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American Morning
Tuberculosis Scare: Risk of Exposure; GOP Star: Is it Now Candidate Thompson?; Rooming With Paris
Aired May 31, 2007 - 07:59 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: And welcome back. It's Thursday, May 31st.
I'm Kiran Chetry.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm John Roberts.
Good morning to you.
Good to see you again.
Stories "On Our Radar" this morning.
Fred Thompson quitting his job as an actor on "Law & Order," expected to get into the presidential race some time at the beginning of July. How much will he shake things up in the race?
Wolf Blitzer will join us live, and we'll also ask Wolf whether or not Fred could appear in our CNN debate next Tuesday.
CHETRY: Yes. It would be interesting. Eleven. You'd have to bring up another bench or podium. A crowded field.
ROBERTS: And a lot more questions, and maybe another 10 minutes of time as well.
CHETRY: You're right.
Well, Paris Hilton's problems are growing, you know, exponentially. The poor thing is headed to jail.
She is apparently doing a lot of crying these days. And actually, one Web site, TMZ.com, is saying that they've already found out who her cell mate is going to be, which I thought she was going to be in a private area with no cell mate. But apparently this is another young lady who is doing some time for reckless driving.
ROBERTS: Interesting.
Hey, a man who is infected with a potentially deadly form of tuberculosis is expected to be transferred from Atlanta's Grady Memorial Hospital to a hospital in Denver that specializes in respiratory diseases. And now the CDC is recommending that all passengers who flew on transatlantic flights with this fellow be tested for tuberculosis.
Earlier, I spoke with a passenger who has already been tested.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BETH HAWKINS, FLEW WITH INFECTED MAN: I went to my health department yesterday morning and I had a skin test done. And I've got to go back Friday morning to have that looked at. But, even still, they are recommending that all the passengers go back eight weeks later to get retested, because if by chance we did get infected, it's possible that it could show up negative tomorrow because the incubation period is so long. So we're still going to have to get re- tested after this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: So, how great is the risk for these passengers?
To answer that question, we bring in Dr. Sanjay Gupta.
And Sanjay, a little bit of confusion this morning as to how many people should be tested. You talked to the CDC. Do they say people just people in those rows in front and behind this fellow, or everybody on both planes?
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it is a little confusing, John. And I did talk to people at the CDC just a couple of minutes ago.
What was previously recommended was that people within the first couple of rows get tested, and everyone else on the plane would be offered testing. That was how they put it to us. And then there's an advisory that came out just yesterday that specifically said this: "The CDC recommends that all U.S. citizens and residents aboard those two flights seek testing and evaluation."
So, a little bit stronger language now. They are recommending everyone on the plane get tested, as before they were just saying they were going to offer it to people who were concerned, unless they were sitting in those two rows.
It's confusing, John. And I asked the CDC spokesperson about that specifically, and they said, well, we don't think this reflects much of a change, but we think everyone, because of an abundance of caution, should probably now be tested on both these flights.
You know, it's funny. When they first said, look, if you're concerned about it, you should get tested -- and I was thinking to myself even then -- I think you and I talked about it -- who wouldn't be concerned? I think everyone would be concerned. But now they come out a little bit stronger and saying, OK, now we're recommending everyone sitting on the flight, no matter if you were 15 or 20 rows away, or if you were two rows away, should still get tested.
ROBERTS: Yes. I wonder how much of that, too, Sanjay, is it might be difficult to identify people who were two rows in front and two rows behind, the same row, so they just said everybody on the same plane. GUPTA: Yes. And I think, you know, we also are dealing with a different world here. You have people who may be immunocompromised, they may be on medications that can suppress their immune system, or they may have a virus, or small children, for example, are more at risk. It gets confusing to try and delineate specifically who's at the highest risk.
Having said that, John -- and you and I have talked about this for a couple of days now -- the risk is probably very, very, very small. But it is the abundance of caution to try and find this early if someone, in fact, did get infected.
ROBERTS: Right. We should also mention that we are flashing at the bottom of the screen there the number that you can call if you are concerned about this and need more information. It's 800-CDC-INFO -- 800-CDC-INFO.
We mentioned just at the very beginning here, Sanjay, that this fellow will be going to a specialty hospital in Denver. Any idea how soon he'll be heading out there? And what treatment might he be experiencing once he gets there?
GUPTA: We're hearing it could be today. You know, in fact, there's an airport, a private airport, not too far from here where he would be flown by a private jet. Obviously don't want to fly commercial again.
And it could be as early as today. People are monitoring that now.
It's interesting. At this particular hospital, they don't have a great experience with taking care of XDR-TB. Really, no one in this country does.
But what they're going to do is try and test different antibiotics to try and figure out if one of these actually works. There's also a hospital in this area, John, that might perform an operation to try and remove the sort of focus of infection in his lung. And that might be a way to treat him as well.
This process could take a long time. This man may be in the hospital for months, literally getting treated and recovering from all this.
ROBERTS: By the way, we're going to be talking with an official from the National Jewish Medical Center there in Denver coming up in our next half hour.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta, thanks very much.
