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American Morning
Political Shakeup Could be Brewing in Iraq; Poisoned Ex-Spy; Black Market Toys
Aired December 11, 2006 - 08:00 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: A house divided. Developing news in Iraq. Members of parliament are reportedly working oust Iraq's prime minister, Nuri al-Maliki.
M. O'BRIEN: A new twist in the murder of that former Russian spy. German police say they have a suspect. And Alexander Litvinenko's wife breaks her silence.
S. O'BRIEN: The dark side of holiday toys. A look at the people who are making big bucks by making hard to fill holiday wishes come true.
M. O'BRIEN: "Apocalypto" wow. Praise and big money for Mel Gibson's new movie. It's on top of the box office on this AMERICAN MORNING.
Good morning to you, Monday, December 11th.
I'm Miles O'Brien.
S. O'BRIEN: And I'm Soledad O'Brien.
Thanks for being with us.
Let's begin with the fight for Iraq. Here's what's new this morning.
A political shakeup could be brewing in Baghdad, possibly moving the prime minister, Nuri al-Maliki out. Well, apparently, it could be engineered by the Shiite leader al-Hakim.
President Bush heads to the State Department this morning. He's working to deliver his own ideas for Iraq before Christmas.
In Iraq, officials report that 51 bodies were found in Baghdad on Sunday. Four U.S. soldiers were killed. Three were wounded by roadside bombs.
More now on the reports out of Iraq about the prime minister. Let's get right to CNN's Nic Robertson. He's in Baghdad.
Good morning, Nic.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.
Well, the prime minister's office here denies those rumors, saying that the prime minister is here to stay and that there isn't a move to oust him. However, it's been very clear recently there are political divisions in Iraq.
One of the prime minister's former supporters of firebrand Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr withdrew his support for the prime minister recently, formed an alliance, a cross-sectarian alliance with Sunnis. That's been described by some politicians as an extremist opposition grouping, and those politicians have been trying to form what they call a moderate cross-sectarian grouping within the parliament at the moment.
But again, the prime minister's office says this new grouping is not going to replace the prime minister. But there's been plenty of talk over the past week about a cabinet reshuffle. At this moment in time, the prime minister's office saying no, he's staying in the job -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: All right. Nic Robertson for us.
Thanks, Nic -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Americans already drawing their own conclusions about the Baker-Hamilton report on the war and the Iraq war in general, for that matter. "Newsweek" is out with a new poll showing 39 percent agree with the recommendations on Iraq, 20 percent disagree, 26 percent unaware of the group. Sixty-two percent believe the U.S. should set a timetable to withdraw U.S. troops, only 21 percent think the U.S. is making progress in Iraq, 68 percent think the U.S. is losing ground.
S. O'BRIEN: First it was the U.K., then it was Russia. Now Germany is involved in that poisoning case of the former Russian spy. And for the first time, we're hearing from the spy's widow. She's speaking out.
Let's get right to CNN's Paula Hancocks, live in London this morning.
Hey, Paula. Good morning.
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.
Well, it has been almost six weeks now since Alexander Litvinenko was first poisoned, and it's been two and a half weeks since he died. And still there has not been one single arrest. And every single day that passes seems to just raise more questions.
Now, at this point, the latest developments are coming out from Germany. We're expecting a press conference in just an hour or so from the authorities there to say exactly what they have discovered. But this just means that now a third country has been pulled into this investigation.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HANCOCKS (voice over): German police say this man, Dmitry Kovtun, is being treated as a suspect in the international hunt for the killers of former KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko. Kovtun is a former soldier in the Soviet army, and one of the men who British police say met Litvinenko in this London hotel on the day he was given a fatal dose of radiation.
German police say they have found traces of Polonium-210, the material used in the poisoning, at the apartment of Kovtun's ex-wife. They say Kovtun stayed there the night before flying to London and meeting Litvinenko. German police say there is "... a reasonable basis for suspicion that Dmitry Kovtun may not just be a victim, but could also be a perpetrator." Their investigation now focuses on whether Kovtun illegally handled radioactive material.
The Russian news service Interfax says Kovtun is being treated for radiation poisoning in Moscow.
Litvinenko's wife Marina broke her silence Sunday, telling "The Sunday Times" how her husband came to the realization he had been deliberately poisoned.
