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American Morning
Secretary Rice's Trip to Asia; Violence in Iraq; Madonna Adoption
Aired October 17, 2006 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. It is Tuesday, October 17th.
I'm Soledad O'Brien.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Miles O'Brien.
Thanks for being with us.
Lots happening this morning. Let's get right to the news wall.
More harsh words from North Korea. Pyongyang calls the U.N.- imposed sanctions a declaration of war. Condoleezza Rice heading to the region this morning.
S. O'BRIEN: Also happening this morning, no letup in the violence in Iraq. Explosions and gunfire killed nearly 50 people in widespread attacks on Monday.
M. O'BRIEN: In Texas, they're trying to clean up this morning. The Houston area dealing with the aftermath of severe deadly weather, even as more storms are threatening, which, of course, brings us to Chad Myers at the weather center.
Chad, good morning.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Miles and Soledad.
Atlanta, Chicago, Philadelphia all going down now. Airports slowing down rather rapidly this morning. We expect Mobile to be slowing down as well. The cell just to the south and the west of Mobile is rotating, although there's no warning on it right now. There sure could be one any time -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: All right, Chad. Thank you for watching that.
The tension is rising as Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice gets ready to fly to Asia today. North Korea is calling U.N. sanctions a declaration of war instigated by the United States. And the Bush administration is telling North Korea that another nuclear test would be a belligerent act.
CNN's Elaine Quijano is live at the White House for us this morning.
Elaine, good morning. ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Soledad.
Well, when Secretary Rice arrives in Asia, she'll be bringing with her a tough message from the Bush administration, particularly for China and South Korea. Secretary Rice will reiterate that it is in their best interest to enforce tough sanctions against their neighbor, North Korea. Already, Chinese officials have expressed reservations about actually intercepting cargo, not just inspecting cargo at their border with North Korea.
Meantime, Secretary Rice yesterday tried to downplay those differences but at the same time stressed the need for cooperation to bring North Korea back to the negotiating table.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECRETARY OF STATE: We must remind North Korea that a positive path remains open to it through the six-party talks. Thus far, North Korea has chosen the path of confrontation and all that that entails, deepening isolation, a failing economy, and few opportunities for its oppressed peoples.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUIJANO: Now, Secretary Rice's trip comes amid fears that North Korea may be preparing for a second nuclear test. A U.S. intelligence official tells CNN that there has been activity at several sites in North Korea. But it's not clear whether that activity amounts to preparations for an actual test. This official says that they are not ruling that out at this time, but also says that the intelligence is ambiguous and not conclusive.
Now, as for Secretary Rice, when asked about that possibility of another test, she said that if it were to happen, it would only deepen North Korea's isolation, and she said she hoped North Korea would not take such a "provocative act" -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Elaine Quijano at the White House for us this morning.
Thanks, Elaine -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Turning to Iraq now, where the violence seems to grow worse by the day, more than 100 people killed and/or wounded since the weekend.
CNN's Cal Perry in Baghdad with more -- Cal.
CAL PERRY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning to you, Miles.
Ramadan is supposed to be a peaceful time, but unfortunately for people all across Iraq, what we've really seen since the beginning of Ramadan is an upsurge in violence.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) PERRY (voice over): The month of Ramadan is coming to an end in Iraq, but there seems to be no end in sight to the unrelenting and bloody violence. Baghdad, which has been at the center of the violence, continues to boil over.
Six explosions across the capital on Monday alone, and a gun fight in the north-central part of the city. Regardless of the target, civilians continuing to pay the ultimate price.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): The Americans were parking here. They left, and minutes later a blast happened. The armored vehicles, the new vehicles left and the blast happened.
PERRY: It wasn't just Baghdad. Bombs littered the country from Sawera (ph), in the south, to Baquba in the north. The fighting is on two fronts: insurgent attacks against both U.S. and Iraqi security forces, and a growing sectarian battle between Sunni and Shia.
Iraqi police found more than 500 bodies in the capital alone this month, victims, police say, of sectarian violence. And in Balad, just over the course of the weekend, fighting between Shia and Sunni has killed more than 50, police say.
The government's security forces have been unable to get a handle on the situation, according to at least one powerful Sunni political party. The Iraqi Islamic Party put out a statement calling the situation "out of control" and called on the government to do something to end the bloodshed.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PERRY: And Miles, all this violence yesterday as the coalition passes a very stark milestone of its own, 3,000 coalition troops killed since the start of this war -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Cal Perry in Baghdad.
Thank you.
Iraq's prime minister, meanwhile, needed some long distance reassurance yesterday after hearing rumors the U.S. might withdraw troops soon. President Bush assured Nouri al-Maliki in a phone call the U.S. isn't going anywhere, but some Republicans are calling for a way out.
CNN's Barbara Starr at the Pentagon with more -- Barbara.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Miles, that phone call aside, if Iraq is the central front in the war on terror, as the president says, the central question now definitely appears how to get the troops out of the fight.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STARR (voice over): Days before the midterm election, the war strategy for Iraq is under review by the Bush administration for one reason.
