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American Morning
Obama Lays Out Economic Plan; Fighting in Iraq: 42 Killed; Happy Anniversary Viagra; Oil Shoots Up; Safety in the Sky: More Flights Canceled Today
Aired March 27, 2008 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: It was just yesterday in Greensboro where it was kind of surprising. It was a town hall meeting. And in that context, he was asked about his faith and what does Jesus Christ mean to him. And then, he started to talk about not only, you know, the golden rule and compassion for the poor, but he started to bring up the idea of his pastor and trying to move beyond this.
But the one thing he did say is let's not let this become a distraction. I don't know if it's still a distraction. We're all still talking about it here. If it's distracting, perhaps it won't be in a couple of months, and that's certainly is the hope.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, well, it seems like they need to get away from these distractions now because they still got that important primary contest coming up.
This new NBC News/"Wall Street Journal" poll that's out, I guess, late last evening found no significant damage for Barack Obama because of this controversy, but did find that there is damage among Democrats in the overall because of the nasty bickering back and forth on the Obama side of things. Because, you know, you've been covering them very closely, are they concerned that this is really giving John McCain a lift here while they're trying to tear each other down?
MALVEAUX: There is some concern, but they're less concerned about Barack Obama because essentially they feel like he has taken a tone of the high road, where they feel that there has been more damage that has done to Hillary Clinton when it comes to this. This poll is literally, John, it's 45 percent, 45 percent. I mean, it's a dead heat. Everybody is watching this.
What they're going to do today is essentially turn the corner and talk about the economy. He's here in New York and he's going to really paint a contrast between himself and John McCain. He's going to talk about this is more of the old Bush politics. This is limited government. I'm going to bring you something new and something fresh.
ROBERTS: Right. There are also some encouraging signs for Barack Obama in this poll because voters were asked who best to unify the country, and he comes out on the top of the heap. Let's take a look at those numbers.
He gets 60 percent of people saying that he is the best one to unify the country. Compare that to John McCain at 58 percent and Hillary Clinton at 46 percent. So they've got to be pretty happy about that whole thing over on the Obama side of the fence.
MALVEAUX: And one thing that they're talking about, too, is that we heard from the former president, Bill Clinton, who was saying, well, you know, let's get muddy here. I want a good debate. And he answered the question yesterday. He said that look, you know, he realizes this is a contact sport, but it was President Clinton who was the one who talked about the politics of personal destruction. They feel that there's a line that would be crossed. They don't feel like the line has been crossed so far but they certainly feel like, John, that they're coming out ahead.
ROBERTS: All right. Suzanne Malveaux for us this morning. Suzanne, it's good to see you. I know you're going to be going to the speech a little bit later on.
MALVEAUX: It's good to see you.
ROBERTS: In fact, the reason why you're here...
MALVEAUX: Yes.
ROBERTS: ... is because of the security sweep that kicked you out of the location. So we'll let you get back over to that one. We'll talk to you from there.
MALVEAUX: OK, thanks.
ROBERTS: Good to see you this morning.
Senator John McCain still pressing his case that the U.S. is succeeding in Iraq. Speaking to supporters in California, McCain took a swipe at his Democratic rivals for not understanding the effects of a premature withdrawal.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R-AZ), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I believe a reckless and premature withdrawal would be a terrible defeat for our security interests and our values. Iran will also view our premature withdrawal as a victory. And the biggest state supporter of terrorist, a country with nuclear ambitions and a state of desire to destroy the state of Israel will see its influence in the Middle East grow significantly.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: McCain also tried to distance himself from President Bush's go it alone policy insisting if he is the commander in chief he will work to bolster relations with America's allies -- Kiran.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking news out of Iraq right now. Fighting between Iraqis and militia fighters have spread now to the city of Kut, a Shiite city. At least 42 people have been killed this morning. Clashes in southern Iraq now entering a third straight day with much of the fighting centered in Baghdad and Basra. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki says radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has until tomorrow to surrender. Thousands of Iraqi troops have been taking part in security operations against al-Sadr's Mahdi (ph) army, fighting to control huge oil reserves generated in the province, depending on calling the crackdown a positive sign saying the Iraqi government needs to deal with groups that have "stepped outside of the rule of law."
