Return to Transcripts main page

American Morning

Robert Gates Confirmation; Northwest Flooding

Aired November 10, 2006 - 8:00   ET

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

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: The next hour of AMERICAN MORNING begins right now.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: And we begin with a live look at the Capitol in Washington, D.C.

Take a look at this. Can you see it? It's going blue. Democrats officially winning control at the House and the Senate. New Senate leaders meet the president today.

M. O'BRIEN: And looking for relief? Nowhere in sight. Wild weather ravaging the Pacific Northwest. More rain in the forecast.

S. O'BRIEN: And some new hope and lots of controversy for women who are struggling to have a baby. We're going to talk this morning to doctors who say they're going to try to perform the first successful womb transplant.

M. O'BRIEN: Wow.

And back in the game. Guess who's getting high marks in a survey of reliable cars?

That and more ahead on this AMERICAN MORNING.

Good morning to you, Friday, November 10th. I'm Miles O'Brien.

S. O'BRIEN: And I'm Soledad O'Brien.

Thanks for being with us.

Let's begin with politics, right at the top of the news again today. Here's what's new this morning.

The chairman of the Republican National Committee is leaving his post. GOP sources tell CNN that Ken Mehlman will not seek another term come January.

The election day sweep now complete. Democrats taking control of the Senate with a razor-thin 51-49 majority. It's official now that James Webb has won Virginia's Senate race.

And at the White House today, another power lunch. President Bush meets with the presumptive Senate majority leader, Harry Reid.

M. O'BRIEN: Before the Democrats move into their offices, the current Congress may have more business to do. We're hearing new details this morning about the nomination hearings for the man chosen to succeed outgoing Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

CNN's Barbara Starr at the Pentagon this morning with more.

Good morning, Barbara.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Miles.

Indeed, the Republican -- the still Republican-controlled Senate Armed Services Committee is signaling it wants to have very quick hearings on the confirmation of Bob Gates as the next secretary of defense. Those hearings now possibly starting as soon as December 4th. Clearly, the goal now is to minimize this time in which there's any appearance of two secretaries of defense -- Mr. Rumsfeld, while he remains in office, and Bob Gates, while he is the secretary in waiting, if you will.

Mr. Gates is expected to have an office set up, a transition office, but it won't be in the Pentagon, we're told. There are very strict rules about people who are nominated for high office not presuming confirmation. So he really has to stick on the sidelines, and that's part of the issue right now.

A lot of decisions about Iraq pending. They want to get Gates on board, get him confirmed, and move along with this decision-making process.

Here at the Pentagon, we spoke a little while ago in the hallways to General Peter Pace, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He may be the only person in the building on this Veterans Day.

He acknowledged -- he said that they are, the Joint Chiefs, looking at a series of recommendations and options, along with other top commanders, on Iraq. Post-midterm elections, it does seem there's a new round of mea culpas, if you will, going around town.

General Pace saying, "We have to be honest with ourselves about the things that haven't worked." And so the Joint Chiefs now also weighing in. They will be making additional recommendations.

And General Pace also telling us that next Monday he will meet with that Baker-Hamilton commission, that Iraq Study Group, and talk to them about the ideas on the way forward in Iraq -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Barbara, what are you hearing about Bob Gates' nomination? Any trouble? Any storm clouds on Capitol Hill?

STARR: You know, if they succeed in getting him through while the Senate is still Republican-controlled. Clearly not. He will -- he will get confirmed. But that is not to say that there won't be some tough questions.

Talking around town to intelligence analysts who know him directly from his time at the CIA for many years, there are questions about what there always are with intelligence analysts, do they tailor intelligence to suit their bosses, to suit a political agenda? Expect to see some tough questions for Bob Gates on that very issue -- Miles. M. O'BRIEN: Barbara Starr at the Pentagon.

Thank you -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: It is election recount deja vu featuring Katherine Harris today. You might remember back in 2000 Katherine Harris was a key figure in the presidential recount. Well, now candidates in the tight congressional race in Florida to replace Harris are expected to have a recount.