MARINA LITVINENKO, ALEXANDER LITVINENKO'S WIDOW: And he said, "Marina, I feel like people who was poisoned with chemical." You know, because they started, they got some systems (ph). But of course I told him, "Sasha (ph), it's unbelievable. I can't -- I can't believe what happened."
HANCOCKS: British police are continuing their murder inquiry in Moscow Monday. Two police officers involved in the case have also tested positive for Polonium-210. London police say both men are well.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HANCOCKS: Now, according to Interfax, the Russian news agency, Russian detectives could be on their way to London as early as the end of this week to carry out their own inquiries. Now, Litvinenko, on his death bed, did blame Russian president Vladimir Putin for his poisoning. The Kremlin has strongly denied, though, any involvement.
And also, Mr. Litvinenko's wife has said she thought that Russian authorities were involved. But at this point she just wants to know who killed her husband -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Paula Hancocks for us this morning.
Thanks for the update.
It's a story with lots of twists and turns, isn't it?
Well, a businessman who spent his life giving to others received his reward over the weekend in a pomp-filled ceremony in Oslo. Mohammad Yunus accepted the Nobel Peace Prize. Yunus is the founder of a bank that offers small loans called microloans to some of the world's poorest people, who then can use the money to become entrepreneurs.
I spoke to Yunus bout the concept when he visited here last month.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MOHAMMAD YUNUS, NOBEL PRIZE WINNER: Abject poverty is what drives people into all kinds of extreme things, and people who are promoting extreme ideas, they find it very good breeding ground when you have abject poverty. So terrorism and poverty is very closely linked. So if you address the issue of poverty, you reduce the chances of terrorism.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
S. O'BRIEN: Yunus says he's going to use his $1.4 million in Nobel Prize money to keep enriching the lives of the world's poorest citizens.
Also important to note, Americans won all Nobel prizes for science this year. That hasn't happened in two decades -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Happening this morning, Cedar Falls, Iowa, more suspected E. coli cases. At least 19 sick after eating at Taco John. That restaurant not related to Taco Bell.
Strong reaction in Chile to the death of former dictator Augusto Pinochet, who died Sunday of heart failure at the age of 91. Demonstrators, some of whom supported Pinochet, others who opposed him, clashed on Sunday. Pinochet ruled Chile for 17 years until 1990. He'd been under house arrest, charged with murdering two opponents in 1973 and accused of torturing and killing thousands while in power.
A military funeral is set for tomorrow.
Three children of a senior Palestinian security officer dead this morning. The children, aged 6 to 10, gunned down in a drive-by shooting. No one has claimed responsibility, but the children's father was a chief interrogator during the crackdown on Hamas and is a Fatah Party loyalist.
In south Florida, 110 people sick on the Freedom of the Seas with what appears to be the norovirus. This follows 380 passengers on the same ship last week also hit with the gastrointestinal illness. And more than 100 people came home sick on the Sun Princess after a 10-day Caribbean voyage.
High above us, the shuttle Discovery links up with the International Space Station this afternoon. So far so good for Discovery's voyage.
The crew of seven took a close look at the shuttle's heat shield yesterday, making sure there's no damage after the launch Saturday. Those pictures coming from the International Space Station there, nothing to do with the current mission. NASA sees no reason for concern.
If you're a parent desperately seeking the Holy Grail this year, the Playstation 3, you're getting a real-world, hard-knock education in Economics 101. Too little supply, too much demand, and whenever that happens, there are people willing to bridge the gap, trading time for money, big money.
Kyung Lah with more on the annual toy black market.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): It's the yearly chase, getting the hot holiday toy. This year's most prized holiday gift, Playstation 3.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Come on!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go!
LAH: If you snag one or, in Robey Joyce's case, three, it can mean a big payoff.
ROBEY JOYCE, SELLER: Money, money, money.
LAH: Joyce waited two days in Chicago's frigid temperatures, camping out like numerous other gamers. Retail price, $599.99. And on craigslist...
JOYCE: $1,125, I think it was. And the other one for $1,000. I think I made two kids happy for Christmas since they're going to be getting their Playstation 3. So I'm not an entirely bad person.
LAH: Jay Marasigan was lucky enough to get the PS3, paying $300 more than retail. And that, he says, is a deal.
(on camera): But that's $300 over what it sells for in the stores.
JAY MARASIGAN, BUYER: It is, but you can't get them in the stores.
LAH (voice over): This is the black market for toys, the Nintendo Wii, the PS3, and, of course, the Tickle Me Elmo TMX.
