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American Morning
Police Say They Have a Suspect in Madeleine McCann Case; GOP Battle; Why Are Fewer Women Getting Screened for Mammograms?
Aired May 15, 2007 - 07:01 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR (voice over): Aerial assault. Hail and flashfloods in the Rockies. A young child washed away.
Plus, wildfires make a new push on neighborhoods in Florida. More homes in the line of fire.
And Web of concern. Eight states take aim at myspace.com. A tough new attack on sexual predators targeting your kids on this AMERICAN MORNING.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHETRY: And welcome back. It is Tuesday. It's May 15th.
I'm Kiran Chetry.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm John Roberts, in the nation's capital.
Thanks very much for joining us today. We've got lots on the AM Radar this morning.
(NEWSBREAK)
CHETRY: Some big news coming out of Portugal. Just within the past hour, police are saying they have a suspect in the case of missing 4-year-old Madeleine McCann. Madeleine snatched from her bed nearly two weeks ago while on vacation with her family.
Phil Black following the story from Madeleine's home town of Rothley, England.
Hi, Phil.
PHIL BLACK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's correct, indeed. This is a makeshift memorial, if you like. It has become a symbol of this town's hope and sympathy that Madeleine will be returned safely. And this morning here we've seen some very dramatic, some very emotional scenes.
With news coming out of Portugal, a lot of people are glued to their radios and televisions hoping to hear more details, but people have still been visiting this site. And it's been very emotional. Those that have come to tie ribbons, to leave notes -- we can see some children here behind me now. Some have simply stood here and wept openly.
They describe the rising sense of tension and anticipation as really quite unbearable, because they've been putting up with this for some weeks now. And today this significant development, this news that police in Portugal have been interviewing someone overnight -- this morning they say they now have a formal suspect. They will not confirm whether the man, the British man they have been interviewing, Robert Murat (ph), is, in fact, the same suspect that they have confirmed they have this morning.
CHETRY: All right, Phil. We're going to check in with you a little bit later with some more of the new details in that case -- John.
ROBERTS: Now to the major wildfires that are raging in south Georgia and north Florida. Firefighters say that strong winds are fanning those flames today. Dozens of residents are on standby along the Georgia-Florida line, getting ready to evacuate. Hundreds more still not allowed to return home.
The National Weather Service says smoke has now drifted across state lines into Alabama and Mississippi. It could make it all the way to Texas later on today.
Right now, 21 major fires have wiped out more than 380 square miles, but sections of two major highways in the area, I-75, the major North-south route, and I-10, the east-west route, have reopened this morning. Crews, though, are keeping an eye on the roads, making sure that smoke doesn't limit visibility, because with so much traffic there, you could imagine the potential for big accidents if you get a whiteout or smokeout there in those areas.
Extreme weather also slamming the Rockies. New pictures now from Denver, where parts of that city are under water. Take a look.
Flashfloods have stranded drivers and closed roads there. They don't get a lot of rain, but when they get it, it piles up very quickly.
Last night, the high water turned deadly. A young mother and her toddler were swept into a swollen creek when floodwaters washed out the bike path that they were walking on. The mother was rescued. Emergency workers found a stroller with no one in it about a mile down stream. Her son presumed to be drowned this morning.
A teenager also died after venturing into a river to try to help his friend.
CHETRY: Well, the highest ranking official yet quitting the Bush administration's Justice Department. Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty, number two to Alberto Gonzales, will leave at the end of the summer. He's the third top official to resign since the federal prosecutors were fired, but he says he's leaving for financial reasons.
World Bank president Paul Wolfowitz goes before the bank's board today fighting to keep his job. The board's executive report says Wolfowitz broke the rules by getting a promotion and a pay raise for his girlfriend. Also questions whether he can remain as president of the World Bank.
ROBERTS: To South Carolina now, where the Republican presidential candidates are gearing up for their second debate tonight. Will one candidate stand out in the crowded GOP field?
Our chief national correspondent, John King, has a preview. He's live in Columbia, South Carolina.
John, a week and a half ago we saw the candidates try to wrap themselves in Ronald Reagan. What's going to happen tonight? Are they going to try to prove that they are the real conservative here?
JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That is certainly a big test in a state like South Carolina, John. They consider the primary here, which comes after Iowa and New Hampshire, early next year.
South Carolinians consider it the gateway of the South, and for the past 27 years, since 1980, it has proven to be decisive in competitive Republican primaries. So they certainly think the stakes are high here, as the 10 candidates gather in this art center behind me.
One of the interesting questions, though, is you have a big city mayor in the field. You have members of the House, members of the Senate, several former governors, and yet many conservatives in this state and across the country still say, maybe we don't like this field, maybe we want even more candidates to jump in.