There are also some new questions this morning about a trip to Iraq by three members of Congress in the run-up to the war. A federal indictment says that Saddam Hussein's intelligence agency secretly paid for the trip for members back in October of 2002. The congressional members were not named in the indictment, but Representatives David Bonior, Jim McDermott and Mike Thompson all visited Iraq at the time.
The investigation began with an Iraqi-born U.S. citizen who ran an Islamic charity in Detroit. The man was really a spy for Saddam and targeted members of Congress because he believed they were sympathetic to lifting sanctions against that country. All three congressmen voted against authorizing the war.
CNN's Kate Bolduan is live in Washington this morning. But, I think, the other news is that the congressmen did not know who was financing that trip, correct?
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right, Kiran, and that's something that the Justice Department has been stressing since this indictment was unsealed. The Democratic congressmen they thought from what they knew it was a fact-finding mission, a trip to learn as much as they could about the situation in Iraq before voting on whether or not to commit troops there. The lawmakers are not named in the indictment, which is an important thing to point out. And Justice Department officials say the congressmen had no knowledge of any connection to Saddam Hussein's government and are not accused of any wrongdoing.
Now, Congressman McDermott's office says pretty much just that. He knew nothing about Muthanna Al-Hanooti and was only asked to make the trip to discuss children's health issues in Iraq. And Congressman Thompson also defends making the trip. In a statement, he says, "The trip was approved by the U.S. State Department. The organization sponsoring the trip was licensed by the Office of Foreign Assets of the Department of Treasury and the United Nations. Obviously, had there been any question at all regarding the sponsor of the trip or the funding, I would not have participated."
And according to the indictment, Al-Hanooti, an Iraqi-born U.S. citizen, coordinated this trip because he believed the lawmakers were sympathetic to lifting the economic sanctions against Iraq that were in place at the time.
Now, the indictment also says Saddam Hussein's intelligence agency funneled about $34,000 through Al-Hanooti's charity, Life for Relief and Development, in order to cover the congressmen's travel expenses. Al-Hanooti is now charged with spying for the Iraqi government and is out on bail right now -- Kiran.
CHETRY: Kate Bolduan, thank you.
BOLDUAN: Of course.
ROBERTS: Alina Cho here now with other stories new this morning, fresh back off of a short vacation. It's good to see you back.
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, and rested, I think.
(CROSSTALK)
CHETRY: Sausage (ph) and McMuffin --
CHO: I'm sorry. I really, really did. I know how much you love it. Good morning, guys. Good morning, everybody.
New this morning. Delta Airlines will announce today whether more flights will be canceled while engineers inspect two types of planes. A huge inconvenience for passengers, as you might imagine. In fact, hundreds of people are still waiting to get home this morning in Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson Airport, Delta's hub. Some of them even sleeping in the floor there. Some have sleeping bags, thanks goodness.
The airline canceled dozens of flights last night to reinspect the wiring on MD-88 and MD-90 jets. American Airlines also canceled more than 300 flights earlier in the day to inspect its planes. Delta says they've rebooked passengers and are covering hotel and food costs.
And a newly revealed police report says the U.S. Airways pilot whose gun went off in the cockpit was trying to stow it when it went off. The pilot didn't say anything until he landed safely on Saturday at Charlotte Douglas Airport.
Experts say that's the correct action. The priority, of course, is to land the plane. But another expert said the gun should have already been stowed. The report says the pilot has apologized and has taken full responsibility. That pilot, by the way, has been taken off duty pending an investigation.
Flames raced through a three-story apartment building this morning in Concord, North Carolina. Residents there said they had just minutes to grab what little they could and get out. It's believed the fire started from a nearby brushfire. There are no reports of any serious injuries. About 29 people were displaced.