(on camera): It's basic economics. Stores have a limited supply, demand is high, especially with Christmas right around the corner. And people are willing to pay more.
SCOTT KRUGMAN, NATIONAL RETAIL FEDERATION: They're looking to online auctions, and they're paying ridiculous amounts of money.
LAH: Do you feel like the Grinch at all?
JOYCE: A little bit. LAH (voice over): Robey Joyce is a recent immigrant from South Africa and has learned a lot about the American economy.
JOYCE: It's a very interesting system. There's definitely hundreds of way to make money.
LAH: As far as feeling like Scrooge, making money off someone else's holiday desperation...
JOYCE: I do, a little bit. But not so much when I go to Mexico. So...
LAH: Kyung Lah, CNN, Chicago.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
S. O'BRIEN: Well, if that's not the Christmas spirit in action.
M. O'BRIEN: Well, you know, it's interesting. They only made about 400,000 of these units to be sold in the U.S. Tremendous demand. And the other day I'm watching a football game yesterday, they had an ad on for Playstation 3. They're just kind of, you know, waving it in front of people.
You can't get it. So, anyway, if you're an entrepreneur, facilitate...
S. O'BRIEN: I wouldn't pay the extra money. I know you would, but I would not.
M. O'BRIEN: No, no. I'm not going to do that.
S. O'BRIEN: You wouldn't?
M. O'BRIEN: No.
S. O'BRIEN: Didn't you do that last year?
M. O'BRIEN: I did do that last year.
S. O'BRIEN: Yes.
(LAUGHTER)
M. O'BRIEN: I learned the hard way, yes.
S. O'BRIEN: I thought I was just remembering that.
M. O'BRIEN: Only once.
S. O'BRIEN: I would never do that, never.
M. O'BRIEN: OK. Well, I did it once, all right? I'm moving on now.
S. O'BRIEN: New information is still coming in on a story we've been talking about now for days, a story of heroism and sacrifice, too. Rescuers redraw the map that shows just us how far James Kim went to try to save his family in the Oregon wilderness.
Plus, another state reports cases of E. coli. We'll get you the very latest from the FDA's lead investigator.
Those stories and much more when AMERICAN MORNING returns.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: Top stories we're following.
Iraqi prime minister Nuri al-Maliki facing a possible revolt in his parliament. Members reportedly planning to oust him.
New video from Iranian state television. Students interrupting a speech by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad this morning, reportedly shouting, "Down with the dictator!"
S. O'BRIEN: A day of testing the presidential waters for the Illinois senator, Barack Obama. He addressed a sellout crowd on his first trip to New Hampshire, where the presidential primary race kicks off. Obama, still serving his first term in the Senate, says he hasn't decided to jump into the Democratic race for president quite yet.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), ILLINOIS: The one thing that I'm confident about, and I think New Hampshire is part of this process, is that if I decide to run, at the end of the process people will know me pretty well.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
S. O'BRIEN: Should he decide to run for the Democratic nomination, Obama will likely face competition from some other current senators, including New York Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton. She's coming out this week with a 10th anniversary edition of her book called "It Takes a Village" -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: It's about quarter after the hour. If you're heading out the door, you want to know the weather, Chad Myers has the answer for you.
Hello, Chad.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hi, Miles.
(WEATHER REPORT)
S. O'BRIEN: Some new information to tell you about, about James Kim, the San Francisco man who died trying to get help for his family who were stranded on a snowy logging road in Oregon. Authorities now say that Kim actually trekked 16 miles into the wilderness to find help for his wife and his children. It's about twice what they originally thought.
The map traces Kim's steps from the car where he was found, to where he walked up the road and wandered off the path, leaving his pants behind, and then the ravine where his body was found.
Dan Simon has more on James Kim's heroic sacrifice.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JAMES KIM, SR. EDITOR MP3S, CNET: Hey, everybody. It's James Kim here, senior editor of MP3s at CNET. And I have with me the first look in my palm. This is the mobiBLU Cube 2.
DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): It's the kind of job a lot of us would love to have. Remember Tom Hanks in the movie "Big"? He played with toys to see what other kids would like.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE, "BIG": So what do they make you do for all this?
TOM HANKS, "BIG": Well, I play with all of this stuff. And then I go in and I tell them what I think.
SIMON: Well, James Kim essentially had the same job. The 35- year-old editor for CNET, a leading technology Web site, tested and played the latest high-tech music gadgets, and then advised consumers on what to buy. He got a first look at all the cool stuff.