It's all because of alleged voting machine problems. Harris gave up her U.S. congressional seat to run for Senate this year and she lost that race -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: L.A. police trying to explain another videotape beating this morning. The FBI is on the case.

The video shot by a bystander, posted on YouTube. It shows police pinning -- two of them pinning a robbery suspect, and then one of them, as you see there, repeatedly punching that suspect. The suspect, 24-year-old William Cardenas, is heard shouting that he can't breathe because the officer's knee is on his neck.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF WILLIAM BRATTON, LOS ANGELES POLICE DEPARTMENT: Cardenas was wanted on a felony warrant by our gang enforcement detail for receiving stolen property. Officers Schlegel and Farrell spotted him at the corner of Gordon (ph) and Fountain (ph), and a foot chase ensued. The officers were able to catch the suspect, knock him to the ground, and a non-categorical use of force occurred.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KWAKU DUREN, CARDENAS' ATTORNEY: He was brutally assaulted, and his human rights -- not just his civil rights -- his human rights were being violated.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

M. O'BRIEN: Apparently, one judge who has seen the tape has already ruled the officers' actions warranted. Obviously, an investigation under way -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: All right. Let's turn to Chad Myers for an update on what's happening weather-wise.

(WEATHER REPORT)

S. O'BRIEN: And more rain on the way to the already soggy Northwest. We've been talking about this for the last couple of days. A state of emergency is in effect in 24 Washington State counties.

Jane McCarthy is with our affiliate KING TV. She's live in Tacoma, Washington, with the very latest.

Good morning to you, Jane.

JANE MCCARTHY, REPORTER, KING: Good morning.

As you can see, Soledad, we're not getting much of a break right now. It is still raining.

The good news, though, a lot of our area rivers have now fallen back below flood stage. But if you take a look behind me, you can see this is what a lot of western Washington is looking like right now, a lot of standing water. And it's going to be that way for quite some time.

Damage assessment teams are really starting to fan out across this region. They're finding washed-out roads, obviously a lot of homes under water. Emergency managers are asking people to please call in and report the damage to their homes. As you mentioned, 24 counties now under the state emergency declaration, and the state is trying to gather damage assessment because ultimately they want to seek some federal aid.

Also today in the weather, aside from this rain, it's supposed to be very windy here today. We have a lot of soggy soil, as you can imagine, and tree root systems are absolutely soaked. So a little bit of wind comes here, and those trees start knocking down. So emergency managers giving a warning to the region as well today to watch out for falling trees.

That's the latest from here, Soledad. Back to you.

S. O'BRIEN: All right. Jane McCarthy for us this morning.

Thank you, Jane.

Happening in America this morning, California students rejecting the Pledge of Allegiance. Three recently-elected student trustees at Orange Coast College say they don't want to swear loyalty to God and the government. Orange Coast is a community college, it has about 28,000 students. Many of the students don't agree with those student leaders.

New York Congressman Charlie Rangel is trying to explain away a joke that he made at the state of Mississippi's expense. Rangel, who could be the Democrats' new chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, which makes tax law, told "The New York Times" this: "Mississippi gets its fair share, but who the hell would want to live in Mississippi?"

Rangel says he didn't mean any disrespect, just trying to make a joke. He says that everybody should want to live in his home state of New York.

A New Jersey gambling Mecca has closed its doors. Gamblers will fold them for the last time when the Sands hotel and casino shuts down tomorrow morning at 6:00. The owners are going to tear the building down, and they promised the new one is going to be bigger and even better.

M. O'BRIEN: Coming up, it won't take a Christmas miracle to find a deal on holiday travel. It all depends on where you want to go, though.

Also, the motors shifting -- finally shifting into "D" for dependable. It could be just what the (INAUDIBLE) needs.

Plus, more on the gavel handoff to come on Capitol Hill. That was '94. Remember that shot. Former House speaker Richard Gephardt -- Gephardt, he wasn't the speaker. He was the majority leader. He'll be there to talk about the transitions facing both parties just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody.