I sat down with the Republican governor of South Carolina yesterday, Mark Sanford, and he says many conservatives here are still locking for a candidate, they haven't locked in just yet. He says part of that is because of dissatisfaction with the field of 10 that you will see on stage in the debate here tonight, but the governor also told me he thinks part of it is the continued soul searching in the Republican Party for a new standard after the drubbing the party took in last year's elections.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. MARK SANFORD (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: Republicans, at a gut level, aren't happy in many cases, with larger things going on with the party itself. The degree to which we have been financial stewards, the degree which we have or have not walked the walk on taxes and spending, you know, the war in Iraq, a whole host of different things that has caused conflict within the Republican Party, even outside of who is this candidate, that candidate or the next candidate in terms of personal flavor.
(END VIDEO CLIP) KING: A 90-minute debate, 10 candidates on the stage. As we learned 12 days ago in California, John, it is hard to have much interchange, much interaction. But I ran into one of the contenders last night, Senator Sam Brownback of Kansas. He is a conservative, one of the longer shots in the field. He says he hopes tonight they get to have more sparring between the candidates, more of an opportunity to accentuate the differences on abortion, social issues and other issues -- John.
ROBERTS: John, just talking about whether or not Republican voters are satisfied -- we were talking to Bill Bennett about that earlier -- a new CBS News-"New York Times" poll found 61 percent of Republican primary voters still out there looking for someone else.
In 2000, we saw South Carolina really as a firewall for the George Bush campaign. But with that Super Tuesday now moved up to literally a week after the South Carolina primary, and all those big states, is it still as important as it was six years ago?
KING: A big debate about that among Republicans. Some say no because you do have those states that come right behind it. Florida is moving up, a number of other big states, New Jersey, California, Illinois. Perhaps as many as 10 or more states on that February 5th date, not long after South Carolina.
But others say it will be even more important, because after Iowa and New Hampshire, people are trying to win there, they end up spending most of their money there. They come here to South Carolina.
In the past several competitive cycles, John, you get a candidate out of here who has momentum. And most of the others are out of money. John McCain learned that in 2000. He lost South Carolina by 67,000 votes, but it was over. George W. Bush went on to win the nomination. Many think, at least on the Republican side, the contest will be decided much the same way in early 2008.
ROBERTS: Well, it will be interesting to see if somebody leaps out of the pack tonight.
John King for us tonight in South Carolina. Thanks very much, John.
KING: Sure would. Thanks, John.
ROBERTS: And a programming note now. Big debates coming up on CNN. The Democrats 2008 hopefuls debate on June the 3rd. Republicans debate on June the 5th in the important primary state of New Hampshire.
CHETRY: Well, the religion Scientology has been known to cause some heated debate. Check out this one, though, between the Church of Scientology spokesman, Tommy Davis, and a BBC reporter, John Sweeney. He was accused of calling the Church of Scientology a brainwashing cult.
Here's what happened next. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TOMMY DAVIS, SCIENTOLOGY SPOKESMAN: I'm not stopping here. You listen to me for a second. You're accusing members of my religion of engaging in brainwashing.
JOHN SWEENEY, BBC REPORTER: No, Tommy!
(CROSSTALK)
DAVIS: Brainwashing is wrong.
SWEENEY: No! Listen to me! You were not there at the beginning of that interview! You were not there! You did not hear...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Well, there it is. Sweeney is filming a documentary on Scientology. The church's own crew filmed that outburst. They posted it on YouTube. Since then, Sweeney has apologized.
ROBERTS: You know, I kept -- as I was watching that, I kept waiting for him to have a stroke.
CHETRY: I mean, he really was, I mean, going crazy. You could hear his voice just coming like he was bellowing right from his stomach and screaming at the guy.
He says he's sorry. You know, they got a little heated. And I think that this is probably the best advertising ever for that documentary when it finally does air.
ROBERTS: Yes, probably.
He also says in a separate piece of video that's on YouTube that he drew on his drama training. He was playing some bombastic colonel in "Oh! What a Lovely War," and he had to scream like that at the recruits. And he just sort of pulled on that training, and that's where it came from.
CHETRY: Right. Well, then his drama teacher should be very proud, because he put it to good use.
ROBERTS: He certainly did.
Anti-abortion extremist and Olympic bomber Eric Rudolph is serving his sentence in one of the nation's most secure federal prisons. What he's doing behind bars, though, has got some of his victims outraged. And why authorities say they're powerless to stop him.
And doctors are calling it a dangerous trend. They say millions of women are risking their lives and they may not even know it. Details of that coming up straight ahead.
You're watching AMERICAN MORNING. The most news in the morning is on CNN. .
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: A beautiful shot of the Statue of Liberty there on Liberty Island, right off Manhattan, right at the very tip here on AMERICAN MORNING.
We're glad you're with us. It's 7:15 Eastern Time.
And we're talking about something pretty important right now, mammograms. We all know that they can be life savers, but there is a new study showing a drop in the number of women actually getting regular mammograms. And the big question is, why?
Dr. Larry Norton is director of the breast center programs at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center here in New York.
Doctor, thanks for being with us.