KIM: I'm here at the San Francisco Apple event, where we've seen the launch of three new iPods.
This right here is not a button. It's a phantom button. So what's the big deal about this thing? Well, the reason I like it is because it's $20.
SIMON: James Kim wasn't just concerned about your wallet, but about your happiness as a parent. After all, these are important purchases for your kids.
KIM: It's a digital audio player, and my 3-year-old daughter actually approves of it. She picked it up and started using it and started having fun with it without any direction at all. In fact, she skipped the manual just like her dad does.
SIMON: James often talked about his own kids on his webcast, Penelope and baby Sabine. Friends and colleagues say he was ever the devoted father and husband to Kati.
HAHN CHOI, FRIEND AND FORMER COLLEAGUE: As a father, I know he love his kids so much. And his wife. He loved them so much. I know he'd do anything for them.
SIMON: Hahn Choi used to work for James at another high-tech venture but says it felt more like a friendship.
CHOI: I never saw him get mad. He was one of those people you could talk to all the time, you know? You know, it's strange, because, you know, he was just a really good, good human being. It just doesn't -- you don't find that very often.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
S. O'BRIEN: Tonight, CNN will take a look at James Kim's sacrifice to save his family. You can catch a special "PAULA ZAHN NOW," "Stranded: The James Kim Ordeal," at 8:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN.
M. O'BRIEN: Mel Gibson can still bring them in at the box office. The end of Mayan civilization not a career apocalypse for Gibson.
And a major airport is taking down its Christmas trees. Is it PC run amuck?
AMERICAN MORNING coming right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: Top stories we're following for you.
Iraqi prime minister -- or, excuse me, president Jalal Talabani rejecting the Iraq Study report, calling its recommendations dangerous, including one that would give government jobs back to Saddam Hussein loyalists.
In this country, President Bush is set to discuss the Iraq Study report with officials at the State Department just a few hours from now.
S. O'BRIEN: Also this morning, there may not be a word in English, but "Apocalypto" is still translating into very big success for Mel Gibson. The film raked in more than $14 million over the weekend. No big star in this film.
Rounding out the other top five, another new movie called "The Holiday," which stars Cameron Diaz and Jack Black. That took in $13.5 million. "Happy Feet" dropped to number three. Then "Casino Royale" and "Blood Diamond" rounded out the top five.
We don't know that teams are going to be playing in February's Super Bowl. We do know that Prince will be rocking the halftime show. He's just been nominated for five Grammy awards. He's already got six Grammy awards.
The game is in Miami. That would actually make the Super Bowl worth watching, I think, Miles.
San Diego Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson -- did I get that right -- L.T. -- thank goodness he's got a nickname...
M. O'BRIEN: Good job. A lot of syllables in that.
S. O'BRIEN: ... in the record books. L.T. set off a new NFL season record for touchdowns. He scored 29 touchdowns in San Diego's victory over the Denver Broncos. That's 174 points a season, all thanks to L.T. Still three games left to play.
You go, L.T.
M. O'BRIEN: Wow.
S. O'BRIEN: Yes. He's all right.
M. O'BRIEN: Here's a real shocker. Pantyhose sales have hit a snag.
Ali Velshi?
(LAUGHTER)
ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I don't know anything about this either, Miles.
Back to you.
M. O'BRIEN: That's all we need to say. Thank you, Ali.
VELSHI: Sure.
Two trends -- two trends I want to tell you about. One I know something about, one I don't.
Pantyhose sales have been sagging for the last several years.
S. O'BRIEN: Stop!
VELSHI: This according to Hanes brand, which is the nation's leading pantyhose seller. Apparently, sales peaked in the '90s. And the company says a number of things have happened since then.
One is the general casualization (ph) of the workplace, the ability to wear slacks, the fact that more people are working at home. They sort of said the Internet had something to do with this.
But women aged 25 to 54 wear pantyhose 1.8 times a week on average, which is half as much as they used to wear it a decade ago. The industry says that there have been some innovations that people should know about which might get them to buy more pantyhose.
One of them is anti-cellulite nylons, and the other is stockings that actually hydrate your legs. That is the sum total of what I know about pantyhose.
But I do know about candy.