We're getting some information just into CNN. The leader of al Qaeda's wing in Iraq, Al Qaeda in Iraq, is responding to the defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld's resignation. There's this audiotape which apparently has been made by the man who leads that group. It's been posted on the Internet.

And his name is Abu Hamza al-Mujahir. Abu Ayyub al-Masri is another name he goes by. And he suggests in this audiotape that Secretary Rumsfeld is a coward who quit to avoid the unrelenting violence in Iraq. He also pledged that 12,000 al Qaeda fighters will be part of the Sunni militia working in Iraq.

So that's the information we're getting on this audiotape just in to CNN -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Back to politics now.

So, what is it like to be on the inside when the balance of power tilts the other way after the gavels and the good offices are handing off? It must be a lonely feeling.

Former congressman Dick Gephardt knows. He was there. Take a look at this picture.

Can we do that? Do the picture first.

It's good to see your smiling face, but we want to show the picture just briefly. He was there in January of 1995. Imagine a picture, if you will, of him handing a gavel over to Newt Gingrich, who was the incoming speaker of the House.

There's -- there's the shot. There he is.

In an instant, he -- they went from a Democratic majority -- he was the majority leader, to minority leader. That ended 40 years of Democratic control of the House of Representatives.

He joins us now from San Francisco. There he is. Mr. Gephardt, good to have you with us on the program.

What was it like that moment?

RICHARD GEPHARDT (D), FMR. HOUSE MAJORITY LEADER: I always said that was the worst day of my life and why was I the one that had to hand the gavel to Newt Gingrich after being 40 years of being in the majority? It was a tough moment. And a lot of us in the Democratic Party had never been in the minority, obviously. And so, it was a big change in everybody's life to go from setting the agenda and running the House, and in the minority where you had no role.

M. O'BRIEN: When you say no role, is that an exaggeration or is that really the case?

GEPHARDT: Well, you know, the way the Republicans ran the House in the last 12 years, they really left the minority with absolutely no role. Now, they always complained about the way we ran the House, but they really ran it in a partisan way.

Most of the votes were their votes alone. They never conversed with us, they didn't talk to us. They didn't really want our votes. So it was a very, very different role that the minority played after they won.

M. O'BRIEN: So now, I guess you could suggest that maybe it's time for Democrats to get even. Do you think that will happen?

GEPHARDT: There will probably people who will be saying that, but I don't think Nancy Pelosi or Harry Reid are going to do that, because they know that the American people are watching very closely and they want them to perform. That's why they fired the Republicans.

They weren't performing. They weren't doing anything other than really ballooning the deficit, which people didn't like. And so they're going to be watching closely to see that the Democrats get some things done that matter in their lives and reach out to the Republicans to get moderate, sensible things done. I think that's what's going to happen.

M. O'BRIEN: Well, it's a nice thought, but, you know, human nature does get in the way. I read an interesting item in the paper the other day. Charlie Rangel, who will be the chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, presumptive, says he wants a specific office that is normally held by the Ways and Means committee chairman.

It happens to be occupied by the vice president. And he says he wants his office. Well, to me, that says that maybe it's going to be business as usual there.

GEPHARDT: I don't think so. You know, Charlie Rangel, John Dingel, Henry Waxman, Ed Markey, these are folks that have been in the House for a long time. They know what it's like to be in the majority. They now know what it's like to be in the minority.

I'm sure they didn't like that. And so I think they're going to do a responsible, balanced job. They're going to talk to the minority, they're going to reach out to people, they're going to run the place in a very different place than it's been run because they don't want to go back in the minority. And the way to do that is to get the job done for the American people.

M. O'BRIEN: All right. Now, you have been in leadership positions in the House of Representatives with presidents from both parties. Right now, do we have the prescription for gridlock with a Democrat-controlled Congress and a Republican White House?

GEPHARDT: I hope not. I don't think so.

I think George Bush had a very different situation on his hands the last six years. He had the House and the Senate under Republican control. He really didn't have to reach out to the Democrats. There was very little of that.