GUPTA: Thanks, John.
ROBERTS: You know, a lot of you have written in to Sanjay's mailbag about tuberculosis. He's going to be coming back, by the way, in our next half hour to answer those questions for you. And the TB scare is sparking serious security concerns and questions in Congress. Lawmakers want to know how an infected man on a government watch list managed to sneak back in across the border with Canada. The House Homeland security Committee plans a hearing next Wednesday.
CHETRY: Well, the man the British government calls a spy killer is lashing out at his accusers this morning. Andrei Lugovoi held a press conference in Moscow just a couple of hours ago. He says it was British intelligence that poisoned former Russian agent Alexander Litvinenko with radioactive material in London last November.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDREI LUGOVI, FMR. RUSSIAN SPY (through translator): You do not have to be a law expert to understand that to carry out such crimes you must have a motive. Alexander was not my enemy. There was no love loss between us, what kind of books he wrote. I have been in business and I was not interested in such activity.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: The British government says that Lugovoi's killer -- that he, Lugovoi, is the killer, and they want him extradited. So far, the Russians have refused. Also claims that Litvinenko was working for British intelligence at the time of his death, and that MI-6 even tried to recruit him.
ROBERTS: The Taliban is claiming responsibility this morning for the downing of a helicopter in Afghanistan that killed five American soldiers. Two NATO passengers on board also died.
But the trouble didn't end there. In a scene that we have seen so many times in Iraq, here in Afghanistan the rescue team responding to that crash was ambushed and was forced to call in an air strike. The helicopter was a large Chinook used mainly for transporting troops.
CHETRY: Well, to the White House now, where President Bush will meet with Iraq's president, Jalal Talabani, a bit later today. Both leaders are expected to discuss the troop buildup in Iraq and the recent escalation in violence there. Mr. Talabani is on a three-week trip to the U.S. It also included a stop for treatment at the Mayo Clinic.
All of the extra combat troops ordered into Iraq by President Bush are now in place today. The president sees U.S. forces staying in Iraq for a long time. White House spokesman Tony Snow says the U.S. role in South Korea could be a model for Iraq.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TONY SNOW, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: You have the United States there in what has been described as an over-the-horizon support role, so that if you need the ability to react quickly to major challenges or crises, you can be. But the Iraqis are conducting the lion's share of the business, as we have in South Korea, where for many year there have been American forces stationed there as a way of maintaining stability and assurance on the part of the South Korean people against a North Korean neighbor that is a menace.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: American troops have been stationed in South Korea for more than 50 years. Snow said he didn't know if that would be case with Iraq.
And the Pentagon struggling to get better protection to the troops in Iraq. They want to replace the Humvees with this new vehicle, the MRAP. It stands for mind-resistant ambush-protected. Already, though, it's outdated because it can't stop the new penetrating bombs that some of the insurgents are using. The military is shelling out $25 billion for MRAPs, and now they'll need to have their armor beefed up.
ROBERTS: Tragedy in the wild topping your "Quick Hits" now.
The first panda released into the wild after being raised in captivity was found dead in a forest in southwest China. Officials think that he fell from a tree while being chased by other pandas. He survived less than a year in the wild.
They caught a lizard, but did they catch the lizard? Private trappers captured this lizard thinking that they had nabbed the 80- pound Monitor lizard that's been terrifying a neighborhood near Orlando, Florida. It seems though they got the wrong one. This is the big guy that police had been looking for. Officers shot it twice last week, but he still managed to slink away.
Setting the stage for the biggest political audition of his life. A closer look at Fred Thompson's possible shot at the presidency. We will talk with CNN's Wolf Blitzer coming up next.
You're watching AMERICAN MORNING. The most news in the morning is on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: High and dry and praying for rain. Some "Quick Hits" for you now.
In south Florida this morning, drought has Lake Okeechobee at its lowest level in six years. And it's a big problem, because this lake is a backup reservoir for five million residents. It's also the lifeblood of the Everglades.
And Tropical Storm Barbara now gaining steam, expected to head toward Acapulco in the next few days. The National Hurricane Center is warning folks living along the western coast of Mexico, as well as Guatemala, keep an eye out and be aware of this approaching storm.
Right now we're going to check in with Chad Myers. He has more.
(WEATHER REPORT)
ROBERTS: Fred Thompson, the actor and former Republican senator, is quitting his role on television's "Law & Order," setting the stage for possible entry into the GOP presidential race. Will this affect the other GOP hopefuls, or do they have too much of a head start on him?
Joining us now from Washington is the anchor of CNN's "THE SITUATION ROOM," a good friend of mine, and part of the best political team on television, Wolf Blitzer.
Hey, Wolf.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Hey. Good morning, John.
ROBERTS: So what about this? Is he too late to the game, or did the game start early enough that he's perhaps hitting it in a sweet spot?
BLITZER: He's in -- he's got excellent opportunities right now. It's a little late, but it's never too late when you are Fred Thompson and you have that actor's ability to communicate.