The man who invented the Egg McMuffin has died. Herb Peterson came up with the idea back in 1972 to introduce breakfast to McDonald's. He liked Eggs Benedict and wanted to come up with something similar. Peterson died at his home in California. He was 89 years old.
They say everything is bigger in Texas and apparently getting even bigger. Four of the 10 fastest growing cities in the country are in the Lone Star State. According to a new census bureau estimate, Dallas-Fort Worth added 162,000 people between July of 2006 and July of 2007, more than any other city. Houston, Austin and San Antonio are also in the top 10.
And finally, the NFL is tackling, of all things, long hair during the off-season. NFL owners, listen to this, will consider a rule change that would ban hair from covering the names on the back of a player's jersey. Now, before you get out your scissors, players would not have to get a haircut but they would have to tuck their hair under the helmet. Previously, NFL players could have their long hair exposed and if another player tackled them by grabbing the hair, well, it was fair game.
CHETRY: It also helps to identify, you know, just a bunch of helmets running around, you know who your players are.
CHO: Yes. But apparently, I mean, it is fair game to do that. I mean, occasionally, these players are penalized but normally not.
CHETRY: All right. I'm sorry. A few stories ago you brought up the Egg McMuffin.
ROBERTS: Herb Peterson, the inventor of the Egg McMuffin.
(CROSSTALK)
CHO: 89 years old, had a very long life. And this is something that --
CHETRY: His claim to fame. And I would just say the only thing, I mean, if we had to do it all over again, maybe just a little side of hollandaise you could put on it. You know, I'm just saying --
Now, why did you --
CHO: You've changed from the biscuit.
CHETRY: No, no. I'm still a biscuit fan. This is for John.
CHO: Oh -- oh, God.
CHETRY: It's not the anniversary of this. I wish I have it right here.
ROBERTS: You know, we should actually do is we should get you to sign the package and the bag and we'll put it up for auction on eBay, and proceeds to the Herb Peterson foundation that we're going to establish.
CHO: That's a very good idea.
CHETRY: You're so -- always thinking of a plan (ph).
ROBERTS: Yes.
CHETRY: And this is for you, Alina, in honor of the creator. CHO: He's not going to like that. Are you sure?
ROBERTS: I thought we were auctioning that. No? You just gave it away.
CHO: Oh, thank you.
ROBERTS: So much for the best laid plan. All right. Good to see you, Alina, thanks.
CHO: Thank you.
ROBERTS: A milestone of note for that little blue pill. Viagra was approved by the FDA 10 years ago today to treat erectile dysfunction.
CNN's chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta is at the medical update desk for us this morning. An auspicious occasion this morning. You know, what's interesting, though, Sanjay, is that before this little blue pill, nobody was talking about this condition. Obviously, this has done an awful lot to help raise awareness about it.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, absolutely. There were fewer than one in a hundred men being treated for erectile dysfunction before Viagra, so it has done a lot.
John, you may know this history. I always found the history of Viagra very interesting. So just for a second I'll tell you that originally when they were talking about Viagra, the medication that they were saying that maybe this would be a medication being used to treat chest pain.
Now, that was the original sort of indication for it. What they found was it didn't work very well for that but the people in the clinical trial, the men, wouldn't give the pill back. And they were asked about some other side effects of the pill. And certainly, this treatment of erectile dysfunction is one of the things that they talked about. So this was sort of how the Viagra came to be in its current form and its current use.
But exactly as you say, John, this is more than anything, more than the fact that it has become so popular, it probably has put erectile dysfunction as a topic that people are actually comfortable talking about again, not as stigmatized. Take a look at some of the numbers. I want to put some of these together for you in terms of just how common this medication is nowadays.
Three pills taken every second. One billion tablets prescribed used by 35 million men, and it sold $1.7 billion in 2007. So those are some huge numbers.
Also, John, you know, from a medical standpoint when a patient goes to the doctor and says that they're having erectile dysfunction, it also is an opportunity for the doctors to search for other causes. Is this related to something that could also cause heart disease or stroke? Is it related to diabetes? So it can be an opportunity for doctors to find out other medical conditions as well, John.