GEN. GEORGE CASEY, COMMANDER, U.S. FORCES IN IRAQ: We should try to sugarcoat this. The levels of violence over the last few weeks are as high as they have been.
STARR: The stay-the-course president has this message for General George Casey...
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: If you're going to devise a new strategy, we're with you...
STARR: Republicans are new leading much of the call for change.
SEN. CHUCK HAGEL (R), NEBRASKA: We clearly need a new strategy. Obviously by any measurement, we're in a lot of trouble in Iraq. Our options are limited on how much influence we now have.
STARR: Senator John Warner put down this declaration...
SEN. JOHN WARNER (R), VIRGINIA: In two or three months, if this thing hasn't come to fruition, and if this level of violence is not under control and this government able to function, I think it's a responsibility of our government internally to determine, is there a change of course that we should take?
STARR: The White House isn't arguing the point.
TONY SNOW, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: You may recall the president told all of you that he agrees with Senator Warner that you do have to adjust.
STARR: One Pentagon option, force Iraqis to set target dates for taking over security province by province.
A commission co-chard by former secretary of state James Baker is also expected to report its ideas on Iraq after the U.S. elections. But sources say the only consensus so far is the need for a change in strategy.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
STARR: And, you know, President Bush has always, Miles, he didn't want a timetable for troop withdrawal. That's not the strategy he wanted. That he called "cut and run". But cut and run may now, indeed, be turning into phased withdrawal. That's the strategy that some people are clearly looking at -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: But what is being planned right now at the Pentagon is not a victory plan now, it is a withdrawal plan, right?
STARR: Well, that's right. If you ask anybody around here, "Are you winning? Is the U.S. military winning?" the answer you normally get back is, "Well, what do you mean by 'are we winning'?" Winning now is not considered a military victory, but a level of violence that is such that U.S. troops could, in fact, begin a phased withdrawal.
That's what they're looking at.
M. O'BRIEN: Barbara Starr at the Pentagon.
Thank you -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: The African child that Madonna is hoping to adopt is now in London. The infant from Malawi was covered up in a gray coat. He came through the airport, through Heathrow, passed photographers who were all hoping to get a picture. No sign of Madonna at that airport.
Let's get right to Paula Hancocks. She's in London for us this morning.
Good morning to you, Paula.
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Soledad.
Well, there has been no sight of Madonna and the child, 13-month- old David Banda, since he arrived here just over five hours ago. Now, we do believe they're both inside her central London house behind me, a far cry from where he was just 24 hours ago, being whisked from that poverty-stricken area, the orphanage in Malawi, and then brought here to a life of fame and fortune, of one of the best-known pop stars in the world wanting to adopt this particular boy, along with her film director husband, Guy Ritchie.
Now, we do know that whatever Madonna does it seems to court controversy. This is no exception.
There are many human rights organizations that are starting legal proceedings to try and stop Madonna and Guy Ritchie from adopting baby David in this particular fashion. They say they have no problem with Madonna adopting the boy himself, but they appear to have done it illegally. They believe this process has been fast-tracked.
Now, what you have to do if you want to adopt a Malawi child is you have to be living in that country for at least 18 months. And there you'll undergo some very rigorous checks from the social workers and the welfare workers to make sure you are suitable. But what has happened in this particular occasion is that a week after Madonna and Guy Ritchie went to Malawi, we now see that baby David is in her home behind us.
Now, she does have 18 months of interim custody. And during that time we are expected to see some social workers going into the house to check that everything is OK. And also, it's possible that they could all go back to the orphanage in Malawi, as well, and to the father's mud hut in Malawi, as well, so that he can adapt a little easier.
S. O'BRIEN: Paula Hancocks for us this morning with an update on the latest Madonna controversy.
Thank you.
Here's a look at some of the stories we're following for you this morning as well.
A major milestone that happened -- what was it, just 25 minutes ago. Maybe you felt it. The U.S. population hit 300 million.
M. O'BRIEN: We felt it. It suddenly got very crowded in here.
S. O'BRIEN: Yes, suddenly. I'm losing faith.
Also, Disney is pledging to make food healthier at the U.S. theme parks.
That, many more stories, as well, ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
We're back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: Here's a look at some of today's top stories that we're following for you.
A major milestone. The U.S. population reaches 300 million.
And a CNN poll shows the Mark Foley scandal may not be a critical issue in next month's election after all. Americans are more concerned about the war in Iraq and the economy.
S. O'BRIEN: In southeast Texas, four people are dead after thunderstorms, tornadoes and torrential rains ripped through the Houston area. Those four people drowned after floodwaters overran streets and submerged their vehicles. A staggering 10 inches of rain fell in and around Houston yesterday.
Let's see what it's going to look like there today with Chad Myers, who is at the CNN weather center for us.
Good morning again, Chad.