He has proven that on the campaign trail down, certainly down in Tennessee. And he is well known to a lot of people.
He evokes Ronald Reagan to many baseline conservatives. A nice guy, folksy charm. He's a big guy, he's about 6'6". So, I think it's not too late for him to be a top-tier Republican candidate.
ROBERTS: You know, the one thing that he has got going for him right out of the box is the fact that he looks so presidential, and has played the president in some films and television shows. Also played high-ranking administration officials. So, people sort of see him in that role.
Who does he hurt, Wolf, when he comes in? And just before we get you to answer that, let's take a quick look at what the polls show. This is national polls, by the way. They could vary state to state.
We typically have Giuliani out in front, 25 percent; McCain, 23. Look at the -- Thompson jumps in on top of Romney. But who would he really hurt here in some of these various state race? Because those are the polls that are really the important ones.
BLITZER: I think he hurts all of the front-runners on the Republican side. I think he hurts Giuliani, he hurts McCain. Certainly hurts Mitt Romney, because he will take away support from them.
There were a lot of Republicans, especially conservatives, who weren't very happy. They didn't necessarily like McCain because of his cooperation with Senator Kennedy, whether on immigration reform, or Senator Feingold on campaign finance reform. I think, you know, there wasn't a great satisfaction necessarily among all these conservatives with McCain. And Giuliani brings a lot of liberal positions on some of the social issues, like abortion and gay rights. And Mitt Romney certainly flip-flopped, as they say, on some of the issues. So there's been some concern.
I think Fred Thompson will galvanize a lot of those who weren't necessarily thrilled by the top-tier Republicans to begin with.
ROBERTS: What are his biggest weaknesses, Wolf? He does obviously come into this race with a tremendous number of strengths, but what is he weak on?
BLITZER: Well, it's a little bit late to raise money, but I think he's going to overcome that challenge.
On the McCain-Feingold, on the campaign finance reform, he was a strong ally of John McCain. And that rankles many conservatives on that specific issue.
In fact, even though on many conservative issues he's very, very conservative, he's got a perfect record, he was perceived as someone who was moderate in his years in the Senate, and someone who liked to work with Democrats. I don't know if that's going to necessarily upset some of the base, or whatever. But I do think he will have an appeal to Independents and more moderate voters out there, largely because, you know, he has got that charm, that charm that came from being scene on "Law & Order". And you can't overestimate how significant that is.
Remember, Ronald Reagan was an actor. This guy is an actor. And that's going to help him, because that emotional tie to Ronald Reagan is going to be a powerful influence among Republicans.
ROBERTS: Yes. And he likes to portray himself, too, as a man of the people. During his Senate campaign, he drove around Tennessee wearing a plaid shirt and in a red pickup truck.
BLITZER: Right.
ROBERTS: So people like that connection.
Any chance -- and we should mention that you're going to be moderating the two debates Sunday night with the Democrats, Tuesday with the Republicans.
Any chance that Thompson might join us for the Republican debate?
BLITZER: My suspicion is he won't because it's very, very early. Although, in politics you never know. He will be invited if he decides to run.
He certainly will be invited. But my suspicion is he probably won't. I'm sure many of his advisers who are already gathering, some of them will be cautious, saying, you know what? Take a break. You don't have to jump in right this quickly. So, we would love to have him if he's going to be a candidate. There's going to be 10 Republicans, and there will be 11 if he jumps in, because in the polls, he's coming in three in a lot of those polls.
ROBERTS: Sure.
BLITZER: As you showed.
ROBERTS: Hey, you've got 10, what's 11?
Wolf Blitzer, thanks very much. Appreciate you coming in.
BLITZER: Thank you.
ROBERTS: And of course you can catch Wolf on "THE SITUATION ROOM" weekdays at 4:00 until 6:00 p.m., and then again at 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN.
And another reminder. Two big debates heading your way here on CNN. The Democratic presidential candidates square off Sunday, June 3rd. The Republicans go at it two days later, on Tuesday, June the 5th.
CHETRY: Well, how about a 51st state for America? Some "Quick Hits" now, starting on Capitol Hill.
The House expects to vote on a bill next month that would pave the way for a historic couple of votes in Puerto Rico. Residents could eventually decide whether to stay an American territory or become a full U.S. state.
Also, the daughter of Supreme Court justice Antonin Scalia pleading guilty to drunken driving. Ann Banaszewski, faces 18 months of court supervision, as well as community service and counseling. She was arrested in February near her Chicago home. Her three children were in the car when she was stopped.
Paris Hilton getting a new partner in crime -- well, hopefully they're not going to be committing any crimes. It's a cell mate. She's been picked and she is waiting for Paris to arrive.
We're going to tell you about her coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Twenty-one minutes now after the hour.
A sad farewell topping our "Quick Hits".
A rare northern white rhino named Nadi (ph) has died at the San Diego Zoo. She came to the U.S. from Africa way back in 1972. No cause of death was given, but the zoo says that she was showing signs of old age.
The species is critically endangered. There may be only 13 white rhinos left worldwide.