ROBERTS: We all remember that famous scene in something has got to give where Jack Nicholson goes to the doctor and he says, did you take any Viagra after he's had his heart attack.
GUPTA: Right.
ROBERTS: And he pulls the catheter out. We talk about, you know, the benefits of this drug, but what about the negatives? What about those side effects?
GUPTA: You know, there have been a few. First of all, so you know a little bit of the history of the drug in terms of what it's supposed to do, it actually opens up blood vessels. There had been concerns that people have had a change in vision, change in vision sort of a bluish hue. We actually reported that first here on AMERICAN MORNING. Also, a sudden hearing loss has also been a concern. That could be related to blood vessels being changed in the inner ear as well. But, you know, some people complain of body aches from taking the medication as well, John.
ROBERTS: Right. So we're solving the problem of erectile dysfunction. Now, if we can find a little pill to solve the problem of erectile dysfunction that we're having in this primary reason, that would really be a miracle.
GUPTA: That's your job, John.
ROBERTS: Sanjay, thanks very much.
GUPTA: All right.
CHETRY: It has to be a bipartisan pill. It cannot be blue, and it can't be red.
ROBERTS: Right.
CHETRY: Also ahead, hundreds of flights canceled. Passengers stranded after two airlines conduct a voluntary inspection. Was it just caution, or is there a bigger problem here? Our Miles O'Brien is here to investigate.
Also, they used to be made in America. Now, though, high-tech U.S. passports are being made overseas. So is the government outsourcing a threat to our security? We have a live report on that coming up as well.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING. Some warning signs about deep divisions within the Democratic Party and what voters might do if their preferred candidate does not win the nomination.
There are at least two polls out, one today and one yesterday, showing that there could be massive defections to John McCain among angry Democratic voters. In fact, more than 20 percent of Senator Hillary Clinton supporters, according to a new poll out, would vote for McCain if she loses the nomination. And the same number of Obama supporters would defect if Clinton becomes the nominee.
So we wanted to know what our viewers think. It brings us to this morning's "Quick Vote" question. Calling all Democrats. If your candidate does not win the nomination, will you vote for McCain?
Let's take a look at the numbers right now. Forty-seven percent of you say yes, and 53 percent say no. Very interesting this morning. You can also e-mail us about it and explain why. CNN.com/am is the link, and we will continue to tally your votes, read a couple of those e-mails a little later this morning.
Also today, Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are going to be speaking about the number one issue for Americans. That's the economy. You can watch live coverage of both speeches, CNN.com. Obama's address begins at 9:15 Eastern time, and Hillary Clinton's begins at 10:30 Eastern time. And again, follow the link, CNN.com to the live event.
ROBERTS: Lots of stuff coming up this morning in the world of politics.
Seventeen minutes after the hour. Just when you thought it might be safe to go back to the gasoline station, unfortunately more pain at the pump. Oil prices shoot up again. So, could this mean that high gas prices are here to stay, Ali?
ALI VELSHI, CNN SENIOR BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, at least for a while. I gave the barrel a few days off. And then yesterday, I had to dust it all off again. $105.90 is where a barrel of oil settled in New York yesterday afternoon. But here's the thing. Look at that gain.
That was $4.68. That's pretty significant in one day for oil. But it's up since then. It hit $107.70 this morning, back around $107 level. Now, why is that relevant? Because it's this oil above $100 that's causing these gas prices that we see. Right now, $3.27 for a gallon of self-serve unleaded. That's a national average. Obviously, some places are above $4 already compared to $3.14 a month ago and $2.60 a year ago.
Now, what we're seeing is we heard from the Consumer Federation of America yesterday that says if oil stays above $100 a barrel, they're predicting that it might go as high -- it might add another 75 cents a gallon between now and Memorial Day. That will bring it to $4 a gallon by Memorial Day. We've had estimates that already suggest $3.50 to $3.75 a gallon before Memorial Day.