MYERS: Good morning, Soledad.
As fast as it goes up there, it goes down. The water just got back into those bayous and into Galveston Bay. The skies are clear, the air is good there in Texas today.
It will be rainy, though, all the way from Toronto through Buffalo, Detroit and Cleveland. All of the major airports today will be affected. Kind of the ugliest day to travel, I think, of the rest of the week.
Everywhere that you see yellow and orange, that's an inch or more across the southeast. Now, we're not seeing that six inches of rain or more like we saw yesterday, but we are seeing six inches of snow or more.
And in the purple spots west of Denver and west of Cheyenne, that's a foot of snow or more. Arapaho Basin is open if you want to go skiing out there today. And Atlanta, Chicago and Philadelphia all with airport delays already. And it's pretty early to have an hour delay in Atlanta. Things are just going stack up from here -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Isn't that early for Arapaho Basin skiing already?
MYERS: They always open first.
ANDY SERWER, EDITOR-AT-LARGE, "FORTUNE": They're number one.
MYERS: They're number one.
S. O'BRIEN: And it's early. All right.
MYERS: They're the highest, though. They're way up there, 14,000 feet for their peaks.
S. O'BRIEN: Chad, thank you.
MYERS: You're welcome.
S. O'BRIEN: Disney is putting theme parks on a little bit of a diet.
Andy Serwer is "Minding Your Business".
Good morning.
SERWER: Good morning, Soledad.
So, if you want junk food, unhealthy food at the parks, pretty soon you're going to have to leave the park to get it. That's what's going on here.
Walt Disney announcing it's going to be phasing out the promotion of unhealthy foods and also eliminating foods with trans fats in its parks. The company sells all kinds of food products with Disney characters on it, and it's going to be removing those characters from food products it considers unhealthy, as well as, of course, just making the food healthier in the parks, per se.
A story in Bloomberg this morning says that the company has its work cut out for them. For instance, the smoked turkey leg has one day's worth of fat, according to this report, and over 1,000 calories. And the story goes on to say this is more unhealthy...
S. O'BRIEN: That's a kids' menu item, a smoked turkey leg, 1,000 calories?
SERWER: Yes. Yes, you know those -- I remember those big things.
S. O'BRIEN: They have a lot of deep-fried stuff, too.
SERWER: Right. And this thing, for instance, the story says, is worse than anything at McDonald's, except for the giant, giant, giant shakes. So -- but, you know, you've got this whole menu of different stuff, and a lot of it's not that good for you. So -- but that's the stuff that sells very often. That's the problem.
S. O'BRIEN: Yes. But, you know, the little -- right, the little kids want the stuff that has the characters.
SERWER: Right.
S. O'BRIEN: And it's bad for you. They should start them out early with healthy food, healthy choices.
SERWER: And they do have, you know, foods like these fruit dipper things with Mickey Mouse on them that are healthier.
Another story I want to tell you about this morning, Soledad, it has to do with the Gap and that retailer which has seen business in its stores not doing so well over the past several years. Branching out now into an online venture, selling shoes.
S. O'BRIEN: Really?
SERWER: And, you know, Soledad, I think...
S. O'BRIEN: What kind of shoes?
SERWER: ... you and I have talked about selling shoes online. I'm not a big fan because you have to try them on, send them back.
S. O'BRIEN: No, no, no. Just find your size.
SERWER: And then just go for it.
S. O'BRIEN: They're good. I buy shoes online all the time.
SERWER: All right. They opened up a new Web site today called Piperlime, and they're going to be selling a hundred styles, everything from $23 flip-flops to $900 boots.
S. O'BRIEN: Twenty-four dollar flip-flops?
SERWER: Those are expensive flip-flops.
S. O'BRIEN: Yes.
SERWER: Those are designer flip-flops -- designer.
And I love this quote from the guy running the Web site. He goes, "It's like peas and carrots. Apparel sells footwear and footwear sells apparel."
S. O'BRIEN: I believe it.
SERWER: So you've got to get something to accessorize, match, and you know it.
S. O'BRIEN: All head to toe. SERWER: Don't you have to return shoes if they don't fit? Haven't you ever found that?
S. O'BRIEN: Ship them back in the box and by UPS. You'll be fine.
SERWER: You know how to do it.
S. O'BRIEN: It works great. But $24 for flip-flops is ridiculous.
SERWER: That's about $23 too much.
S. O'BRIEN: Exactly. Andy, thank you.
SERWER: You're welcome.
S. O'BRIEN: Here's a look at some of the stories we're working on for you this morning.
More tough talk from North Korea. Officials there calling U.N. sanctions a declaration of war.
We continue to follow that story and much more ahead.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I feel that politics is really not for the people anymore. It's really for themselves.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think we're going through a major constituential period. We have major immigration issues.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't believe in either parties. I -- it's kind of hard to say I'm outside (ph) the political process.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And hopefully the people will force the politicians to change for the sake of us.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The party that really embraces all these demographic changes is the party that is going to gain.