And tracking the rare one-horned rhino in Nepal. Wildlife officials say the endangered species has fallen by half in one reserve. They are being targeted by poachers for their horns. In China, rhino horn is valued as an aphrodisiac. They grind it up, they brew it in tea. And in Arab countries they use them to make dagger handles, fetching as much as $14,000 per horn on the international black market.
And cats in a flap in Australia. Researchers say these colorful $9 bibs make it difficult for felines to hunt.
Four out of five cats were prevented from killing birds and other animals. Scientists don't know if the bibs stop the cats from pouncing or if the bright color warned off wildlife. They also don't say how the one cat that managed to be able to hunt managed to do it with the bib.
CHETRY: That's ridiculous. That's what the bells are for. The birds can hear them coming. Now they just look...
ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A silly looking cat.
CHETRY: They look silly and they can't walk. The poor things.
Well, it's no Hilton hotel, that's for sure. Paris Hilton is getting ready for her final weekend of freedom before she heads to the slammer on Tuesday.
AMERICAN MORNING'S Lola Ogunnaike is here, and we are finding out little tidbits about who Paris' cell mate is going to be.
This is fascinating.
LOLA OGUNNAIKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, we don't know much about her yet, but we do know that she is in jail for reckless driving. So they will have something in common.
CHETRY: Yes, and they can talk about their life behind the wheel.
OGUNNAIKE: Exactly. Their "Fast Times at Ridgemont High".
And we also know that the prison officials were looking for someone that they hoped would not try and cash in on Paris' fame. So, they were looking for an idiot, because who wouldn't want to do that? Right?
CHETRY: Right. Because, I mean, the second -- this girl, if she is only in for reckless driving, she's going to get out and she's going to of course give...
OGUNNAIKE: Absolutely. Tell all.
CHETRY: They're going to be offering her a lot of money. Let's put it that way. OGUNNAIKE: OK. Well, yes. I'll be reading that tell-all, "My Life With Paris".
CHETRY: And the other question is, how do they prevent -- I mean, a lot of this stuff is caught on cell phone cameras and things like that. They are trying to make sure there are no pictures of Paris in jail.
OGUNNAIKE: Absolutely. They're sweeping the entire prison and they're also talking to the officials that work there and they're saying, look, if anything leaks, you will be reprimanded.
CHETRY: Yes.
OGUNNAIKE: They're taking this very seriously. They don't want anything leaking to the tabs or leaking to someone like me. They are making sure that no cell phones, no recording devices, nothing of that nature.
CHETRY: So, all that does is just ratchet everything up for when she actually heads to jail, because people are going to want to get pictures.
How is that going to be?
OGUNNAIKE: It's going to be a three-ring circus. People will come out in droves, as is the case. But with Paris, you k now, she attracts all this attention, fame, hotness, money.
It's the perfect storm. And her fans are going to want to show up as well. And people are going to be examining what she's wearing, is she crying, her hair, her makeup. Is Tinkerbell going to be with her? The whole thing.
CHETRY: So, what are they going to do? Are they going to try to do it in the dark of night, sneak her in a different way, or...
OGUNNAIKE: You know, I have no idea. But I do think that once she gets there, they will actually treat her well.
I think people are really worried that she might get shanked or be turned into someone's girlfriend. An episode of "Oz".
CHETRY: Yes, we all stay up at night worrying about that. No, but they are making special accommodations for Paris.
OGUNNAIKE: Absolutely. And you know, when Lil' Kim went into jail, they threw a party for her her first night. I interviewed her, and she told me that they made her a cake.
CHETRY: What, her cell mates did?
OGUNNAIKE: Yes, her cell mates did, absolutely. And they made her a cake out of trail mix and popcorn. They had a big old slumber party essentially for her.
CHETRY: She probably had a little more cred going into jail, though, than poor Paris.
OGUNNAIKE: Martha did all right.
CHETRY: She sure did.
OGUNNAIKE: Martha got a poncho out of the equation. But Martha is hard core. We know that.
CHETRY: Right. And you know what else Martha did that was crazy, is she broke all the rules by going out there and picking apples off the trees, crab apples.
OGUNNAIKE: Making gourmet dishes in jail. She couldn't shut it off, not even in prison. So, yes, I think Paris -- I think she'll fare well. I absolutely do.
I think she should just lay low, make friends with the bigger girls.
CHETRY: That's right.
OGUNNAIKE: Trade her extensions in for something else.
CHETRY: Well, we are out of time, Lola, but thanks so much for telling us about that.
We're going to head over to John with some breaking news.
OGUNNAIKE: Thank you.
ROBERTS: Thanks very much, Kiran.
We just learned that as of 8:00 this morning -- here's some breaking news -- that the patient who is at the center of this tuberculosis scare, he is no longer at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, where he's been for the past couple of days.
The Centers for Disease Control said that he was going to be moved to the National Jewish Medical Center in Denver, where they specialized in treating pulmonary diseases, tuberculosis among them. That he would be flown by private jet that the CDC is providing out there to Denver.