If he's going to get anything done in the last two years of his presidency, he's got to really reach out and listen and work with Democrats. He can't get everything he wants.

He's got to give them some of their policy wishes. If he will do that -- and I believe he will -- then you've got -- oddly, you've got a chance to get more done in these two years than they got done in the last four years.

M. O'BRIEN: Interesting. All right. Compromise is the word of the moment, bipartisanship is the word of the moment.

Let's hope it holds.

GEPHARDT: Absolutely. That's what the American people want.

M. O'BRIEN: I think they do.

GEPHARDT: That's why they fired the Republicans and that's why they hired the Democrats. They've got to perform.

M. O'BRIEN: Former congressman Dick Gephardt.

Always a pleasure to see you.

GEPHARDT: Thank you.

M. O'BRIEN: Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Ahead this morning, we've got the story of a group that's helping wounded veterans recover by helping the people who love them the most.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's just not having to worry, being able just to be here and see for my own eyes that he's walking, see for my own eyes that he's getting better, that this problem is going away.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

S. O'BRIEN: We'll tell you the story of an injured serviceman's path to recovery that's now been made easier with a little help from a place called Fisher House.

That's ahead. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BUSINESS REPORT)

M. O'BRIEN: T.J. Holmes, you better bail us out of here. I'm not feeling good right now because we're losing Andy.

But what's coming up this weekend?

T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Yes. Well, I guess first you need to get that thumb looked at this weekend.

M. O'BRIEN: Probably, you're right. Yes.

HOLMES: But of course this weekend we're going to be observing Veterans Day, of course, at a time of war.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go to a cemetery, honor some veterans, attend local veterans parades in local communities.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: From Baghdad to Kabul, small-town USA, to the big cities, we'll honor the men and women in uniform. Many of them, of course, serving far from home.

Also this...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "Darling whatever happens, be happy. That's my only request. Get everything we would have liked, fill your life. Only, keep my little niche open, so if I ever get home, I'll know there's one place waiting for me."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Yes, this is something you're really going to want to see. Some interesting stuff here: love letters, battlefield portraits, a last good-bye. There's now an online way to preserve and share those letters from the front lines.

We've got all that, as well as the latest headlines.

So please join us for "CNN SATURDAY AND SUNDAY MORNING" beginning at 7:00 Eastern.

We'll be looking for all of you guys to be there.

Have a good weekend.

S. O'BRIEN: All right, T.J. Thank you. We'll be there.

And as we honor our nation's veterans this weekend, think about this. Imagine getting hurt in combat and then facing long months of recovery far away from home. It's not easy, but there's one organization that is working very hard to try to make it a little more bearable.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

S. O'BRIEN (voice over): When an IED, an improvised explosive device, blew up under Sergeant Brian Fountaine's Humvee back in June, his injuries were devastating. He had to fight to stay alive.

SGT. BRIAN FOUNTAINE, WOUNDED IN IRAQ WAR: You can see my driver screaming, my gunner just, you know, freaking out. And you see me laying there with pools of blood forming on the bottom side of my legs.

You just kind of sit there and you're, like, "All right. I've got a choice. I can either sit here, lay back and die, or I can save myself." Well, I chose the latter.

S. O'BRIEN: Today he is still fighting to recover. Just 24 years old, Brian lost both legs. They've been amputated below the knee.

FOUNTAINE: They might have took from me, you know, a physical part of my body, but they'll never take from me the fighting spirit.

S. O'BRIEN: Now it is an excruciating battle to get better. It was made worse for Brian, who was separated from his family and his girlfriend while being treated at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C.

FOUNTAINE: Everything hurts my back.

S. O'BRIEN: Now Fountaine is being helped by the Fisher House, a nonprofit organization in D.C.

Ken Fisher is the chairman of the foundation which provides homes for families and loved ones of hospitalized military personnel and veterans.

KEN FISHER, CHAIRMAN, FISHER HOUSE FOUNDATION: Our troops today don't make policy. They're out there to do a job, and that is to defend this nation. And Fisher House Foundation is there to support them and their families because, quite frankly, the need is there.