DR. LARRY NORTON, MEMORIAL SLOAN-KETTERING CANCER CENTER: Oh, my pleasure.
CHETRY: This study looked at 2000 to 2005 and found a four percent drop in the number of women getting mammograms, when for decades we were seeing these numbers go up. What is your theory about what's behind it?
NORTON: Oh, it went from, like, 40 percent in the '80s, all the way up to 70 percent. And we thought -- a lot of people thought that the battle was won and people were going to get more and more, we'd have 100 percent. But now it's actually dropping.
Four percent is huge. We don't know the reasons why, but it's probably many things going together. Insurance is a big issue. Maybe change public attitudes. We're studying that. But also, there's a very big problem with not enough breast imagers (ph). Long waits, and just not enough people who know how to examine the breast and want to examine the breast.
CHETRY: Let's talk about the issue about insurance. You're saying that for some -- for many people it's not covered?
NORTON: That's right. And a lot of people don't have insurance. We have a lot of uninsured Americans, and that's also a very big factor.
CHETRY: And what about the long wait times for appointments? Is there a better way to get people getting mammograms?
NORTON: We don't have enough people who specialize in breast imaging. That's a big problem, and it's been a big problem for years. There have been a number of reports that have predicted this, and now we're actually seeing this happen.
CHETRY: And why is that? NORTON: Well, it's you lose money on every mammogram you do. The rate of reimbursement is very, very low. It's very high litigation. A lot of people get sued over mammogram, is one of the big topics. It's not a very high prestige field in radiology. A lot of things are working together, and we're seeing people actually dropping out of the field rather than joining the field.
CHETRY: So, in your estimation, if it's not easily accessible, it's not something that can be inexpensive for a patient, they're just not going to get it done.
NORTON: Or they're going to delay it. And, you know, delaying it by six months or so can make a huge difference. You know, this four percent drop is a very big change. This will translate to increased breast cancer deaths.
CHETRY: When you talk about change in public attitudes, a lot was made over whether or not you carry the breast cancer gene and whether or not you were at high risk based on whether your mother or maternal grandmother had breast cancer. Do you think people, if that's not the case, I'm in the clear?
NORTON: Well, I hope they don't feel that way, because only about 10 percent of breast cancer comes from families that have a high incidence of breast cancer. Ninety percent do not occur in situations where there's a genetic predisposition. So that actually, people have to be aware of the fact that breast cancer is something that can affect every woman, and every woman over age 40 should get an annual mammogram.
CHETRY: Over age 40. And what should people keep in mind when it comes to the life-saving nature of mammograms?
NORTON: Yes. Mammograms save lives. They also save breasts. If you find a smaller tumor, you can have breast conservation. You don't need a mastectomy. In every way, it's a very smart thing to do, and not to do it is very dangerous.
CHETRY: So hopefully we'll see the numbers change in the year to come.
NORTON: Well, we hope this isn't a trend in the opposite direction. Yes, indeed, you're making a very important point. People have to understand that mammography is part of the package that leads to an increasing cure of breast cancer.
CHETRY: Dr. Larry Norton with Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.
Thanks for being with us this morning.
NORTON: Thank you very much.
ROBERTS: Good to see Larry. And he's a good guy, a good doctor.
The plot thickens in the scandal of those fired U.S. attorneys. Alberto Gonzales' top aide has stepped down. Up next, Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah joins us with a look at what it might mean.
And millions of kids are on myspace.com, but who else is on with there with them? Coming up, we're live with an attorney general who says sex offenders are just a click away from your children.
Stay with us on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: A picture of the White House this morning on this gorgeous Tuesday morning in Washington. Going to be a nice and warm one, too. Up to 86 degrees here.
Speaking of the White House, it's the highest level departure in the Justice Department since the controversial firing of federal prosecutors. Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty announcing yesterday that he's going to step down at the end of the summer. Some in the DOJ have blamed McNulty's testimony in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee for fanning the flames of that controversy.
Republican Senator Orrin Hatch is a senior member on that committee, also going to the White House a little bit later on this morning, joins us now for some reaction.
Godo to see you again, Senator.
SEN. ORRIN HATCH (R), UTAH: Well, nice to be with you.
ROBERTS: So what do you make of all this?
HATCH: Well, I think Paul is really an excellent person. He has a lot of experience on Capitol Hill, a lot of experience down there. And I think -- and I think he basically feels like he's got to get out and make some money because he has got children in school, and they're going to start going to college in a few years, and he's got to have some better income than he gets in government. That's one of the problems.
ROBERTS: Pretty abrupt decision, though, to suddenly say, you know, I have got to go make some money.
Do you think -- it has got to be tied in somehow to the U.S. attorneys.
HATCH: Oh, I think it is. I think that he gets tired of the constant criticism.