S. O'BRIEN: OK.
VELSHI: All right. Candy sales are way up because people are selling them at what they call nontraditional places. So, you know, you used to get them at the pharmacy, the grocery store, the convenience store, mass marketing places -- you know, mass retailers. But the number of places that are selling candy at the checkout counter that you wouldn't expect, Home Depot, Auto Zone, Staples, places like that, are growing, actually.
They're still a tiny, tiny piece of the market, but Hershey's, Wrigley, Mars all have divisions that market specifically to nontraditional retailers because candy actually has a pretty good markup compared to things that you sell at the checkout. It's a 30 percent markup. It does tend to move.
And I was one of those yesterday. I was at a store that I wouldn't have thought to buy candy at and I bought candy because I was waiting in line.
S. O'BRIEN: Where were you?
VELSHI: Bed, Bath & Beyond.
M. O'BRIEN: Were you getting some pantyhose?
S. O'BRIEN: They don't have pantyhose there.
VELSHI: They're flying off the shelves there.
S. O'BRIEN: I'll save you, Ali.
VELSHI: Yes, that would be the end of my report.
M. O'BRIEN: Thank you. All right.
S. O'BRIEN: That was very entertaining.
Well, ahead this morning, a serious story we're talking about. The threat of E. coli is spreading and, of course, concern is, too. We'll tell you what's being done to protect you now that E. coli is popping up in seven states in recent weeks.
And getting paid when you call in sick. The fight for more paid sick days, straight ahead.
We'll take a look when AMERICAN MORNING continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: Taco Bell says its restaurants are safe just as more people get sick from eating at another fast-food restaurant. We'll have the latest from the government's head of food safety.
S. O'BRIEN: Mel Gibson delivers a winner despite his rocky year. His new movie "Apocalypto" is tops at the U.S. box office.
M. O'BRIEN: And banning Christmas trees to avoid the courtroom. We'll tell you about the complaint from a rabbi which has sparked a Christmas controversy in Seattle on this AMERICAN MORNING. Good morning to you, Monday, December 11th.
I'm Miles O'Brien.
S. O'BRIEN: And I'm Soledad O'Brien.
Thanks for being with us.
Happening this morning in Iraq, there's word that some lawmakers are ready to oust the prime minister, Nuri al-Maliki, in order to rein in the violence there. Apparently, they want to form a new ruling coalition without ties to the radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. And reportedly leading the charge is the Shiite leader Abdul Aziz al- Hakim. He met with President Bush a week ago.
Iraqi president Jalal Talabani is blasting the Iraq Study Group's recommendations, calling them unfair and a violation of Iraq's sovereignty. Talabani is not happy with the recommendation to allow Ba'ath party members back to take part in the Iraq military and police units.
And this morning President Bush is meeting with State Department officials. They're going to discuss Iraq's strategy following last week's release of the Iraq Study Group report.
Protests and parties, too, in Chile, following the death of the former dictator, Augusto Pinochet, who died on Sunday of heart failure. He was 91 years old. Pinochet ruled Chile for 17 years until 1990. He had been under house arrest. He was charged with murdering two opponents back in 1973. He was accused of torturing and killing thousands of people while he was in power. A military funeral is scheduled for tomorrow.
The shuttle Discovery links up with the international space station this afternoon. So far, so good for the Discovery's voyage. The crew took a close look at the heat shield yesterday, making sure there's no damage after the launch on Saturday night. NASA sees no reason for concern -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: More suspected E. coli cases to report to you this morning. At least 19 people sick after eating at Taco Johns in Cedar Falls, Iowa, not related to Taco Bell. And new this morning, Taco Bell's president is telling customers the food is absolutely safe to eat at those restaurants. Taco Bell removing the suspect green onions after 120 people in six stats were infected with E. coli.
Green onions, spinach, some tomatoes a month ago. Who is keeping track of all this contaminated produce and why the apparent upsurge in all of this? Dr. Robert Brackett is in charge of food safety for the Food and Drug Administration. He joins us from Washington. Dr. Brackett good to have you with us.
DR. ROBERT BRACKETT, DIR. FDA CENTER FOR FOOD HEALTH: Good morning.
M. O'BRIEN: Why the increase? BRACKETT: Well, that's a really good question, why the increase. It could be due to several different things -- one of which is that there are actually more outbreaks. But in fact, what it could be is several things, one of which is that we're getting much better at detecting these outbreaks, especially with some of the new technologies and better epidemiology that CDC is using these days to tie the many different states together.