S. O'BRIEN: More than 21,000 American soldiers have been wounded in combat in Iraq. Ken Fisher says these homes away from home are crucial to a soldier's recovery. FISHER: It's not just having a place to sleep, but it's also having people to help you. So it's the support network that forms in the houses, which is a byproduct of the foundation.

S. O'BRIEN: Brian lives free of charge at the Fisher House with his girlfriend, Mary Long.

MARY LONG, BRIAN FOUNTAINE'S GIRLFRIEND: Just not having to worry, being able just to be here and see for my own eyes that he's walking, see for my own eyes that he's getting better, that this problem is going away. I'm so grateful for it.

FOUNTAINE: When I first started walking, one of the first things that I did was I took her up and I held her hand. And for the first time since we started dating, I was able to just walk down the hall and hold her hand at the same time.

You know, other people might take that for granted. That was huge. That was huge.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

M. O'BRIEN: Wow.

S. O'BRIEN: If you want to make a donation, there's the Web address, www.fisherhouse.org. There are 34 Fisher Houses. Another four are being built right now. They'll be done in the next couple of months.

They've helped tens of thousands of -- 70,000 families since they began back in 1990. And of course, we've been telling you about Warrior One, which is the Humvee that CNN used in Iraq during the war, at the beginning of the war. It then underwent this major renovation with The Learning Channel. What they did was to replace the engine and raise the body and then they airbrushed the pictures of all the CNN correspondents on the side as well and put a DVD player and four TVs inside.

M. O'BRIEN: It's pimped.

S. O'BRIEN: It is so -- it is kind of pimped out. Anyway, it is fabulous and they're auctioning it off. All the proceeds that are made in this auction will go to Fisher House because this house, the organization basically operates with mostly private donations. A little bit from the government, but mostly private donations.

M. O'BRIEN: You've got to wonder, it's got to help their recovery. I mean, how do you quantify it, but it's got to.

S. O'BRIEN: No question about it. Here's the web address. Thank you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: Back in charge, the Democrats officially win back control of Congress. Now, some critics say your tax bill will also face a very big change.

M. O'BRIEN: And a storm watch -- way, way, way away from us. We haven't had much of a hurricane season, but on Saturn, oh, my god, it's terrible there. We'll tell you about that. We'll have details on this AMERICAN MORNING.

Good morning to you. Friday, November 10th. I'm Miles O'Brien.

S. O'BRIEN: And I'm Soledad O'Brien. Thanks for being with us.

M. O'BRIEN: Got a headache this morning? Careful what you reach for in the medicine chest. Some store brand acetaminophen pills contain shards of metal. CNN's Alan Chernoff with more on a nationwide recall.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The drug recall affects 11 million bottles of generic store-branded versions of the popular painkiller acetaminophen, stored at supermarkets and drug stores around the country. The generic drug manufacturer, Perrigo Company, found small pieces of metal in some caplets.

ERNIE SCHENK, PERRIGO COMPANY SPOKESMAN: Early this morning, Perrigo announced a voluntary recall of certain lots of our store- brand acetaminophen 500-milligram tablets.

CHERNOFF: Last month Perrigo noticed its tablet-making machines at this factory in Michigan were suddenly wearing down. To find out why, the company put 70 million caplets of acetaminophen through a metal detector and discovered 200 of them contained pieces of metal which Perrigo concluded came from raw material from an outside supplier. The metal was only found in caplets of 500-milligram doses.

(on camera): Perrigo is also offering refunds. There's a help line to call -- 877-546-0454. But there's no person for consumers to talk to there. It's a recording that tells you how to get a rebate through the mail.

CHERNOFF: Perrigo says it has no reports of illness and doesn't anticipate any. But the FDA says swallowing one of the affected caplets could cause an upset stomach and even small mall cuts in the throat or mouth.

DR. ROSHINI, RAKAPAKSA, GASTROENTEROLOGIST: If it's very small, the risk is really minimal of anything dangerous happening, but we do worry about any sharp object being swallowed because there's a potential of a tear occurring.

