. It's just that they are short and medium range, primarily.

O'BRIEN: OK. So, long range is the thing to watch there.

BERMUDEZ: Yes.

O'BRIEN: And the other thing is, are they able to weaponize them? In other words, put a nuclear warhead in any of these missiles?

BERMUDEZ: That's the $64 question. It appears that they have the technology and the capability to produce a nuclear warhead that would fit on a Scud-class or a Nodong ballistic missile. But when you start going towards the Taepodong series, or Taepodong family of missiles, it actually requires a great deal more technology. And we're unsure as to whether North Korea could do that.

O'BRIEN: So, to boil that down, possible they could put nuclear weapons on the tip of a short and medium-range missile. At this point, unlikely they could do it on that long-range missile?

BERMUDEZ: Absolutely correct.

O'BRIEN: All right. But are you convinced that they are working on that technology right now?

BERMUDEZ: It would seem that they are. You know, every indication is that they would be wanting to do that.

O'BRIEN: Let's talk a little bit about their ground forces.

BERMUDEZ: Sure.

O'BRIEN: A million-man army. One of the largest armies in the world. Of course, a lot depends on how you equip an army.

BERMUDEZ: Yes.

O'BRIEN: How potent a force is it?

BERMUDEZ: Well, a colleague of mine, Seth Ataman (ph), once said a million of anything is dangerous.

O'BRIEN: Good point.

BERMUDEZ: And he was absolutely correct.

O'BRIEN: Particularly if those million people are brainwashed by this cult of personality.

BERMUDEZ: Absolutely correct.

And there's a ying and a yang associated with the North Korean armed forces. They have a million-man-plus army, seven million reserve troops. That comes out to about a third of their total population.

O'BRIEN: Seven million reserves? Wow.

BERMUDEZ: Yes. Yet, this force is equipped with obsolete weapons. It has been underfed for almost 20 years now.

The average North Korean soldier is very short and very thin. And is, in many cases, vitamin deficient, especially when compared with South Koreans troops.

They have a really limited chain of command and command and control system. But once unleashed, these people have been training for a single mission, the reunification of what they call the father land -- in other words, the Korean Peninsula -- for 50 years.

You know, they -- they have been trained for one mission. They know the mission. They have been trained brutally, and to standards that would make most soldiers and most armies rebel.

O'BRIEN: A final thought here. Let's talk about geography for just a moment.

The DMZ, the Demilitarized Zone, which separates North and South Korea, is in the neighborhood of 30 miles from the heart of Seoul. And that is artillery range.

BERMUDEZ: Yes, that is.

O'BRIEN: And that's a very frightening thought, and that is at the -- kind of on the back burner of all these discussions about what to do with North Korea, is that a fact of geography?

How quickly and with how much force could the North Koreans do damage to the south?

BERMUDEZ: Most of the time in order to answer that question we use the formula that, if all the North Korean artillery along the DMZ were to fire for one hour, it would fire anywhere from 300 to 500,000 artillery shells or rockets. Just in the Seoul area, you would see approximately a third of that. Very destructive capabilities.

O'BRIEN: So we're talking casualties in staggering number there potentially, is what you're saying?

BERMUDEZ: Yes. Yes. I think the current estimate is that within 24 hours of the initiation of possibilities by North Korea we could see close to a million casualties in Seoul.

O'BRIEN: Wow. We're going to have to leave it on that, but that just sort of takes your breath away.

Joseph Bermudez is a senior analyst with Jane's Information Group.

Thanks for the insights -- Carol.

BERMUDEZ: You have a good day.

O'BRIEN: You too.

COSTELLO: Tomorrow marks the first anniversary of the London transit bombings, and the world may soon see a message from one of the suicide bombers.

We'll explain.

And scary news today about kids and the flu. The mistakes some doctors make that could make your kids sicker than they need to be.

That's just ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: In this morning's "House Call," a new study says doctors fail to diagnose a shocking number of flu cases in young children.

Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen joins us from the CNN Center with more.

Surprising.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.

It really was surprising, and in many ways stunning. According to the study out just now in "The New England Journal of Medicine," pediatricians often miss cases of the flu in preschoolers during flu season.

What this study found is that among this group of preschoolers, doctors missed the flu in four out of five of these children. And these were children who showed up in the doctor's office, with a pediatrician's office, not feeling well, with symptoms of the flu, but instead they were diagnosed with a whole bunch of different things, everything from asthma, to other kinds of viruses. And unfortunately, this hurts the child, and it also hurts the rest of us.

It hurts the child because, if the child received a diagnosis of the flu, they could, of course, get medicines that are made specifically to help the flu. It hurts the rest of us because, as any parent knows, a young child, a preschooler, is a powerful disease vector. They are actually more contagious than adults, and they're contagious for longer periods of time -- Carol.

COSTELLO: But missing four out of five cases? I mean, how do you miss so many?

COHEN: Well, according to the study author, who we talked to yesterday, she said, look, when a kid shows up with the flu, it's many of the same symptoms as any other virus. So, a doctor is likely to say, oh, you just have a virus, you just have a bug. Parents hear that all the time.

Now, of course, what would help is if a parent -- is if the doctor gave them a rapid flu test anyhow. But often, a pediatrician is just going to be likely to say it's some other virus, that's it.. And this study said that most kids never even got a test for the flu.

COSTELLO: So, is that part of what parents can do, is ask for the test?

COHEN: Right. Part of what they can do is ask for the test.

So, there's a set of symptoms that parents can look for. And that includes a very high fever, more than, for example, 101 degrees or 102 degrees, congestion and cough.

And so, if your child has these symptoms that you see here during the flu season, and you know that there's flu in your area, you can say to the doctor, "Look, I know it might just be a run of the mill virus, but it also could be the flu. Do you mind giving a rapid flu test?"

COSTELLO: You can get a vaccine for the flu, of course. You know that. And you always worry about shortages.

Will there be enough?

COSTELLO: That's right. You can get a vaccine for the flu. And what's new this year is that for the first time the Centers for Disease Control is saying that all children from six months to five years should get a shot for the flu because, of course, prevention is better than treatment. And before they were saying that only kids six months to two years should get a shot. Now for the first time they are saying six months to five years should get a shot. So, more children will be getting the flu shot this season than ever before.

Now, there have been supply issues in the past. The FDA says there still should be plenty of flu shots.

Unfortunately, one of the four makers of flu shots did just get a warning letter from the FDA, and the warning letter said, you've got some contamination issues in your manufacturing process. You need to fix it. But the company says that they can fix and it make plenty of batches.

COSTELLO: We hope so.

Elizabeth Cohen, thanks so much.

COHEN: OK. Thanks.

O'BRIEN: Coming up, take a look at some live pictures coming right now direct from space. That is a shuttle commander's view of the International Space Station shot right through the orbital docking ring, inside 3,000 feet now to the International Space Station.

In just a few moments they are going to do a fancy bit of flying, a somersault maneuver that will allow the residents of the space station to get their digital cameras out with some telephoto lenses, take some pictures, and make sure the belly of Discovery is good to go for a re-entry in a couple of weeks.

In the meantime, we're going to watch the drama in space. So stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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