So, we can only assume that he's either on his way to the airport or he's already there aboard that plane heading for Denver. But the man at the center of the TB scare no longer at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia.
Twenty-six minutes after the hour. Ali Velshi here "Minding Your Business".
And this is something that's totally foreign to me. When I take digital pictures, I upload them on to my computer, and that's as far as they go.
ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right. And they don't really go anywhere. And you're a step ahead of me.
(CROSSTALK)
VELSHI: And they sit on my camera. But News Corporation, a parent of FOX and MySpace, has now purchased Photobucket. You may not have heard about Photobucket. It is the number one photo-sharing site out there.
Now, why are these companies buying things like Photobucket? The idea is that it's a good place for you to upload your pictures, store them.
You store them on a computer. The idea here is you store them on a central site, whether you use Photobucket or Flickr or EasyShare Gallery or Picassa. You store them in a central place, you can share them with other people. And you can have them printed.
Now, if you want to know what's behind all this, take a look at the companies that own some of the biggest names in photo sharing. Photobucket now owned by News Corporation. Flickr has joined with Yahoo Photos. It's owned by Yahoo!.
EasyShare is owned by Kodak, which hopes you use their cameras to take the picture. Picassa is owned by Google. And Snapfish is owned by HP, which hopes you use their printers. The only independent here is Shutterfly.
If you are just printing pictures, it's all the same. You can take it to Costco or Wal-Mart, or you can use these services.
You just download -- you upload to that site, they'll mail you the pictures. That's not bad. It's under 20 cents.
The issue here is if you want to share your pictures or you want to upload them to one of these social networking sites. So now it makes sense.
(CROSSTALK)
ROBERTS: Something like that.
VELSHI: Right. So you use Shutterfly to, you know, put your pictures into it, then you upload it to MySpace easily. That's the trend.
We haven't heard much about it, but 40 million people on Photobucket, apparently people are using the system.
ROBERTS: Well, I'm looking forward to seeing your pictures.
VELSHI: We can swap pictures.
ROBERTS: All right. Thanks, Ali.
We have just learned that the man infected with drug-resistant tuberculosis has left the hospital in Atlanta, heading for Denver and a specialized treatment care center there. We're going to ask one of that hospital's doctors about his upcoming treatment.
You are watching AMERICAN MORNING. The most news in the morning is on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Thursday, May 31st. Good morning. Welcome back. I'm John Roberts.
CHETRY: I'm Kiran Chetry.
We're just looking over some of this breaking news that just came in right now, including word just a couple of moments ago that the Georgia man who was infected -- or still is infected -- with the drug-resistant TB has now left Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta and is expected to be headed to the National Jewish Medical and Research Center in Denver. That hospital is known for treating this rare and potentially deadly strain of tuberculosis.
Dr. Charles Daley specializes in drug-resistant tuberculosis at the Denver Center and he joins us this morning.
Thank you very much for being with us.
DR. CHARLES DALEY, NAT'L. JEWISH MEDICAL & RESEARCH CNTR.: Thanks for having me.
CHETRY: We understand that because of privacy issues you can't comment on this case specifically, but explain how your center is equipped to deal with these types of diseases.
DALEY: National Jewish has been treating drug-resistant TB for, actually, decades. Although we do not have a lot of experience with XDR-TB, we have seen some of these patients. Our approach whether it's XDR, or other forms of drug-resistant disease will be the same. We are going to start this patient on a variety of oral and some intravenous medications, as we do all of our patients.
(CROSS TALK)
What we need to figure out is which ones.
CHETRY: Right. It is a -- you know, almost like a chess game trying to figure out which ones respond and in what types of combinations. Walk us through when he first arrives there, how do you treat them when they first come, especially given the fact it's highly contagious?
DALEY: Our unit is set up to take care of patients with contagious infections. Our staff has been doing this for a very long time. When they first get there, we put all patients into a room that's called a negative pressure room. Which means the air flows from the hall into the room. So if someone is coughing in their rooms, it doesn't get out into the hall and infect others. So, that's a type of isolation or quarantine. We will do some diagnostic testing and then we'll start introducing the medications. CHETRY: The interesting thing about this is how do you know whether or not the medications are working, given this is a patient, at least this particular man, who says he doesn't have any symptoms. He feels fine. Is he not coughing, as he puts it, or anything?
DALEY: Well, we're told he is growing the organism. So we'll try to continue to check his specimens to see when we can eradicate the organisms; so that we can't culture any more.
CHETRY: So he has to continue to go through a series of tests to make sure it's knocked out, even though he is not necessarily feeling ill.
DALEY: Exactly.
(CROSS TALK)
CHETRY: Oh, go ahead.
DALEY: We also look at radiographic changes so we will look at chest X-rays to see if these abnormalities are going away.
CHETRY: What about his long-term prognosis? Are you ever over this and can lead a normal life?
DALEY: With drug-resistant tuberculosis it's quite a challenge to treat this. I think you probably have heard in reports that the cure rate that's been reported at other places is very low. It's about 30 percent for XDR-TB.