Look, it was poorly handled, but there's no evidence of any criminal propriety or any other impropriety such as interfering with an ongoing investigation or an ongoing case. No evidence whatsoever. It's just being blown out of proportion by the Democrats, who think they have a live one here. And of course, they've been able to smear Gonzales who, yes, it was poorly handled, and Gonzales has to take the blame for it.
ROBERTS: His testimony before the committee on which you're a senior member seemed to raise the ire of the attorney general. Let me play just a little bit of that and ask you about it.
HATCH: Sure.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL J. MCNULTY, DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL: I was involved in all of this. Not just any one person, but I was consulted in the whole decision process. All of the changes that we made were performance- related.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: The fact that he came out and said all the decisions were performance-related was something the Department of Justice didn't want to talk about. And apparently Gonzales got very angry about all of that.
Do you think that played into it, as well?
HATCH: Well, I Don't doubt it, because, frankly, I think he was misled by some of the people in the Justice Department in saying that they were performance-related. You know, let's face it, these were people that they wanted to change. They wanted to give people an opportunity.
If they did had done it the right way, nobody would have griped at all. It was done in a very, you know, poorly-handled way. And in the process, of course, we've had this huge flap caused by -- you know, where criticisms are justified, but they've beaten it to death so far.
ROBERTS: Let me switch gears, if I could. You've endorsed Mitt Romney, a fellow Utahan.
HATCH: Right.
ROBERTS: A good friend of yours.
HATCH: They're all good friends of mine. Every one of the guys running are good friends of mine. I like them all. But Mitt Romney...
ROBERTS: The Mormm faith, which you share with Mitt Romney...
HATCH: Right.
ROBERTS: ... erupted as a bit of a campaign issue last week when Reverend Al Sharpton talked about it. And I'm wondering, how much of an issue do you think that's going to be with Christian conservatives who make up 25 percent of the party? And we see surveys that say 34 percent of Americans don't believe that Mormons are Christians.
HATCH: Well, you know, when I ran for president, there were 18 percent of the American people, and I think that was far more accurate. And w got it down to 17 percent, so I was somewhat successful. But, in all honesty, I believe people are going to be looking for a person of values, a person of ability, a person of dimension. How do you beat Mitt Romney? I mean, this is a fellow who has been successful at everything he did.
When he came out to Utah to take over the Olympics, they were in shambles. I mean, we were $400 billion in debt, we couldn't get sponsors. The thing wasn't well run at all.
He came out at his own expense, took it over, and within a matter of months had it turned around. Wound up in this multibillion-dollar enterprise, with $100 million surplus and the best winter Olympics in the history of the country.
Then he runs for governor of Massachusetts. Three billion dollars in the hole, he turns that around in two and a half years to a $1 billion surplus. By all -- by all dimensions, you've got to say this man is really the best manager of all the rest of them put together.
ROBERTS: All right. Well, we'll see how he does tonight. Actually, I said a fellow Utahan. He was only there for a little while doing the Olympics. Born in Michigan, of course. Also lived in Massachusetts.
HATCH: Well, I know him really well. I know him really well. He's really a fine man.
And I think when evangelicals and others look, and they want somebody who really lives what he believes, has values like they have, who isn't afraid to stand up for them, has guts and ability and capacity like he has, I think they're going to say, hey, like the one of them did say, we're not looking for a pastor in chief. We're looking for a commander in chief. And you can't find a better one, even though, like I say, I know them all and I like them all.
ROBERTS: Yes. I think it was Tagg Romney, his son, who said we're not looking for a pastor in chief. And he's going to be...
(CROSSTALK)
HATCH: It was Richard Lamb that I think who said that, who was the leader of the Baptists in this country in Washington, and who is a very tough, smart man. And I have to say, I've seen a lot of evangelicals who are willing to move towards Mitt, especially the younger ones.
The older ones, it's a little more difficult. They're more stayed in their prejudices, I have to say. And, of course, the big prejudices have come from the far left, from "Slate" magazine and from "The New Republic".
ROBERTS: Senator, we've got to run, but thanks very much for coming in. I trust you'll be watching the debate tonight, as well.
HATCH: I will. ROBERTS: All right.
Kiran.
CHETRY: Twenty-six past the hour now. Ali Velshi "Minding Your Business".
Hello.
ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: How are you?
Gas prices...
CHETRY: Yes, they're up again.
VELSHI: ... a new -- yes. The Department of Energy says $3.10 on average for a gallon of unleaded gasoline.
Now, I really -- I hate gas price averages, because they don't matter to you. The only price you pay is the one that you pay. But it gives you a sense of the trend, and the trend is up.
Now, the bigger survey, the AAA survey, that's what we're showing there, $3.09 is what it is up. A month ago, $2.85, a year ago $2.93.
In the West it was $3.38 in California. And in San Francisco, $3.53. Down in Houston you've got the best deal on gas, about $2.85 a gallon.
The Department of Energy says, by the way, don't fret too much about $4 a gallon gas. They say it's not getting there.