The second thing is that in general people are eating more fresh produce. And in doing so, they have a bit more exposure to that. And so that leads to more recognition that these types of products are involved in food-borne outbreaks. And this is something that we hadn't really looked at in decades past.
M. O'BRIEN: And fresh produce is a bigger concern because you can eat it raw and if it isn't cooked, the E. coli is not cooked away.
BRACKETT: Well, that's a very good point. And that's one of the reasons why care in the growing and production and processing of fresh produce is actually even more important than it is in other types of foods because people do eat it raw. If they cook it thoroughly, they can eliminate the organism, but we're encouraging more people to eat more produce, more fresh produce. And so, we do want to make sure that what is produced is safe for people to eat.
M. O'BRIEN: Let's talk about your budget for just a moment. A few items -- "The Washington Post" had a piece this morning which, I'm sure you've seen, talks about this.
It says that first of all, that the portion of the Food and Drug Administration budget devoted to food safety is now about 25 percent of the overall budget. Used to be 50 percent. Actually that one comes from the "New York Times" in other parts of this story.
The current budget for your group, the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, next year the budget will be $25 million. It was $48 million in 2003. And finally, inspectors that you have on the job, about 1900 or so now versus 2,200 in 2003.
Your efforts are being cut back significantly. How much has that, perhaps, put the American people in jeopardy?
BRACKETT: Well, what that does is when we have austere times, the we are now, it forces us to look at doing our job in new ways. And that in fact is what we've done. With the reduction in the inspectors, what we've done is actually started using much more of a risk-based focus where we're inspecting on those places and those foods that have the highest risk.
Likewise in my own center, we've done the very same thing. The one thing we have not let down on is our food safety efforts. If there are other ways to do things, there are some programs that might have been nice to do in the past, we just don't focus on those as much.
M. O'BRIEN: Well, give us an idea what's been cut out though. When I hear a cut from 48 million to $25 million, that's a significant percentage of the budget,
BRACKETT: Well, it's important to understand to that the part of the budget that goes to food safety is not the part that's really being cut. We have other programs that we've done, which are nice things to be done. We've supported research in certain areas that may not have been related to food safety. The ...
M. O'BRIEN: So, sir, are you in favor of these cuts then?
BRACKETT: Well, it's always important -- I mean, the more money you have, the more you can do. But our, my goal, is to make sure we make the best use of the money that we have and make sure that we're mandating -- taking care of our mandates to take care of public health and that's what we're doing.
M. O'BRIEN: Dr. Robert Brackett, thanks for your time.
BRACKETT: My pleasure.
M. O'BRIEN: Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Tens of millions of Americans when they get sick, when they call in sick, won't get paid. It's a big problem, not just for the person whose sick of course, but for anybody that works with a sick person or comes into contact with them. The big question is -- who should have to bear the burden? AMERICAN MORNING's Alina Cho has been watching the story. Good morning.
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you Soledad. You know, for many Americans taking a sick day is not a big deal. You take it for granted. But you may be surprised to hear that nearly half of all Americans who work in the private sector, do not get a single day of paid leave -- not a single day. Well all of that could change soon and for some families, it could make all the difference.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHO (voice-over): Rachel Sopel, a mother of two, quit her job last December when she was forced to make a choice -- her job or her son. Leo had broken his arm and needed her care.
RACHEL SOPEL, MOTHER: I had to be home with him.
CHO: But she couldn't. She already used her paid time off, which included only two sick days, so she quit to care of her son. It's a dilemma lots of Americans face. Nearly half of all workers in the private sector don't get any paid sick time and lower wage workers are the hardest hit. With Democrats about to take control of Congress, they're vowing to fight for a change.
SEN. TED KENNEDY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: I, quite frankly, am tired of playing defense. I think it's time that we played offense.
CHO: Next month Senator Ted Kennedy will reintroduce a bill that would require companies with 15 or more employees to provide full-time workers seven days of paid sick leave a year. KENNEDY: If it's good enough for the members of Congress, good enough for the Senate, the House of Representatives, it's good enough for hard-working people.
CHO: It's already good enough for San Francisco. The city recently approved a similar measure, the first in the nation to do so. Kennedy says it should be Federal policy. Business leaders say if paid sick leave is that important, Congress should raise taxes to pay for it.
RANDEL JOHNSON, U.S. CHAMBER OF COMMERCE: People get sick, they need time off, why should the employer necessarily have to bear that burden?
CHO: Rachel now has a part-time job which affords her more time with her kids but less money. What she really wants is a full-time job that allows her enough time off to take care of her kids when they're sick and get paid at the same time.