This is a different patient, though. We are told this is early in the course. Most of the time we get patients it's extensive and very far advanced. So I think we're more optimistic than what we have been hearing in reports; that we will be able to control this infection. We are aiming for cure. We know it's an uphill battle. But we hope to get there.
CHETRY: Yes, it sure is. You know, we're getting word that he's left the Atlanta Grady Hospital, just a few moments ago. Do you have any confirmation about whether he's headed to your place now?
DALEY: We have been waiting every day. So we hear every day that he's -- he may be coming. It sounds like now -- he is coming, based on that report.
CHETRY: Yes. We didn't get any confirmation from Grady as to where he is going. All they are confirming, at this point, is that he did leave, probably headed to your place. Dr. Charles Daley of the National Jewish Medical & Research Center, a place offering cutting- edge treatment for patients with TV, thank you.
DALEY: You're welcome.
ROBERTS: It's 34 minutes now after the hour. Some quick hits for you.
New Jersey is starting an agency to fight fat. It has set up the office of nutrition and fitness. New Jersey leads the nation in overweight and obese children; 17.7 percent according to a recent CDC survey.
And blame the West for a dramatic surge in cancer predicted for Asia over the next 10 years. Researchers say Asians are picking up bad habits like smoking, drinking and eating unhealthy foods. Asian cancer rates could climb 60 percent by the year 2020.
We're back in just a moment.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY (voice over): The Secret Service, fingerprinting children.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They don't really remember how tall their child is. They don't have a current photo, or current fingerprints.
CHETRY: While no parent wants to think about someone snatching their child, some are taking the extra step that could make all the difference if the unthinkable happens, next on AMERICAN MORNING
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Sniffing out a shoe thief. You wonder how do people get like this? Quick hits, now: Police in Wisconsin say they found a man who had 1,500 pairs of women's sneakers and they say he was smelling them for sexual pleasure. He was caught after he stole shoes from female students at a high school.
A coming-out party in Chicago of sorts, five endangered red wolf pups making their first public appearance at the Lincoln Park Zoo. There they are. How adorable.
That's at the zoo, giving them a quick check-up as well. These red wolves were thought to be extinct. They were even declared extinct in the wild back in 1980, but they have since rebounded. There are now 100 of these red wolves living in the wild and 200 in zoos.
And 286 brilliant young spellers started off; only 59 still remain. Today they crown the queen or king of the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C. The pressure. We hope to have a winner here tomorrow with us on AMERICAN MORNING.
ROBERTS: It's 39 minutes after the hour now.
Schools will soon be out for the summer. That means kids spending a lot more time outdoors and out of their parents' sight. There's a big push this month to protect kids and it's coming from the Secret Service. AMERICAN MORNING's Alina Cho has spent some time with the agents who have advice for parents. You know, we usually hear about the Secret Service protecting the president, the vice president, presidential candidates.
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right.
ROBERTS: Not our kids.
CHO: That's right. You know, guarding another national treasure, so to speak, John.
You know, any parent will tell you that if you have kids of a certain age you can't take your eyes off of them for even a second, because it only takes a second for something bad to happen. Nobody wants to think about it, but experts say parents need to be prepared in case their child goes missing. That's where the Secret Service comes in. Yes, special agents, arming parents with a valuable tool.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHO (voice over): When you think of the Secret Service, this is what usually comes to mind. Stone-faced agents in suits, guarding the president -- not this.
ERNIE ALLEN, NAT'L. CTR. FOR MISSING & EXPLOITED CHILDREN: It's a great tool to have if anything should ever happen to her.
CHO: These special agents are taking part in Operation Safe Kids. A nationwide campaign to fingerprint and photograph children at schools, even the Central Park Zoo, so that parents have what amounts to a child's I.D. card. Information authorities need when a child goes missing. Experts say the first three hours are critical.
ALLEN: Parents scramble to pull together all this information, or they really don't remember how tall their child is. They don't have a current photo or current fingerprints.
CHO: That's where the I.D. card comes in. And the parent is the sole keeper of the information. The Secret Service does not keep photos or fingerprints on file. Eight-year-old Katie's mom, Boardie Kurz, says she didn't think twice about it.
BOARDIE KURZ, PARENT: I've done it. I have it. It's where I need it.
CHO: Most kids take it with a smile, but others -- are not so willing. So far, nearly 62,000 children are registered; 4,000 in May alone.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Things happen even though you may not want it to happen. This is something that, you know, it can help.
CHO: Famous abduction cases are seared in the nation's memory. Although the vast majority are found, 2,000 children are reported missing every day; 800,000 a year. But not everyone wants their child photographed and fingerprinted.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No disrespect to the Secret Service, being fingerprinted by the feds is not an experience I want my eight-year- old to have.
CHO: Others say this I.D. card could save a life. Photos and fingerprints at your fingertips.