As you know, oil tends to build up. Gasoline tends to build up in price in the spring and then tends to stay high during the summer driving months. So that's got a lot of people worried because on the issue number one for voters is the economy, and inflation and gas prices tend to be at the top of that list. So we are seeing gasoline prices, remember, it's not just gasoline, it's diesel for trucks, it's farm equipment, it's airline fares, it's all across the board, which just means those inflationary concerns continue to affect people.
On the other side, we've got these checks going out in May that are supposed to help people. But if you're getting $600 or $1,000, $1,200 versus all these extras that you're paying in gasoline, it kind of wipes it out.
ROBERTS: I tell you, I came to work yesterday in a hybrid cab.
VELSHI: Yes.
ROBERTS: And it seems like such a great idea.
VELSHI: Great idea. Great idea.
CHETRY: There's two in the city.
VELSHI: They are very popular for the cabdriver.
ROBERTS: There are a lot more than two. They are all going to be hybrid by what? 2011?
VELSHI: Yes.
CHETRY: I think it's been mandated that's why --
VELSHI: Yes. Smart idea. Because these guys drive around all day and see that thing coming out of the exhaust.
ROBERTS: A guy told me it saves him $30 a day in fuel charges.
VELSHI: Yes. Pretty good deal.
ROBERTS: Not bad.
CHETRY: We should make more incentives for people to buy them.
VELSHI: They absolutely should. There should be much bigger tax incentives. But with all these speeches that are going on every day, I think we might e-mail the candidates and say that would be a good one. Give people immediate tax incentives across the board, federal tax incentives.
(CROSSTALK)
CHETRY: I'd do it. I'd turn in the Buick.
ROBERTS: But they're all kind of going away now.
VELSHI: They kind of -- they trickle out, yes.
CHETRY: All right.
ROBERTS: You know, the economy is the voters number one issue of concern. Later on today, Ali Velshi is going to be joined by Gerri Willis and the rest of the CNN money team for ISSUE #1, Noon Eastern all this week right here on CNN. CHETRY: All right. Well, two major airlines pulled planes out of service for voluntary inspections. The move cancels hundreds of flights and leaves passengers stranded at some of the nation's busiest airports. So what exactly caused the airlines to make this sudden, it seems, inspection of planes, and they've already been checked out.
Our Miles O'Brien is going to be joining us with more on that.
Also, made in Thailand. Not your child's toy, but your high-tech U.S. passport. The government outsourcing now raising questions about security. A live report on that ahead as well.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING. New cancellations this morning from American Airlines. The airline is not saying how many planes will be grounded today, but more than 300 flights were canceled yesterday after a Federal Aviation Administration audit forced new inspections. And now, Delta is also announcing a reinspection program for more than 100 of its planes.
CNN's Miles O'Brien is here this morning to explain what's going on. Should we feel safer or more worried?
MILES O'BRIEN, CHIEF TECHNOLOGY CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's a mixed bag. You know, think about it. We always talk about, you know, we want the cheapest fares. Sometimes maybe we should be asking should we be really paying the cheapest fare when in fact airlines are kind of financially pressed?
First of all, let's take a look at the focus of all the attention this morning on this MD-80 series airplanes. Looks like linguini, doesn't it? These are the wiring bundles that lays their way through an aircraft, miles and miles of cables through there. And in particular, they are focused on the wiring bundles that attach to the auxiliary hydraulic unit, which runs things like the landing gear engine fail. The question is, where they properly protected and (INAUDIBLE), and were they secured properly?
The concern, according to the Airworthiness Directive is the potential for an ignition source next to the fuel tanks which could cause a fuel tank explosion. Nothing to trifle with there.
CHETRY: Yes, absolutely not. There's also some talk, wasn't there about worries about rodents getting in there as well and chewing up some of those wires?
O'BRIEN: Well, you know, these wires are kind of an Achilles heel. Let's go back about the decade ago, you recall TWA 800, which, of course, exploded off of Long Island here in 1996.