That said, I like the Department of Energy, they're not always very accurate with their numbers. They're saying -- a lot of people are talking about $4 gas, which is the natural outcome of talking about $3.50 gas.
There is a sense, by the way, that once you are above $3 for some length of time in the United States that behavior does change. That people then start to think about selling their gas-guzzling vehicles, buying more fuel-efficient vehicles and things like that. So, there is definitely a sense that if it stays this way, we might change our habits.
CHETRY: It's the only way to keep gas prices down, really.
VELSHI: Well, there are a lot of people who actually say that we shouldn't be having gas prices go down. And by the way, every time I say this on TV, I get e-mails and blog write-ups that I'm suggesting we should have gas prices. All I'm saying is a lot of people who say when your gas prices are above $3 a gallon, it's the one thing that motivates people to conserve, because we are not a conserving people when it comes to gas.
CHETRY: Good point. Also, the Gulf oil CEO that we talked to yesterday, a distributor, said that he believes we're going to see lower prices at Labor Day than we do at Memorial Day.
VELSHI: Typically, yes. Well, listen, whether it's lower prices at Labor Day, Labor Day tends to be the point after which you get...
(CROSSTALK)
CHETRY: Right. Well, he thinks maybe by summer we're going to see them go down because a bunch of these refineries that are out for repairs -- which I don't get why they're out for repairs when everyone is about to travel -- will be back up on line.
VELSHI: That is the biggest problem, because our refineries run at over 90 percent capacity right now. We haven't built any new ones, so there are a number of them. I think at last count last week there were 12 refineries out of commission for repairs, and that's what a lot of congressmen are calling on an investigation into, is why these things have to be -- they should be up and running more often, and they're not.
So that's true. If they fix a lot of the refineries and no more go down, and we don't have bad weather in the Gulf, we could see lower prices.
CHETRY: We're out of time.
Thanks, Ali.
Also, the top stories coming up our way next.
And millions of kids, they're on MySpace, they're on Facebook. But who else is on these social networking sites with them? The dangers from sexual predators and what many states want to do to target them.
Also, first lady Laura Bush talks about a subject that you might say is close to her heart. Also, the controversial medical treatment that she is getting behind. Her one-on-one with Dr. Sanjay Gupta coming up.
And many are smart, well educated, but they're still running into the glass ceiling when it comes to the working world. "Survivor" winner Yul Kwon continues our look at problems facing Asian-Americans.
The most news in the morning is here on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR, AMERICAN MORNING: Shot of the capitol building there on this beautiful, beautiful Tuesday, May 15th. Good morning to you, I'm John Roberts in Washington.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR, AMERICAN MORNING: And I'm Kiran Chetry here in New York. You're actually going to have to get out your shades today and maybe even a tank top, 86 degrees for a high in DC.
ROBERTS: My future is so bright, I have to wear shades. CHETRY: Some stories on our radar this morning. Eight states are taking aim at myspace.com. It's the social networking site. There are others like it, facebook, myspace being the most popular right now. They're concerned about sexual predators that actually target kids online and we're going to be talking with Connecticut's attorney general straight ahead on that.
ROBERTS: Also what is keeping Asian-Americans from breaking through a sort of glass ceiling that they experience in corporate America? "Survivor" winner Yul Kwon is back with us this morning for more on our series "Uncovering America." So make sure that you stay around for that.
World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz could learn as early as today if he's out of a job or not. He is due to appear today before the bank's 24-member board. The special panel found that Wolfowitz broke the rules by arranging a large pay package for his girlfriend and that there is a quote crisis in leadership at the World Bank. State Department correspondent Zain Verjee joins us now. Some pretty harsh words coming from that committee.
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, the report, John, was really scathing. They basically found that Wolfowitz violated staff rules by promoting and organized a pretty chunky pay raise for his girlfriend. They said look, this broke the code of ethics. This is a conflict of interest situation and the report also raised questions on Wolfowitz's own leadership capacity and can he really be effective? As you said, they called it on their website a crisis in leadership and can he provide it and that's what they're going to consider. Paul Wolfowitz, though is hanging on. He's going to be fighting for his job. He's under a lot of pressure to resign, but he's going to be appearing before the full World Bank committee, the World Bank board this afternoon to make his case.
ROBERTS: What is Wolfowitz expected to say in his own defense?
VERJEE: What he has been saying is basically he acted in good faith. He did nothing wrong. He acted properly. He said, look, when I got to the World Bank in 2005. I came to you and I said I want to recuse myself from this and Wolfowitz is saying that he followed the directions and the advice of the bank. His lawyer has said that Wolfowitz has basically been treated unfairly. He gave us a statement and said this, I'm very disappointed that the ad hoc committee that insisted on confidentiality went and put its report on the website before the full board had a chance to consider the report. He went on to say this is just one more example of unfair dealing and the unfair effort to get him to resign. Robert Bennett, his lawyer says that he hopes that the board this time around will be objective and give him a fair shake.