CHERNOFF: You can find a full list of the batch numbers affected and retailers that sell Perrigo-made acetaminophen at CNN.com.

Allan Chernoff, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE) M. O'BRIEN: Now, Johnson & Johnson, the maker of Tylenol -- that's the number one brand of acetaminophen, says its pills are fine -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Well, it could be the next frontier in fertility break throughs. Two New York doctors hope to perform the world's first successful womb transplant, perhaps as early as next year. The transplanted womb could be used both to conceive a baby and then carry it to term. Joining us this morning are the doctors, Dr. Jeanetta Stega and Dr. Giuseppe Del Priore from New York Downtown Hospital. Nice to see you both. Let's begin with you, doctor. First of all, how would you do it? What exactly would you transplant in a womb transplant?

DR. GIUSEPPE DEL PRIORE, NEW YORK DOWNTOWN HOSPITAL: There are some technical aspects to it. The organ needs to be removed with as healthy a blood supply as possible. Most of the work I think is going to be before that in preparing the donor. We work closely with the organ donor network to bring as much life to as many people as possible from these people who are donating.

S. O'BRIEN: So, you're saying that you would take the uterus, essentially, from a dead person?

PRIORE: I think that's the best source of organs that can be optimized.

S. O'BRIEN: Do you transplant or implant into the patient, just the uterus, or the uterus and the ovaries or the uterus, the ovaries and the fallopan tubes?

PRIORE: We think just the uterus to start. In-vitro fertilization and assistive reproductive technologies can create a conception that's outside of the womb using the recipient, plus the sperm source. And we think to start, just be the uterus.

S. O'BRIEN: So, the uterus is essentially Dr. Stega, a big muscle that will just grow and expand and expand. I know it's much more than that as doctors, but for those of us who have children -- it's just this big muscle and grows and grows. How tricky is it to do the transplant and connect all those little blood vessels?

DR. JEANETTA STEGA, NEW YORK DOWNTOWN HOSPITAL: Actually, our technique allows us to use the little bit larger vessels. And that's why we think we might have better results.

S. O'BRIEN: So, bigger vessels, not quite so tricky and you'll have better results. You talk about results and of course, it's been done before in Saudi Arabia. I think it was a 26-year-old woman had the uterus of a 49-year-old woman implanted because she was hoping to carry a child, and it did not work.

PRIORE: You can measure it in different parameters. Some people think it was successful. Certainly the organ functioned for a limited period of time and when you compare it in the global context of transplant history, it wasn't a failure at all. S. O'BRIEN: I guess how many people might say what would be a success or failure is -- was this woman able to bear a child. It lasted for, what, 99 days and then there was a blood problem. So now ....

PRIORE: Well, we think that our technique, using larger blood vessels and utilizing a a donor from the organ donor network allows us to get around that problem. By using the larger blood vessels, we're hoping they won't be as susceptible to blood clots.

S. O'BRIEN: So, this has never been done before, only in mice and ...

PRIORE: Rats. We've done it actually in rabbits, pigs. People have done it in sheep. It's actually, even though you have just the two of us here. This is obviously built upon dozens of collaborators and many different institutions.

S. O'BRIEN: Do you have women lined up who want to be part of this?

PRIORE: Since we began working in fertility preservation for cancer patients, we've had dozens if not hundreds of women who have spontaneously come to us and we've had to tell them, yes we're working on it, but please be patients.

S. O'BRIEN: Women who have had hysterectomies, have no uterus, so couldn't physically carry their own child.

PRIORE: Well, we've had terrible tragedies in cervical cancer all over the world. It's still one of the top cancers. And those young reproductive-age women lose their uterus, sometimes they lose a pregnancy during that uterus and lose their future fertility. We have people who have congenital absences and one of our most recent patients was a person who had trauma. She was married, about to deliver, car accident, loses her husband, loses her baby, loses her uterus. So we hear all these sorts of stories from people, even in normal people who want to have children are desperate to undergo whatever it takes to have a family.