M. O'BRIEN: New York City's Times Square, the crossroads of America. No better symbol of the American melting pot than this place. But as our population morphs with the flow of immigrants to our country, our political system may soon be at a crossroads as well.
(voice over): Laura Olson is a professional of political science at Clemson University. She tracks trends in voting behavior.
LAURA OLSON, CLEMSON UNIVERSITY: The Census Bureau found that between 1990 and 2000 the percentage of people living in the United States who were born outside of the United States increased by 57 percent.
M. O'BRIEN: And a substantial portion of them are clustered in the border states with Mexico. If and when they or their children become citizens, the political equation there will change.
OLSON: A lot of the states aren't necessarily sort of battleground states like we normally would think of them, but it's important to note that immigrant groups, if they choose to get politically motivated, can have probably a little bit more impact in those states than in others.
M. O'BRIEN: So what do politicians need to do in these changing times?
OLSON: Figure out if there is something that unifies that constituency and promise to deliver that.
M. O'BRIEN: But that can be a challenge. Immigrants are, after all, a diverse constituency.
OLSON: There's people with all sorts of different perspectives. And those perspectives need to be heard, I think, by the political system.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
S. O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody. Here's a look at some of the top stories we're following for you this morning.
The maker of a form of the flu vaccine for children 3 and under says U.S. supply will be delayed for at least three weeks.
M. O'BRIEN: Tough talk and ominous signs out of North Korea today. The Kim Jong-il regime says it views those U.N. sanctions as a declaration of war, and there are reports the north may be prepping to explode yet another nuclear bomb.
The rhetoric and the action may provide an opportunity for the secretary of state as she wings her way to the region today.
Michael Green is a former National Security Council staffer. He's now with the Council for Strategic and International Studies.
Mr. Green, good to have you with us.
MICHAEL GREEN, CENTER FOR STRATEGIC & INTERNATIONAL STUDIES: Thank you.
M. O'BRIEN: Explain how this might be an opportunity for your former boss as she goes there. With that sort of rhetoric and the possibility of another test, it makes it a little easier for her to talk to allies, doesn't it?
GREEN: That's right. Until now the U.S. has tried the six-party talks with Japan, Korea, China and Russia to put pressure on North Korea, but China and South Korea have hoped that they can coax North Korea away from nuclear weapons.
Now that North Korea has tested a nuclear weapon and is using this belligerent rhetoric, it's very hard for the Chinese or South Koreans to say that that more accommodating policy is working. So much of the talk during Secretary Rice's trip will be about how to keep the squeeze on the north. China and South Korea...
M. O'BRIEN: Well, you mentioned -- you mentioned the squeeze.
GREEN: Yes.
M. O'BRIEN: One of the things we've been tracking and is of great concern is China and how much it -- how far it will go to enforce these sanctions. We hear they might be boarding some trucks here and there, but not boarding ships, and reluctant to prompt some sort of military reprisal.
GREEN: I think that's right. The Chinese have almost $2 billion in trade across the Yalu River with North Korea. They're not going to stop that, they're not going to stop every truck, but they will shut down North Korean bank accounts, they will stop planes, they will stop trucks when they have a good tip. And that will constrain the ability of the North Koreans to get materials they need for their nuclear weapons, and it will really put the squeeze on the elite, which survives basically by getting cash handouts from Kim Jong-il, "the dear leader".
M. O'BRIEN: So, is China doing enough, then, do you think?
GREEN: China is doing a lot more than anyone would have anticipated two or three years ago. Is it enough to get North Korea to cry uncle and give up their nuclear weapons program next week? Probably not. But it does significantly impair their ability to move forward with the program, and it's one of the tools that will begin to get North Korea, if we work it right, back out of this program.
But it's going to be a long process. Countries don't give up nuclear weapons easily.
M. O'BRIEN: Let's talk about the notion of one-on-one talks, U.S. versus North Korea. Senator Carl Levin had some thoughts on this just the other day.
Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. CARL LEVIN (D), MICHIGAN: The South Koreans have urged us repeatedly to sit down one-on-one with the North Koreans. Instead, the president presents this false choice that we're either going to go it alone or do this with allies. There's a third choice, which is to have bilateral talks with the North Koreans, providing our allies want us to do that, which they do.
(END VIDEO CLIP) M. O'BRIEN: All right, Mr. Green, what's the matter with that? Why not talk to the North Koreans directly in the context of those six-party talks, consulting with these allies to make sure that the U.S. is not doing something that they would object to?
GREEN: Well, the reality is that in the six-party talks, the U.S. officials -- and I participated in these -- had hours and hours and hours of face-to-face bilateral discussions with the North Koreans. What the North Koreans are demanding is that we put the six- party talks aside, or put them in abeyance, and sit down and negotiate a U.S.-DPRK arrangement. And they want to do that because they want to take way from us the leverage we get from China, Japan and South Korea being there.