ROBERTS: But that whole thing really brings us to the point, is this really about the girlfriend or is this about Wolfowitz? He's never been tremendously popular at the World Bank and officials feel that President Bush did sort of one of these -- open mouth, insert Wolfowitz. VERJEE: Right, right, exactly. There is a huge amount of resentment for Paul Wolfowitz at the World Bank and his supporters say it is an opportunity just to get him. Look, they didn't like him when he came and many people just saw him as an architect of the Iraq war. Many people also say they don't like his management style. They don't like the fact, as you say, that the U.S., that President Bush chooses the head of the World Bank. They didn't like his anti-corruption policies. It's a lot of different things and it doesn't necessarily just come down to Shaha Riza (ph), his girlfriend. The president, the vice president is backing him and this will all really come down to whether the White House stays with him.
ROBERTS: Decision today?
VERJEE: Maybe. We don't know. He's going to be speaking and the board will consider a decision any time after that.
ROBERTS: We'll be watching that, Zain, thanks for that.
VERJEE: Thanks.
CHETRY: Your son or daughter may be one of millions of kids who use myspace.com every day. The Feds say sex offenders are also trolling the social networking site for their next victim. In fact, in January the families of five teenage girls who were sexually assaulted by people that they met through myspace sued the company that owns myspace, News Corp charging negligence and fraud. Myspace has teamed up with a company called Sentinel Tech to locate and boot registered sex offenders from the site. Attorney generals in eight states want that information and also want myspace to be doing more more quickly. Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal joins us right now. You call the site a virtual playground for sexual predators. Thanks for being with us.
RICHARD BLUMENTHAL, CONNECTICUT ATTY GEN: Thank you.
CHETRY: Myspace says that it is in the initial stages and we'll read what they're saying. They say we are in the initial stages of cross referencing our membership against Sentinel's registered sex offender database and removing any confirmed matches. That from the chief security officer of myspace. What do you think?
BLUMENTHAL: They should be moving much more quickly. In fact, we believe they've done a substantial amount of work and we have very credible and reliable information that they found thousands of convicted sex offenders with profiles on myspace. We're demanding the numbers, the names, their addresses and what is being done to remove those convicted sex offenders from this site because, convicted sex offenders should have no place on myspace.
CHETRY: No, absolutely and on other sites like it, facebook, as well as others. But myspace says they're doing that right now. What do you think they should be doing more of?
BLUMENTHAL: They should be done by now. If this problem is as urgent as they've said and we believe strongly they should be done with that crosschecking by Sentinel Tech or anyone else that has this kind of information. The crosschecking is for the sexual predators who are convicted and using their real names, who may be just the tip of the iceberg because there may be all kinds of predators who have never been convicted or are using aliases. So, this problem is much bigger and broader than myspace apparently is willing to admit.
CHETRY: So how will you use that information if and when it's given to you and the other state's attorney general that are asking for it?
BLUMENTHAL: We want that information so law enforcement can use it to check whether these convicted sex offenders are violating their parole or probation terms, whether they pose a danger to young people who may be on the site. This mounting evidence certainly is even stronger support for more effective age verification, which we've demanded myspace do. We've repeatedly demanded that they raise the age threshold. We have a group of 50 states, all 50 states who are behind these kinds of reforms and the executive committee wrote yesterday to myspace demanding this information.
CHETRY: Let me ask you this, because you have been putting a lot of pressure on myspace which is a private company and they are supposed to do the right thing, but meantime the Federal government doesn't even have a database of all the different states registered sex offenders, convicted registered sex offenders to even work from. What is going on with that?
BLUMENTHAL: There's no question that the Federal government can do a better job and I strongly support the legislation, the proposed legislation that would require e-mail addresses, but also we need to do better age verification because a 12 or 13-year-old posing as a teenager or a 35-year-old man posing an 18-year-old is a recipe for tragedy.
CHETRY: It's not going away. These sites are the most popular way that people are communicating now. It's not just myspace, but many others. We're talking millions of kids.
BLUMENTHAL: We're talking millions of profiles, more than 160 million on myspace alone, but you're absolutely right, friendster, facebook, zenda (ph), the social networking phenomenon is one that we really need to examine to preserve the safety of our children and that's our basic objective as law enforcement authorities, as attorneys general, all 50 of us.
CHETRY: Richard Blumenthal, thanks so much for joining us today.
BLUMENTHAL: Thank you.
CHETRY: Coming up next, a heart to heart with the first lady, Laura Bush. We're going to get more on the controversial medical treatment she's getting behind when she goes one-on-one with Dr. Sanjay Gupta coming up on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) ROBERTS: Forty three minutes after the hour. First Lady Laura Bush is speaking out on some issues close to her heart. She sat down with our own Dr. Sanjay Gupta to talk about women's health and the first family's own health habits. Sanjay joins us from Atlanta now with more on his exclusive White House interview and when it comes to heart health, Sanjay, the first lady really committed to this project, isn't she?