SOPEL: It's all American workers who deserve this.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHO: Just to give you a sense of just how much this affects daily decisions, Rachel Sopel says her son's teacher was recently diagnosed with whooping cough. Well immediately, She was on the phone with the pediatrician to say, well maybe I should bring my son in to get immunized even though he doesn't need the shot yet.
Her point is, whooping cough is not such a serious illness, but it may mean a week off from school. And that's a week off Soledad that Rachel says she simply can't afford to take. In some cases you know, it's the difference between groceries and no groceries for the week -- especially for people who live paycheck to paycheck.
S. O'BRIEN: Yes, it's really, really, I mean, it's shocking, actually, how high the numbers are. How many businesses are moving to the system like we have here, which is sort of a number of days, take them however you want to. You want to take them as sick days, you want to take them as vacation days, it's up to you.
CHO: That's right, it's a trend. Certainly more and more companies are doing it. Obviously we do it here at CNN. And basically for people who aren't familiar, you get maybe 30 days for the year and it's all lumped together, holidays, vacation days, personal days, sick days. Let's say you have a kid who gets sick, you can take those days as sick days. Maybe you don't have children, maybe you don't get sick that often. Well, good for you too because that's more vacation for you at the end of the year.
M. O'BRIEN: You don't have to celebrate holidays that you're not that into anyway.
CHO: That's right.
S. O'BRIEN: Alina, thanks a lot. Appreciate it -- Miles. M. O'BRIEN: Happening in America, a search for a missing couple from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina up and down the East Coast this morning.
Wayne and Diane Quay (ph) disappeared on their drive to New York to visit their children for the holidays. They were supposed to have arrived by Thursday night, but they never showed. Their kids, obviously, worried. Calls to cellphones went straight to voice-mail. State troopers not reporting any accidents on the route the couple was supposed to take.
In Colorado, convicted killer Eric Rudolph wants people to know he's unhappy in Federal prison. He's serving life for the 1996 attack at the Atlanta Olympics games, three other bombings as well. Rudolph says his supermax cell is too small and he compared the exercise yard to a dog kennel.
And in Florida, an Orlando area garbage man hijacked a company truck and took it for a dangerous ride. A camera from a sheriff's's helicopter shows the truck speeding through two counties. The chase ended when the truck got stuck at the edge of a lake. Officials say the man was suicidal.
In New York, railroad crews had to bring in heavy machinery to clean up after this CSX freight train derailed in Buffalo. It was heading eastbound and had been carrying some produce. It's unclear what the cause was on all of that.
Up above us, the space shuttle Discovery links up with the international space station today. So far, so good for Discovery's voyage. The crew took a close look at the shuttle's heat shield yesterday and everything looks good, no cause for concern. Live pictures there from space as we speak. The crew is sleeping now, they'll be up at 10:46. More AMERICAN MORNING ahead.
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S. O'BRIEN: Let's talk a little bit about the controversy over Mel Gibson's quite drunken anti-Semitic rant of the summer. Doesn't appear to be hurting his appeal at the box-office. His new movie, which is called "Apocalypto" took in more than $14 million over the weekend. Edged out competition -- "The Holiday" was number two, that brought in $13.5 million.
Then you had "Happy Feet", another good weekend for "Happy Feet", $12.7 million. "Casino Royale" and "Blood Diamond" rounding out that list there.
Let's get right to Bradley Jacobs for an assessment of why, why, why. Nice to see you, good morning. Of course, he's the senior editor at "Us Weekly" magazine. You know, you look at that movie, "Apocalypto", which has no big stars, oh, by the way, not a single word of it is in English. And you have the drama with Mel Gibson over the summer. I would not have had it all add up to a Number one movie. BRADLEY JACOBS, SENIOR EDITOR, "US WEEKLY" MAGAZINE: Exactly. There were a lot of doubts within the industry about how this movie would play given yes, as you say -- its obscure subject matter the end of the Mayan civilization, subtitles, and not a star in it.
But basically Mel Gibson proved that he can still deliver a hit. You know, 60 percent of the audience was males. They actually may have been driven by the reviews which said it's very good, it's a rollicking adventure, and it's ultra violent.
S. O'BRIEN: Yes, it's really -- I mean, even, you know, this, while you're watching the promos for the thing, because it's really, really hard to watch. I was surprised, though, that Disney really underscored their connection. I highlighted their connection with Mel Gibson as opposed to sort of you know, saying, Mel Gibson was ...