The Japanese are not so eager to have us do these bilateral talks. The South Koreans are a bit more eager. There are different views among the allies.
I think in the six-party talks, if the North Koreans come back, there will be these opportunities, but not in response to a nuclear test. That would teach the North Koreans the wrong lesson.
M. O'BRIEN: I guess that sets back -- sets that notion back a little bit.
What if there is a second test? What happens?
GREEN: Well, one thing is they have one fewer nuclear device, but I think it would really cause the Chinese to step up the pressure one degree further. You might have another Security Council resolution.
At a minimum, the Chinese would tighten even further their application of these sanctions. The sanctions are open to some interpretation. The more the North Koreans push the Chinese button, the more the Chinese are likely to tighten the noose around North Korea. Not enough to make them collapse, but they want to send a tough signal at this point.
M. O'BRIEN: So, could this be yet another miscalculation by Kim Jong-il?
GREEN: I think so. I think this is a desperation move by Kim Jong-il.
He has these nuclear weapons not because he's only afraid of the United States, he's afraid of South Korea's success, he's afraid of China's growing influence over his economy and over the region, and he's afraid of his own generals and his own people. One of the things we learned in Iraq was Saddam Hussein pretended to have WMD, in part to keep his own military and people in line.
I wouldn't be surprised if someday we learn that's exactly what Kim Jong-il is doing, except for the pretending part. He has them. And he's using them to keep his legitimacy and to keep his power. It makes it a harder problem, but it also suggests he may have overstepped in a desperate move.
M. O'BRIEN: Michael Green, who is with the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Thanks for your time.
GREEN: Thank you.
M. O'BRIEN: Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: A quick look this morning at some of the stories we're working on for you.
We're going to talk to the author of a new book called "Tempting Faith". He used to work at the White House. He says Bush officials mocked evangelicals in private.
First, though, a look at today's edition of "Welcome to the Future".
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(NEWSBREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: The population of the United States officially hit 300 million people. It happend a little over an hour ago. Is it suddenly feeling very crowded in here? Part of the population equation in the U.S. of course is that people are just living longer.
More on that from Dan Lothian.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LOTTIE STERN, 105 YEARS OLD: I walk very slowly now.
DAN LOTHIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): When Lottie Stern was born near Boston, the U.S. population was just 77 million people. That was 105 years ago.
STERN: I think everything is crowded.
LOTHIAN: And everyone took time to say hello.
STERN: It was more of a friendly world before, I think.
LOTHIAN: Life, she says, was very different.
STERN: We had a carriage that we -- my brother used to hitch up the horse, and we'd go to the beach. In the afternoon, you'd go out and never think of locking your door. I'd always come back, everything was fine. Not today. And not 10 years ago.
LOTHIAN (on camera): Few of us will ever live to see 100. But as the population clock hits the 300 million mark, experts say more and more Americans will be living longer and healthier. DR. THOMAS PERLS, BOSTON UNIVERSITY MEDICAL SCHOOL: And we're doing a lot better job of taking care of older people in their -- in their 60s and 70s in terms of prevention and screening of problems that killed a lot of people in the past, like high blood pressure and infectious diseases.
LOTHIAN (voice over): At this 300 million population milestone, seniors worry about the future of health care, Social Security, and transportation issues.
PERLS: Some people may cast some picture of doom and gloom if we have a lot more older people around the corner. And, in fact, we really are at the point where we have as many people over the age of 60 as we have people under the age of 20.
LOTHIAN: Lottie Stern, who did volunteer work all her life...
STERN: Harold, who was with me...
LOTHIAN: ... was married for 74 years to a businessman who died when he was 98. The mother of two daughters hopes the population explosion will not leave America's seniors and society's needy behind.
STERN: There are an awful lot of people right here in our own country who could be treated better.
LOTHIAN: As for her longevity, Stern credits a strees-free, positive lifestyle -- 105 years old, and counting.
STERN: I don't think about it. I go to bed at night, and I thank God for everything that happened. And I just hope that I wake up in the morning, and wake up in the morning, and I'm here.
Thank you, dear God, I've got another day.
LOTHIAN: Dan Lothian, CNN, Boston.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
M. O'BRIEN: Isn't she great? She looks fantastic.
S. O'BRIEN: Another day. That's such a great outlook.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes, it's a good outlook on life. All right.
M. O'BRIEN: In this morning's "House Call," some good news for people with type-2 diabetes. The government approving a drug to control the disease that shows little or no side effects.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta in the house with more.
Hello, Sanjay.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Miles. This just crossing the wires a few moments ago. Approval coming late last night. A lot of people paying attention to the drug called Januvia. It is a new diabetic medication. There are about nine different classes of medications for diabetes out there, and this is the latest, obviously, very recently approved.