ALLEN: The likelihood of finding your child safely is high but it's enhanced if you have the right tools.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHO: Parents should think of this child I.D. card as really the 21st century version of the mark on the wall. What does that mean? Well, it means that you should, as a parent, update your records with a new photo, and statistics every year like height and weight.
Also if you want one of these I.D. cards for your child, but the Secret Service is not coming to a school nearby, the best advice for we're hearing is to call your local Secret Service office and they will coordinate, John, with a school or community center so you can have one of these.
ROBERTS: You've got the I.D. card?
CHO: This is it right here. It's about the size of a piece of paper; it includes the photo, name and fingerprints. As a parent you fill in the vital statistics part of it.
ROBERTS: We should point out, again, because I was wondering about the privacy issue at the very beginning, which you alluded to in your pieces. This does not go into a Secret Service of a government record.
CHO: That's right.
ROBERTS: This just goes right to the parent.
CHO: Absolutely. There's no database that the Secret Service keeps of the child's photo or the fingerprints. This is strictly for the parents. You keep it at home, put it in a safe place. God forbid, should something happen, you take it into authorities. And then they can use it, hopefully to track down your child.
ROBERTS: So, no privacy issues at all involved.
CHO: None at all.
ROBERTS: Alina Cho, great story.
CHO: Thank you.
ROBERTS: Great idea for parents, as well.
"Anderson Cooper 360" airs weeknights at 10:00 Eastern. Here's Anderson now with a look at what's on the show tonight -- Anderson.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR, AC 360: John, tonight 27 killings so far. More murders than some cities all in a single school system, in a single school year. We are live in Chicago finding out stories and searching for answers. "Deadly Lessons: 24 Hours in Chicago, 360" tonight at 10:00 p.m. Eastern -- John. ROBERTS: We'll see you then. Anderson, thanks very much.
Kiran.
CHETRY: Time now, 15 minutes until the top of the hour. We head over to Chad Myers for a look at the weather picture.
(WEATHER REPORT)
CHETRY: "CNN Newsroom" is minutes away. Tony Harris is at the CNN Center with a look at what's ahead.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR, CNN NEWSROOM: Good morning to you.
We have these stories coming up in the newsroom for you this morning. A man with a rare form of tuberculosis now out of an Atlanta hospital. Authorities still tracking dozens of airline passengers he may have exposed. We will talk to two of them.
My apologies, that is Heidi's phone, if I could just find it here.
And she'll call you back.
OK, sorry.
Reports of more than two dozen killed in Falluja. A bomber blows himself up in a line of Iraqi police recruits.
It is now or never for 13-year-old Samir Patell. Today, his fifth and final chance to win the National Spelling Bee. Fingers crossed, fingers crossed.
Heidi Collins with me in the "Newsroom." We get started at the top of the hour, right here on CNN.
CHETRY: That was Heidi calling you, saying, have you seen my phone, Tony?
HARRIS: This is outrageous. All right, Kiran.
CHETRY: She owes you one, because you handled it like it pro. Thanks so much.
HARRIS: There you go.
CHETRY: Also, on AMERICAN MORNING, if you have a question about tuberculosis, if so, you're not alone. Coming up next, Doctor Gupta opens up his mailbag and he has some answers for us on that, plus a lot of other medical news.
You're watching AMERICAN MORNING, the most news in the morning is here on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: You're up.
ROBERTS: I am. Here we go, as we do every Thursday, it's time to open "Doctor Gupta's Mailbag". This week a lot of questions about TB, the XDR version of it, extensively drug resistant TB.
CHETRY: Yes, a lot of people are wondering, you know, can I catch it? What do we do about this? Well, Sanjay, of course, is at the ready with answers, as always.
And our first question, Sanjay, from Janet in Stockton, California, asks "We heard about the man who has this extremely drug resistant TB, but what about his wife who spent two weeks with him in close intimate contact, a honeymoon. Other people in the family as well? Are they all in danger?"
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: It's a very good question, Janet.
A couple of things to keep in mind. First of all, this woman, his wife now, was tested before they left for Europe. Tested negative. Getting retested now. So it doesn't appear, at this time anyways, that either she got infected or that she's a public health risk.
Also, keep in mind that with regard to tuberculosis in particular the way that it is contagious, the way that it's transmitted, is if someone is heavily coughing or sneezing, not through kissing for example, sharing food or drink, shaking someone's hand. So, that's not as a big a risk.
But the CDC is saying not only are they tracing people on the airline, but also ground contacts as well. So we may hear more about them in the next couple of days.
ROBERTS: Our second question is about one's tuberculosis vaccine. Phoebe from Phoenix asks today: "In light of the new antibiotic resistant strains of TB why doesn't the United States inoculate infants against TB?"
She says "My son was born in Southeast Asia, where they routinely vaccinate against TB."
You were vaccinated, Kiran?
CHETRY: In Nepal, right? And you were in Canada.
ROBERTS: Yes, because I was born in ancient times, when TB was still rampant.
So, what about that, Sanjay?
GUPTA: That's a good question. There are a couple of things about it. The BCG vaccine, that they're talking about. One of the biggest downsides of this vaccine is that it's just not effective. Doesn't last very long. And it doesn't confer immunity to everyone who gets it.