JACOBS: Yes, I mean, they, Disney went out and said we're not hiding Mel Gibson. You know, he apologized everywhere. He was very contrite about what happened to him. And it's been six months. And they said we're not going to hide this guy. In fact, we're going to name the movie Mel Gibson's "Apocalypto."
So, that was their strategy and it paid off. You know, Mel Gibson, despite what happened to him earlier this year, he won Oscars for "Braveheart" ten years ago. Of course, the "Passion of the Christ," everyone had doubts about that. He proved the winner in that situation as well. He's a very, very talented filmmaker. I think that's what his having the Number one movie at the box office shows.
S. O'BRIEN: OK, but this is the Number one movie at $14 million, not a number one movie like "Passion of the Christ" at $84 million.
JACOBS: That's true.
S. O'BRIEN: It is a big difference.
JACOBS: That's true. And it was really only a million dollars over "The Holiday," which is the Number two movie. And then closely behind that, "Happy Feet", and "Casino Royale" and "Blood Diamond." Yes, it wasn't a monster the way that "Passion of the Christ was. But people weren't expecting it to be a monster either. But ultimately, it was number one and that's matters.
S. O'BRIEN: So is the take-away, so it turns out that his career is certainly not over, he's got a number one movie or is it an indication his career is not safe either? It's the number one movie when the number two movie is not too far away and it's not been a very strong weekend obviously.
JACOBS: I would say this was a good thing for Mel Gibson for sure. This movie could have tanked, absolutely, given, as we said before -- no stars, ultra violence, et cetera. For him to have proven that he can do it and have a number one movie again bodes well for his future.
S. O'BRIEN: So what's the takeaway? Say whatever you want -- drunk, not drunk, racist, anti-Semitic, but you know what, give it six months and the American public forgets and all will be fine
JACOBS: Might be or maybe he had earned enough clout with American viewers before then that his anti-Semitic tirade and drunk- driving arrest didn't derail his career maybe the way people had thought it would.
S. O'BRIEN: Interesting. Bradley Jacobs, the senior editor of "Us" magazine. Nice to see you, thanks.
JACOBS: Thank you Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: "CNN NEWSROOM" just minutes away. Betty Nguyen at the CNN center with a look at what's ahead. Good morning, Betty.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Hey there Miles, good morning. We've got these stories on the NEWSROOM rundown this morning for you: President Bush, another week studying options on Iraq. Today key meetings with diplomats and retired generals and the president's remarks. We'll have that live right here in the NEWSROOM.
A young soldier survives the battlefield, but the Iraq war, perhaps, taking a deadly toll once he got home.
And a long-awaited report on Princess Diana's death. Newspapers outline the findings as well as an interesting tidbit about American agents. Did the secret service bug Diana's phone? Tony and Heidi have the day off, I'm in the NEWSROOM with T.J. We're here at the top of the hour. Hope you're watching Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: All right. The weekend team on Monday.
NGUYEN: That's right.
M. O'BRIEN: Sort of just keep you working. All right. Thank you Betty, we'll see you then.
They're trimming the trees at Sea-Tac Airport. And that's not the kind of trimming that a lot of people would hope for. Was getting rid of all the Christmas trees the right answer to a religious controversy? That story is next.
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S. O'BRIEN: Here's a quick look at what "NEWSROOM" is working on for the top of the hour.
ANNOUNCER: See these stories in the CNN NEWSROOM. Iraq's prime minister may be shown the door, reports of a behind-the-scenes power play.
Three brothers shot and killed as they're dropped off at school in Gaza. Indications the attack was a political hit job. Australia's worst brush fire in decades. Melbourne choking under a thick blanket of smoke. You're in the NEWSROOM at 9:00 Eastern, 6:00 out west.
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S. O'BRIEN: It's the city of New York, 49 degrees, Chad says, and he is promising us a warm week.
Thank you, Chad. Looks good.
M. O'BRIEN: Oh, he's responsible for the weather, too?
S. O'BRIEN: No. I'm just thanking him for giving us the good news.
M. O'BRIEN: That's nice of you.
S. O'BRIEN: A little shoutout to Chad.
That's it, we're out of time on AMERICAN MORNING. Let's send you right to "CNN NEWSROOM." T.J. Holmes and Betty Nguyen are in this morning. It begins right now.
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