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: She really is. This is probably one of her biggest initiatives as first lady. How often do you get to make a house call to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue? She had me over there basically to talk about some of these issues. We toured around a hospital first, GW hospital. She met with heart patients. She met with doctors trying to remind people and remind people that heart disease is the biggest killer of women. A lot of people don't know that. I was sort of struck that a lot of people don't know that. A lot of doctors even still need to be reminded of that, as well. She has this red dress campaign, John. You may have seen this, people wear the red dress lapel. She's a part of that and it seems to be working. The numbers have really improved in terms of how many people actually associate heart disease with women now. It's over 50 percent. It was only around 30 percent just a few years ago.
We also talked about a lot of things. We talked about her own personal workout habits and the president's, as well. Here's what she said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FIRST LADY LAURA BUSH: I'm not near as disciplined as the president is about working out, but I do feel a lot better if I work out and I love to go for walks and I want to encourage people to go for walks. It's a really easy and inexpensive way to get exercise and plus I think it just makes you feel better, not only physically, but I think it makes you feel better mentally, to get outside and go for walks.
GUPTA: How about the president? We know that he used to run a lot and then he had troubles with his knee. How is he keeping his health?
BUSH: He works out literally every day. He's a very good, natural athlete, but it's also really important when you're under a lot of stress to exercise. I think it's a good thing for mental health, really, it makes you feel better and it keeps you from being the -- it varies stress. I think it's a great stress reliever to work out.
GUPTA: They say 30 to 60 minutes a day. Are you both able to keep that up?
BUSH: I don't work out 60 minutes every day, but I do work out for sure 60 minutes three days a week and then try to walk for at least 30 minutes a few other days a week, but not every day.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GUPTA: She was also surprisingly candid, John, about a dirty habit quite frankly, smoking and how hard it is to quit.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GUPTA: Were you a smoker at one time?
BUSH: That's right. I used to smoke.
GUPTA: Do you smoke any more?
BUSH: No. I don't smoke.
GUPTA: How did you quit?
BUSH: It was very hard to quit. Smoking is very difficult to quit and I want to encourage people to not pick it up. It's very difficult to quit and one of the good ways I think, one of the easier ways to quit is the way the president did when he smoked, which is when he was back in graduate school and that was he took up running. And I think once you get up and exercise, smoking becomes counterproductive and that it's easier to quit.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GUPTA: There was some news yesterday, John, as you may know. The number of women getting mammograms actually decreased and Mrs. Bush particularly interested in this as both her mother and her grandmother survivors of breast cancer. She says she gets all the screening tests herself, actually visits clinics around the country to get those things done. She's 61 years old. She's going to turn 62 in November. She looked pretty good John.
ROBERTS: She looks better than ever, I think, Sanjay. Whatever exercise she's doing there, she always looks really, really well- groomed and put together, just terrific first lady. All right, thanks very much, Sanjay. Appreciate it.
GUPTA: Thank you.
ROBERTS: You can see more of Sanjay's interview with First Lady Laura Bush plus Bono and Bill Clinton on a special edition of "House Call" this Saturday and Sunday at 8:30 a.m. Eastern right here on CNN.
Coming up, we've heard about the glass ceiling for women in business, but Asian-Americans say they're smacking up against it, as well. Stay with us on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Welcome back. All this week CNN is uncovering America, a new look at Asian-American faces, people and stories. Yul Kwon who won last season's "Survivor" is helping us report on some important challenges that Asian-Americans, in particular, face. This morning it is about the corporate glass ceiling. Let's take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I would definitely be in a higher level management position.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I would like to be a judge.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I want to have my own real estate investment firm.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I would eventually like to be a partner in a consultant firm.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I definitely see myself being like a CEO as well or being part of a "Fortune" 500 company.
YUL KWON: Ambitious goals. These UCLA students have already succeeded academically, but will they professionally? As a whole, Asian Americans are highly educated with 50 percent of adults holding college degrees. But when it comes to senior executive positions in corporate America, they hold less than 1 percent. So, why do Asian Americans have such a hard time breaking through the glass ceiling?
GORDON LIAO, "THE ASIAN AMERICAN EXECUTIVE": What we found, basically was that there was somewhat of a conflict between quote/unquote Asian value and success in corporate America.
KWON: Gordon Liao and Philip Sang (ph), both graduates of the Harvard business school did a study showing that in addition to stereotypes about Asian-Americans and subtle forms of racism, a cultural divide also existed.
LIAO: In ancient China, you succeeded and did well, the bosses came to you for promotions. In America you do a good job, you succeed, you need to go approach your bosses about getting promoted.
KWON: But that necessary strategy to challenge authority, self- promote and take risks, is something that clashes with Asian values and holds this population back according to Jane Hyun, a former HR executive and author of the book, "Breaking the Bamboo Ceiling."