Now one of the big things you sort of alluded to, Miles, very few, if any, side effects from this medication. Lots of the other medications in these different classes do tend to have sometimes very significant side effects. This does not cause what are called bouts of hypoglycemia, where your blood sugar drops down so low that you might, in fact, blackout. This does not seem to happen with this drug Januvia. It also does not seem to cause any kind of weight gain as well, both very significant things, some milder side effects, a sore threat, a runny nose, diarrhea possibly problems, but again, this just coming out, a new drug, a new tool in that war against diabetes, Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Isn't one of the side effects on some of these other drugs weight gain? Does this address that?
GUPTA: Yes, it can be weight gain, and that's significant. What happens is you're basically stimulating the body to increase the amount of insulin. And what insulin does, it stores all the sugar as fat, and you don't want that, because that obviously causes you to put on weight. This drug actually when it was initially in early clinical trials, we were following this. There was potential excitement about the fact that it might actually cause weight loss, that did not so much pan out to be true, but again, it does not seem to cause weight gain -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: There's got to be some negatives. What are they?
S. O'BRIEN: Well, I think they biggest think, and this is the cause with a lot of these new medications is the cost, it does -- there isn't a cost point on it yet, but it looks like it's going to be fairly expensive. Now this is going to be a pill as opposed to a shot, for example, for insulin, which you know, you're avoiding the needle so that's a good thing, but the price point can be quite high.
M. O'BRIEN: And are there any other drugs in this category like it?
GUPTA: Well, this is the first one approved for this category. Navartus is going to come out with their own version. They're waiting for FDA approval as well. That drug is called -- let me make sure I got the name right -- Galvis. That could come out later on this year. Don't know for sure yet. But this is this is something that happens a lot in the pharmaceutical world.
Now as you get one drug, and then all of sudden, you get a couple more right after that are very similar, so we'll see how that one pans out as well.
Sanjay Gupta in the newsroom, thank you.
GUPTA: Thank you, sir -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Miles, thanks.
There's a controversial new book. It accuses the Bush administration of manipulating its conservative base for political purposes.
David Kuo served as deputy director of the office of faith-based and community initiatives in the Bush White House, got a new book called "Tempting Faith: An Inside Story of Political Seduction."
David Kuo's with us this morning. It's nice to see you in person.
DAVID KUO, AUTHOR, "TEMPTING FAITH": Good morning.
S. O'BRIEN: Because I know we've talked over the years. You write a lot about disillusionment, with going in, thinking that your religious beliefs will be furthered, and not really discovering that. What was the thing that turned you against the White House, do you think?
KUO: I think the most exciting thing that the president promised was this $8 billion a year and help for the poor. I mean, it's one of the most extraordinary promises a president has made in a long time. And what I write about in the book, frankly, is this temptation or the problem Christians run into with politics. Because Christians and politics simply get used by other people.
This is not a surprise, however. Every White House, every politician is going to use different voting blocks for their own purposes. In this particular case, Christians need to be aware and to go into things with their eyes wide open.
S. O'BRIEN: You write about a meeting, and here's what you say, "National Christian leaders received hugs and smiles in person, then were dismissed behind their backs and described as ridiculous, out of control, goofy." Were you at meetings when that happened? Who were the people doing that?
KUO: Absolutely. You know what's interesting is there's been this controversy that's erupted over this. I don't think there are very many people in politics who deal with Christian conservatives who haven't had the same experience. I got an e-mail from a friend last night who worked on the 2000 campaign, who said, you know, what you describe is exactly my experience. I was a social conservative, and heck, I got forced out of the White House for exactly that reason.
S. O'BRIEN: Who were the people, though, saying that's person's goofy, that person's ridiculous? That person's out of control? You don't name names in the book.
KUO: No, because this book isn't primarily a political book.
S. O'BRIEN: Kind of in a big political context certainly. KUO: But if you read the book from start to finish, it's an intensely personal book. It talks about my own experience being a Christian in the political world, it talks about my own problems that I run into dealing with politics, you know, and how much it can hurt you personally, the price you pay for putting politics on an altar that's above God.
And so when I referenced this in the book, I did it as something to be informative, not to be a whistle-blower on any particular person. I didn't want to name a particular person, and I certainly want to name the names that I heard the Christian leaders called, because I didn't want them embarrassed publicly.
S. O'BRIEN: Well, but then at the same time, it's all in the book, just not actually names, so in some ways you sort of go halfway.
Let me ask you a question. Is the bottom line politicians are liars? Evangelicals are gullible? When they're walking through the White House and you describe the awe with which they go through the various rooms, and they sort of give in.
KUO: Everyone is awed by the White House. I saw the CEO of Cisco Systems come in and just tremble. But yes, Christians, as Chuck Colson has pointed out, seem to be especially susceptible to the powers of the White House.
And I think that it's important for Christians to understand they have been given this image of George W. Bush as sort of the pastor-in- chief. I think what Christians need to do is to look at President Bush and be able to say and look at him through the same political eyes that the White House looks at them, and to able to say, you know, I'm going to make certain objective criticisms and I'm going to make certain objective statements.