CHETRY: Why?
O'BRIEN: Two years later, a Swiss Air flight off of Halifax, Nova Scotia, another wiring issue there. Ever since that time, the FAA has been focused on this issue of wiring and ensuring that these wires are safe. Obviously, arcing wires along with flammable fuel is not a good combination.
CHETRY: So if you're flying today, how concerned do you need to be?
O'BRIEN: Well, that's the thing. You know, these Airworthiness Directives, which is what we're talking about, this is the actual order which comes from the FAA, they should be followed to the letter. And if they are not being followed to the letter as we discovered with American Airlines and Delta and just a little while ago Southwest Airlines, of course, we should have concern. But let's remember this.
We're in the midst of an incredibly safe period of time for American aviation. The last major airliner to crash was here in New York City in November of 2001. It was the Comair crash, 47 lost in August of 2006. So something about the system must be working. Having said that, we should all be concerned that the airlines, with all the pressures they face for profitability and the cost of fuel, might be tempted to cut corners on maintenance.
CHETRY: So maybe this time around, we don't complain if our flight is canceled.
O'BRIEN: Or don't complain if the ticket prices are a little bit higher because, you know, you get what you pay for, right?
CHETRY: Miles, great to see you as always. Thanks.
O'BRIEN: Yes.
ROBERTS: Twenty-six minutes now after the hour. As the race for the White House heats up, the candidates now focusing on pocketbook issues. We'll tell you what they're saying and what their plans could mean to you and your money.
CHETRY: Outsourcing our security. Why your ticket to travel is being made in Thailand.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What you really have are the keys to the kingdom --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: How efforts to make your passport more secure might actually be putting us at risk ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: The Statute of Liberty on a cloudy New York morning, 46 degrees, rain coming our way this afternoon. It was a lovely afternoon yesterday.
CHETRY: Yes. Did you get out a little bit?
ROBERTS: Yes, a little bit. Got out and walked around town. Welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING. Thanks for being with us in this Thursday, the 27th of March. April just around the corner.
CHETRY: It sure is.
ROBERTS: Your due date, too, right?
CHETRY: That's right. Getting closer by the second.
Meanwhile, we start off with breaking news in Iraq, and that's the ongoing battles that we've been covering for three days now. At least 42 people now said to have died in the city of Kut, a Shiite city. This is where clashes between Iraqi security forces and militia fighters have spread. The fighting now entering a third straight day, and much of the violence still in the capital of Baghdad as well as further south in Basra.
Radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has been calling on the Iraqi government to end its crackdown on his fighters. The government says its only targeting outlaws who are ignoring Al Sadr's own ceasefire order. Iraq's Prime Minister has given the fighters until tomorrow to drop their weapons or face tougher measures.
CNN is also getting an exclusive look at the cell where Saddam Hussein spent his final days. Kyra Phillips and her team were the first television crew to gain access. The military officer overseeing detention operations at the Baghdad prison talked to Kyra about Saddam and what he was like, especially the morning of his execution.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAJ. GEN. DOUG STONE, U.S. MARINE CORPS: So he got up. He was informed that, in fact, today would be the day that he would be going to the execution. He bathed himself here in a very modest manner. It was winter, so it was cold. He then put on his dark suit, the one that I think most people have seen that was laying out here. He put that on. He was all ready to go. It took I think about a ten-minute delay. But as he went out, he said good-bye to the guards and then got in the vehicles and, of course, proceeded on over for the execution.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Kyra was also able to read from the journal that Saddam kept, some poetry he wrote while behind bars. Major General Stone said Saddam's nickname behind bars was VIC, meaning very important criminal. Kyra also saw what was believed to be the last known picture of Saddam Hussein before he was executed and of course the cell phone pictures of the actual execution made their way around the world not long after his hanging.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN, ANCHOR: Well, you'll be seeing a lot more of that today, by the way, on CNN, coming up.