S. O'BRIEN: So maybe next year will be the time to start watching, we'll see. I guess our definition -- my definition of success will be when the little baby comes out crying and ready and maybe we'll talk at that point.

PRIORE: That's success.

S. O'BRIEN: Yes, that's the big success. Nice to see you. Thank you for talking with us Doctors Jeanetta Stega and Giuseppe Del Priore -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: On this Veterans Day eve, a tribute to a soldier who won't be coming home and the buddies keeping his memory alive. CNN's Arwa Damon with more from Baghdad.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) WILL MOCK, SGT., FALLEN SOLDIER: I'm Specialist Will Mock from Harper, Kansas with 22 Infantry here in Fallujah, mission accomplished.

DAMON (voice-over): It was during the fight for Fallujah in November 2004 when we really got to know the soldier everyone simply called Mock.

MOCK: I'm just like every other man, distressed, a little scared, but this is what we do, and I thought about telling my family about it, but no way. I didn't want them to worry. How do I describe Fallujah to someone else that had never been there? First I'd say you might want to rethink about going. And make your peace with God because you might not come back. It's a living hell. It was a living hell. Some moments lasted a lifetime.

DAMON: No pretenses with Mock. Not about the mission, not about his love for being a soldier, despite all the emotional turmoil of his experiences.

MOCK: I think not only me its changed, I think everybody that was there, enemy, friendly, everybody walked away changed. The ways that we changed, you have a different outlook on life, don't take nearly as much for granted. You tell your girl-friend or your mother, father, hey, I love you -- you really mean it.

This right here's my family.

DAMON: He was afraid then of going back home to Kansas, worried he had changed too much. His motto tattooed on both arms -- strength and honor. A tough soldier, apologizing to us for being rough around the edges. He wasn't. In many ways still the gentleman his family brought him up to be.

MOCK: There's no reason of me saying hey, ma, I got shot at a lot today or hey, ma, I had to fight the enemy and some people didn't make it out. It's just something better left untalked about.

DAMON: His first one-year tour of duty finally ended in February 2005.

MOCK: Big relief. Overwhelming joy. Got a deep feeling of our part is completed here. Nobody wants to die out here even though the soldiers would for our country -- any of them would, that's not a question. I heard my grandfather once say somebody's got to do it. I guess I'm that somebody.

Every time we lose soldiers and we have our ceremonies here for the fallen comrades, and they play the taps for those men, that's probably the moments that will stay in my mind more than ever. From now until the day that I die, every Memorial Day and Veterans Day when I go to the local cemetery in Harper, Kansas and they play the taps, I'm sure it will hit me pretty hard then.

DAMON: This Veterans Day, they will be playing taps for him. Mock redeployed to Iraq in August of 2006. The last time we saw him was on a roof top in eastern Baghdad. 20 days later on October 22nd, Mock was killed by a roadside bomb, one of 11 killed in Iraq that weekend. At his memorial, his commanders and his men echoed his motto -- strength and honor, Sergeant Mock.

Arwa Damon, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

M. O'BRIEN: Americans this week voted displeasure about the war in Iraq, but how do we feel about our pocketbooks these days? Gerri Willis is here to tell about that. Hello, Gerri.

GERRI WILLIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Miles, good to see you. Well, that power shift in Washington will have ramifications for your wallet. Experts on the left and on the right say the new Democratic majority in Congress is likely to boost taxes in coming years. That's right. At risk, folks who make lots and lots of money. High-income families may well find themselves in the crosshairs. And although Democrats are not saying what they plan to do with the Bush tax cuts, the consensus is they're not likely to extend them and could freeze or repeal the cuts even before the expiration date of 2010.