S. O'BRIEN: Here's what you write -- you say, "Christians vote our money, our energy. Every politician needs evangelicals." You go on to say, "It's like a teenaged boy out on a date with a beautiful girl; they'll say anything and everything to get what they want. Let's not give it to them. Let's tell them we are fasting from politics for a season." Are you staying stay away from the polls, three weeks when we go to the midterm elections, don't vote?
KUO: Absolutely not.
S. O'BRIEN: What's fasting mean?
KUO: When I'm talking about the fast, I'm talking after the election.
S. O'BRIEN: What kind of a fast is it if you stuff yourself silly and then you go on a fast?
KUO: No, I think that Christians should, from January '07 until the presidential election, not give money to the Christian advocacy groups, not give money to the RNC. And I think my point in all of this is Christians want certain things. We want a better world. And I think that a better place to do it is to take the $200 million that the RNC currently has, for instance, and say let's give it to mentoring programs. Because it's the moms and dads who are giving the 10, 15, 20 bucks, trying to do something great. All I'm saying is, hey, for a season, let's just take a quick step back, let's assess where we are and let's...
S. O'BRIEN: That season starts after the midterm elections.
KUO: Yes, I certainly didn't write this for the midterm elections.
S. O'BRIEN: Interesting timing. David Kuo. The boo is called "Tempting Faith."
There are not a lot of books that I can finish in time, read cover to cover. This is one that I did, though. It's a really interesting book, but it's also a very political book as well. Thanks for talking with us. We certainly appreciate it.
KUO: Thank you so much. Appreciate it.
S. O'BRIEN: Nice to see you -- Miles.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: Just before the break, you heard from David Kuo about his book called "Tempting Faith." Let's turn to Jim Towey. He was David Kuo's boss in the Bush White House, the director of the White House office of faith-based and community initiatives from 2002 to 2006. He's now the president of the St. Vincent College in Pennsylvania. He's in Pittsburgh this morning for us.
Nice to see you, sir. Thanks for talking with us.
JIM TOWEY, PRES. SAINT VINCENT COLLEGE: Great to be with you.
S. O'BRIEN: Thank you very much.
I know you've taken great exception to some of the things that David's written. Where's he wrong?
TOWEY: Well, I think he allows the impression that this wasn't a priority of the president, that it looked like it was a political operation, and I ran the office, I was involved in making these decisions and working with senior staff, and The fact is we focused the initiative on the poor. We steered clear of politics as much as we could, and the reality is, faith-based initiative has accomplished great things, and the poor are better off for it.
So when you see accusations that come from 2002, when he and I worked closely together, it's hard to believe that he'd be presenting them now a couple weeks before an election, and it makes you wonder why you would be doing something like this. So I guess a lot of us who worked with him at the White House are very surprised and very puzzled by what he's saying. And some of things are just factually accurate, so it's been frustrating to watch this.
S. O'BRIEN: So when he writes about national Christian leaders receiving hugs and smiles in person, but then being dismissed and dissed really behind their backs, that's not accurate?
TOWEY: I don't know what David saw, but I know what I saw. And I worked there four-and-a-half years. And the president set a tone of great respect for the religious leadership of our country of all faiths. And when evangelicals like Chuck Colson, and Rick Warren, and Dr. Dobson and Pat Robertson and others were around the president or with senior staff, there was a loot respect. Sure there was disagreement, but the kind of offensive name-calling and mocking, I never saw that. Now maybe at the junior level, you might have young aides doing that, but nowhere where serious decision making was made did you see that, so yes, completely opposite from what I saw.
S. O'BRIEN: Now, no one would claim that David Kuo is Karl Rove or anything like Karl Rove, but he certainly wasn't the guy who was fetching coffee either for everybody. I mean, he was a deputy on your staff. He was certainly high enough up hierarchically, right, to be able to report accurately on what he saw?
TOWEY: Well, I don't know what he saw. But for example, you'll see footage where it will show his footage on Air Force One. That was taken right before he left. He had asked if he could go on the Air Force One once, and I gave up my seat so he could go, and yet it projects a certain gravitas like he was on Air Force One all the time. It's not to be personal, but I don think it's dangerous when you allow this impression that he was in senior staff in the thick of things. He couldn't go into the Oval Office unless a senior staff person invited him to come along to a meeting.
So I just think that while he's entitled to his opinions about -- and I know he cares about the poor, but when it comes to trying to project as an insider what was going on in the White House, I think it's a false image that he's projected, and a lot of us are puzzled by it, because when he left the White House, he had very laudatory things to say about President Bush and us, so you know, I think it's fair enough for him to comment on religion and politics, but when you start giving a false impression of what life in the White House was like, yes, a lot of us take objection to that.
S. O'BRIEN: Jim Towey joining us this morning with a rebuttal to "Tempting Faith," David Kuo's book. Thanks for talking with us. We certainly appreciate it.