Because the rates are so low in this country, of overall TB -- and they've been decreasing over the last several years -- the vaccine has never really been that much of an issue.
But your question specifically about the fact that there are antibiotic strains out there may change the thinking on this. And they may think about actually introducing vaccines at least to high-risk populations. They haven't done that yet. So, for now the recommendations have not changed.
CHETRY: So, if I had the vaccine and John said he had the vaccine, as well, are we immune?
GUPTA: No, probably not. What we know about this vaccine -- I don't know exactly when you got it -- but it's good for about five, 10 years for the most part.
One of the things to keep in mind, is every time you get tested, though, during that five to 10-year period, you may still come back positive. So someone will test you and say you have TB. You have to explain to them no, I just had the vaccine. It gets confusing for people. But the likelihood is that both of you are no longer immune right now.
ROBERTS: Well, the Edsel was the best selling car when I received mine.
(LAUGHTER)
It was some time ago.
CHETRY: Also, Margaret from Lenexa, Kansas writes, "About the TB scare, are we making a big deal out of this case?"
GUPTA: Margaret, you are sort of touching on one of the hardest things in my job, I think. That is taking something that is potentially very dangerous, with a very small risk, and balancing those two things.
It's hard. This is public health. It's a very good question. A very hard issue for us as journalists to cover sometimes. I don't think we are making a big deal about this case. Remember when we talked about anthrax, that was a huge deal for so long. It consumed our nation. This is not, obviously, to that level at all.
But I think what we are seeing here, and the reason it has become so important, is that this is one man who has gotten this kind of attention. What if it were more men? How is the public health system going to work? How are they going to communicate with each other.
You guys just had a passenger on the plane, that sat two rows in front of this gentleman, and we were the first to contact her. The CDC had not contacted her yet. It shows some of the problems still with being able to get a handle on a situation like this. I think for the average person out there watching, even most people on the plane, the risk is infinitesimally small that they will get sick.
ROBERTS: Also, too, the security issues this fellow was on a watch list and managed to come back across the border, as well.
GUPTA: Yes.
ROBERTS: Raises a lot of issues. Sanjay, you answered some. Thank you for that.
GUPTA: No problem.
ROBERTS: Next Thursday we will turn again to "Doctor Gupta's Mailbag" for your questions about the stories we cover. If you have a question go to cnn.com/americanmorning, and e-mail us.
CHETRY: Here's a quick look at what CNN "Newsroom" is working on at the top of the hour.
HARRIS (voice over): See these stories and more in the CNN "Newsroom". Spy drama: A poisoning suspect calls a news conference and fingers Britain. Andre Lugovoi claims the spy agency MI-6 was behind the London murder of Alexander Litvinenko.
President Bush hosting Iraq's president at the White House today.
Microsoft says will you probably get less spam today, a man called one of the world's top ten spammers arrested and in court.
"Newsroom" top of the hour on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING.
What makes someone a hero? CNN is answering that question by introducing you to some incredible people. Today we meet a hero who goes to great heights to make a difference. Ken Noguchi is a CNN hero.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KEN NOGUCHI, CNN HERO (through translator) Before I was known for being the youngest one to climb the highest peaks.
Recently, people said oh, it's the garbage guy. I started picking up trash on Everest eight years ago.
(Speaking English) My name is Ken Noguchi. I climb Mount Everest. And I also clean the mountain.
(Through translator): When I first climbed Mount Everest, it was full of garbage. Especially Japanese garbage stood out.
My European counterparts (ph) reproached me, saying, you Japanese have bad manners. I really felt terrible. It's obviously Japanese garbage. Anyone can see that. So I thought since it's so obvious, we should clean it up.
Cleaning Everest is especially tough. Many times I thought I would quit because it was so hard. If I stop all I have endured loses its meaning.
On Mount Fuji we clean year-round. First we teach the volunteers how to separate for recycling, but then the important thing is to explain to them why we are picking up the garbage.
When I find this dangerous garbage, I feel the sense of crisis firsthand.
I do this because it's my social responsibility. With such a mission, rather than doing it quietly, it's better to advertise. So, if I become a hero and lots of people start coming then being a hero is a good thing, isn't it?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTS: Well, just before the top of the hour, proving that it is never too late for love, Edna and Richard Torrence tied the knot at their nursing home in New Jersey, yesterday.
CHETRY: Yes, she's 87 and her groom, a spry 79 years old.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
She stuck with me through think and thin, three heart attacks and cancer. And I'm still here because it was meant to be.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: They make a very cute couple. They also didn't rush into anything. You know, the dated. They started dating 10 years ago.
ROBERTS: I guess they knew all about each other before they got married and that's why it's going to last a lifetime.
CHETRY: Exactly.
ROBERTS: That's all from here on this AMERICAN MORNING. Hope to see you back here again tomorrow.
CHETRY: Thanks for being with us. CNN "Newsroom" with Tony Harris and Heidi Collins begins right now.
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