Now, most likely to pay more -- families in the top two wealthiest tax brackets or individuals earning more than $200,000 a year. Now, another priority of the Bush administration, relief from the estate tax, sometimes called the death tax is now, frankly, dead itself. And another big issue, the alternative minimum tax, developed to catch wealthy tax cheats, AMT now squeezes middle Americans forcing them to pay more in income taxes and reap even fewer deductions. But, Democrats are no more likely than Republicans to make major changes to these rules. However, it's likely that if the Democrats tackle the AMT problems, they'll probably make up for lost revenues by raising taxes elsewhere and that is a big price tag -- over three-quarters of a trillion dollars over the next ten years. And it's not just income tax policy that was impacted by Tuesday's elections. Property tax relief took a big step forward. Voters in 11 states approved measures to cut their property taxes, including Michigan and Florida.

M. O'BRIEN: Gerri, tell us about eminent domain. That was a big issue in several states.

WILLIS: Wow, I'm telling you, people really care about this issue, eminent domain. It was decided on in eight states. They voted down eminent domain. People were talking about it all over the country. Real concerns about the likelihood, the possibility of local governments taking over private property for private development.

M. O'BRIEN: All right, Gerri Willis. Thank you very much.

WILLIS: Thank you.

M. O'BRIEN: All right, coming up, we're going to tell you about a wild hurricane season. No, not here, millions of miles away. Stay with us. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

S. O'BRIEN: Coming up at the top of the hour, the president once called him the architect for pulling off one election victory after another. So what now for political mastermind Karl Rove?

And a love letter solves a 40-year mystery from a long ago war. Much more AMERICAN MORNING is coming up in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

M. O'BRIEN: We feel like we should be singing the Carol Burnett song -- I'm so glad we had this time together, you know?

S. O'BRIEN: It's a sad day here at AMERICAN MORNING.

M. O'BRIEN: After five years. You started a week after this program went on the air, AMERICAN MORNING. This was 9/17, 2001.

ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Yes, right.

M. O'BRIEN: Andy Serwer is moving on to much bigger and better things than us.

SERWER: Well, I don't know about that.

M. O'BRIEN: And he gets to have breakfast with his family.

Let's look at the Serwer years for just a minute.

SERWER: Uh-oh, goodness.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SERWER: Good evening, everyone, and welcome to Madison square Garden.

Sounds pretty good. Mind if I turn it up?

Go psycho on here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stop getting turned on, OK?

SERWER: Can't help it.

I just wanted to ask you if it sounded pretty normal to you?

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: You are Andy Serwer, right? That's never completely normal.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

S. O'BRIEN: I remember this.

SERWER: You've got to end with that.

(CROSSTALK)

M. O'BRIEN: Well, it's -- we're going to miss you terribly. Think of all the food you've brought us over the years.

SERWER: Oh, the doughnuts.

S. O'BRIEN: Well, you know, Every time Google made a new high, we got a cupcake. Every time the Dow did better, we got doughnuts. We got chocolate at Halloween. We got that nasty turkey beer.

SERWER: Turkey soda.

(CROSSTALK)

SERWER: Coming up.

S. O'BRIEN: ... to celebrate momentous occasions, and here's another one, a sad one, but another one.

SERWER: Well, thank you very much you guys, one of my favorite food groups, and I had such a great time working with you all and it really was an incredible time, an incredible run, and thank you to everyone who works on this program and to everyone out there who watched. It was really a blast, so thank you guys very, very much.

M. O'BRIEN: Well, let me just say this. You've said over the years. You're always saying, you have a big tent for business stories. I think we saw how big the tent is. Just remember, we always have a big tent for you. Anytime you want to come back you're welcomed, and please bring some food when you come back.

SERWER: And bring food.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes.

S. O'BRIEN: Most importantly of course.

M. O'BRIEN: We'll be hungry.

S. O'BRIEN: All right, well, thank you again, you guys. Miss you.

M. O'BRIEN: Enjoy your morning time with your family, and enjoy the new job.

SERWER: Thanks very much, guys.

M. O'BRIEN: There he is, the managing editor at "Fortune" magazine.

SERWER: That looks great.

(APPLAUSE)

S. O'BRIEN: We are out of time. Let's get right to CNN NEWSROOM with Tony Harris and Carol Lin. It begins right now.

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