JANE HYUN, "BREAKING THE BAMBOO CEILING": If you quack too loud or if you're too different or too unique, you're going to get shot down. Whereas a lot of times here in America we talk a lot about, if you want to change something, if you want to add value, the squeaky wheel gets the grease.
KWON: But a few successful Asian-American executives have been able to break through by adapting their behavior.
MEENA MANSHARAMANI, SR VP, PEPSI-COLA NORTH AMERICA: I think there is something about not being afraid to speak my mind and not being afraid to challenge authority or the status quo and I think that's something that's helped me. I don't think it's really held other people back, necessarily, if they don't have that. But people need to garner their own styles.
KWON: And that approach has also worked for David Eun, a VP at Google. What did you do right as opposed to other Asian Americans that you saw (INAUDIBLE)? DAVID EUN, GOOGLE VP: I don't consider myself, maybe this is my -- I don't know that I've succeeded in any particular way. I am pleased with what I do. I enjoy what I do. One really has to think about pushing and reaching outside of your own bubble. It's not about losing your Asian values. It is about taking the Asian values and applying it to learn new skills that will hopefully succeed in the organization that you're in.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHETRY: Yul joins us right now and you talk about the cultural factors that also come into play when you're raised in a different culture, they don't always apply to your new country.
KWON: For me, the most dramatic example where there was a mismatch between my cultural background and my environment happened when I was at officer candidate school for the Marine Corps. I was the only Asian American in my platoon and I got punished every day for lacking discipline, which I didn't understand because I've always been a hard worker. And one day I was standing sentry duty and the major of the whole school comes by and I totally freaked out and instead of saluting him like I was supposed to I bowed. So the major looks at me goes, candidate, did you just bow to me, I said, yes, sir. He asked why and I couldn't explain it. And later on I thought about it, I realized that I resorted to behaviors that I'd been taught ever since I was a child and unfortunately, those behaviors didn't match the model of success in the Marine Corps. In the Marine Corps, you're supposed to stand up straight, stick your chest out, look straight ahead and shout at the top of your lungs. I was raised as a Korean in a very traditional Asian household and I was always taught that in front of a social superior, you take a very submissive posture. You look at the floor and you never raise your tone of voice.
CHETRY: Exactly.
KWON: That would be misinterpreted as lacking discipline.
CHETRY: So do you think you have to change to get ahead?
KWON: I think you have to learn new skills and learn to modify your behavior to adapt to your environment, but I don't think being successful means selling out. It doesn't mean that you have to give up your Asian identity. It's just a matter of finding your own leadership voice.
CHETRY: Very interesting and we're going to see you back here tomorrow. What are you talking about?
KWON: We'll be talking about affirmative action, hot-button issue.
CHETRY: Sounds good, it sure is. Yul Kwon, thanks so much. You can also see more of his interviews on cnn.com/americanmorning. John.
ROBERTS: Quick, which U.S. city has the worst road rage? The results of a new survey are out and we've got the answer coming up for you next.
And there's nothing ugly about it. What this television star's smile is worth. We'll tell you, coming up ahead. You're watching AMERICAN MORNING. The most news in the morning is on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: It's just before the top of the hour, some quick hits for you. Which city has the worst drivers? Well, the answer is Miami, that city earning the title of worst road rage for the second year in a row. According to a study conducted by auto van engine, an auto club based in Connecticut, drivers in Miami run red lights. They're more likely to tailgate and to yak on their cell phone. There's a look at the rest. New York, wow, I'm surprised that one. Miami must be so bad if New York is number two, Boston, LA and then, of course, DC, mostly because John Roberts live there.
ROBERTS: I use today live in Miami though, so what does that say?
CHETRY: It's following you.
ROBERTS: Sylvester Stallone he's pled guilty to importing a controlled substance into another country. What's the substance you ask. The 60-year old "Rocky" star was caught with 48 vials of human growth hormone on a trip to Australia back in February. Human growth hormone is used to build muscle mass and try to keep you young. It can't be imported into Australia without a permit. Stallone wasn't present in court himself. He faces a maximum fine of $22,000 for that.
CHETRY: It was Rocky's nemesis that was the one getting injected in "Rocky III" right, Dolph Lundgren?
ROBERTS: Now it's actually Stallone.
CHETRY: And Rock did the old-fashioned way by pulling trucks behind him.
"Ugly Betty" star America Ferrera, (ph), a $10 million smile now John. Lloyds of London insuring Ferrera's smile with a policy that was taken out Aqua Fresh whitening trays. They're working with Ferrera as part of a promotion to raise money for U.S. charity smiles for success. Ferrera plays a dorky assistant, Betty, on the show. She wears braces on the show. The interesting part was Lloyds of London said they have years of experience with this kind of thing. Rolling Stone guitarist Keith Richard's fingers they insured as well as Marlene Dietrich's legs.
ROBERTS: Well, now a smile. And that one is not worth $10 million I don't care.
The next hour of AMERICAN MORNING starts right now.
CHETRY: On the move. High wind breath new life into wildfires.
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