TOWEY: Happy to be on with you -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: This just in, some growing signs North Korea may be preparing to explode another nuclear bomb. U.S. intelligence seeing similar activity in North Korea that they saw before the first nuclear test.
CNN's Barbara Starr live at the Pentagon with more -- Barbara.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Miles, defense officials, as well as intelligence officials have said for the last couple of days that they see signs North Korea might be preparing for a second test, but they haven't been very specific about what they're seeing.
Now CNN is learning that one of the key signs that officials are looking at is they see North Korea doing the same thing at a second site that it did at the first site right before it conducted that underground nuclear explosion. What are those signs?
Well, an official with access to that information tells us this morning that they are seeing buildings and other structures being fabricated on the surface at this second site.
Now that, of course, might be an indication that North Korea is putting up those buildings so they can conduct final preparations outside the spying eyes of satellites flying overhead.
Officials also say that there are now reported statements from senior North Korean military officials that the government in Pyongyang has the intention to conduct multiple tests.
Officials say they're not sure whether this is to try and ratchet up the tensions, or North Korea is just pursuing the testing regime that it had in mind anyhow.
What should be underscored is nobody really knows when and if North Korea will conduct a second test. That's never clear. There are always very murky intentions there. But a clear indicator this morning, officials, say that North Korea now is doing much of the same type of work at a second site that it did at that first launch site just before it conducted that underground test -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: The indications are that they continue to activity of certain levels at multiple sites. Of course, what's not clear is that maintenance, that cleanup. Is that just wrapping up the test activity that they had at that site? So U.S. spy satellites are trying to track activity at multiple sites, but this morning what we know is there is a second site where whatever is going on, it comes awfully close to what they did just before that first test, Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Barbara Starr at the Pentagon, thank you very much.
About ten minutes before the hour now. If you're heading out the door, let's get a traveler's forecast for you. Chad at the Weather Center, with that. Hello, Chad.
(WEATHER REPORT)
M. O'BRIEN: CNN NEWSROOM is ahead at the top of the hour. Heidi Collins at the CNN Center with a look at what's ahead.
Hello, Heidi.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN CENTER: Hi there, Miles.
These stories on the NEWSROOM rundown today: North Korea, rumblings of a possible second nuclear test. You just heard it from Barbara Starr. The U.S. secretary of State leaving for the region shortly, so we'll talk about that.
Also, President Bush signing major legislation in about 45 minutes. The rules for terror interrogations and trials spelled out in a new law.
And the FBI, in a pre-election raid on the home of a congressman's daughter: Pennsylvania Republican Curt Weldon under scrutiny.
Join Tony Harris and me in the NEWSROOM. We get started at the top of the hour, 9:00 Eastern.
Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Thanks, Heidi. See you then.
We're back in a moment with a look at what's happening in America. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: Some of the stories we're following for you this morning: Moments from now, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is heading to Asia. She's going to go to South Korea, Japan and China to talk about North Korea and its nuclear intentions.
And overnight severe thunderstorms and tornadoes hit southeast Texas. More people were killed in the flooding there.
M. O'BRIEN: Happening in America: New York rapper Fabulous, a.k.a. John Jackson, is hospitalized in stable condition today. He was shot in the thigh in a New York City parking garage earlier this morning. Police say they arrested the rapper and three others after the car they were in ran a red light -- two guns found in it, they say. Police are searching for the shooter.
In Louisiana, river traffic back to normal on the Mississippi after a cargo ship crashed near New Orleans. An anchored freighter suffered a huge gash in its side after being hit by another freighter. No one injured.
Former President Gerald Ford back home this morning after a short stay in a California hospital. The 93-year-old Ford, seen here last year presenting an award to his wife, Betty, was in the hospital for a series of tests.
NASA delaying some of next year's space shuttle missions. If the plan is implemented, the first launch of '07 will be on March 16th -- that's a month later than planned previously. Shuttle managers need the time because they're waiting for external fuel tanks which are redesigned and delayed. The next mission is still slated for December 7th.
Soledad. S. O'BRIEN: Coming up at the top of the hour, the president making new rules on terror trials the law of the land. The bill- signing ceremony is going to be live on CNN in just a little bit.
And the foot-brawl game in Miami. We've got the punch line. It all happens when that guy whomps (ph) another player, number 26 whomps (ph) him with his helmet.
That's ahead. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: All right, let's check the census. Do you call it an odometer or a peopleometer?
S. O'BRIEN: Peopleometer.
M. O'BRIEN: A peopleometer.
S. O'BRIEN: Officially, peopleometer.
M. O'BRIEN: We're now at 300,000,391.
S. O'BRIEN: Congratulations to 391 people right here in this country.
M. O'BRIEN: How long is the warranty good for on this country, anyway?
S. O'BRIEN: Seventy-seven years or so.
M. O'BRIEN: Okay. We'll see you back in 37 years, when it hits 400 million.
In the meantime, let's go to CNN NEWSROOM with Tony Harris and Heidi Collins.
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