Hey, our design to foil terrorists to make America safer but high-tech U.S. passports are not being made in the U.S.A.. And that is raising some alarming questions about your security. CNN state department correspondent Zain Verjee joins us now from Washington. So, not made in the U.S., Zain, where are these made?
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN, STATE DEPT. CORRESPONDENT: Overseas, companies the U.S. says they're the only ones that can provide this kind of technology. But there are fears that this high-tech push on passports could mean lower security standards.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VERJEE (voice-over): Your passports used to be made in America. But because of 9/11 all passports now must be fitted with an electronic chips, harder for terrorists to fake. It turns out, though, that in trying to make passports more secure, the U.S. is outsourcing the job to foreign companies. Security experts fear blank chips could be stolen or tampered with.
MICHAEL CUTLER, CENTER FOR IMMIGRATION STUDIES: If bad guys got a hold of those blanks and properly filled them out and processed them, then you really have are the keys to the kingdom.
VERJEE: The government printing office says U.S. companies don't have the state-of-the-art technology. So it gets European companies to make computer chips in Singapore and Taipei, that are then sent to Thailand and inserted into passport covers along with the wireless antenna. Those blank covers and blank chips go back to the U.S. where your data and photo are added. Congress is sounding alarm bells.
In a letter to the G.P.O. Inspector General Congressman John Dingell is demanding to know whether that would propose a significant national security threat and raise questions about the integrity about the entire e-passport program. SmartTrac, the Dutch based company producing U.S. passports in Thailand says its facility is secure and built according to U.S. standards, and each passport chip is tracked.
In a statement the G.P.O. says the materials are moved by a secure transportation means including armored vehicles. The State Department says there's no reason to be concerned.
PAT KENNEDY, U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT: When they arrive in the United States, all you have in front of you is a blue piece of plastic that is the standard size of anyone's passport in the entire world and a chip that has nothing on it and it could be the same equivalent as a CD-ROM that you could buy, as I said, anywhere.
VERJEE: And spokesman Sean McCormick also added that diplomatic security conduct periodic in-house audits of overseas facilities. They also check that all the procedures are in place they say for getting the passports back to the U.S.. McCormick said too that they look at the entire chain of custody. There are questions about security controls, John, that Congress wants answered.
ROBERTS: Of course, the headlines last week, Zain, were that contractors who were producing these passports and passport records for the State Department were peeking in an unauthorized fashion into the passport records of the candidates, John McCain, Barack Obama, and Hillary Clinton. The Associated Press yesterday represented there were at least 20 more incidents of people's records being looked at, including Anna Nicole Smith. But is that rise to the same level as what we heard of last week?
VERJEE: State Department officials who told us that the State department did not detect any additional non-work related access, they said of passport files of any of those high-profile Americans. As you know, this has been the investigation since last week when Senators Clinton, Obama, and McCain files were inappropriately accessed. But the State Department telling us John is what they've done is that they flagged files of these high-profile Americans. They flagged them themselves just to see if they have been accessed. There could be 20 or more, including Anna Nicole Smith. But they're saying to us that they have not been snooped into, have not been viewed inappropriately but there could be more out there that we'll find out about.
ROBERTS: Zain Verjee for us this morning from Washington. Zain, thanks very much. Kiran.
CHETRY: Thanks, John. Well, you know, both Democrats, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are giving major speeches coming up in the next few hours about the economy. Meanwhile, there are some ominous warning signs about deep divisions within the Democratic party and what voters might do if their preferred candidate doesn't win the nomination. There are at least two polls out, one this morning showing that there would are defections to John McCain among angry Democratic voters. In fact, more than 20% of both Hillary and Barack Obama supporters saying that if their candidate doesn't win they would defect and vote for John McCain.
Joining us right now to talk about all this is Mark Halperin. He writes "The Page" for time.com and had a chance to talk exclusively with Senator Clinton. Good morning and thanks for being with us.
MARK HALPERIN, SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST, "TIME": Good morning.
CHETRY: About this, you know, growing division between those who are squarely in Hillary Clinton's camp and squarely in Barack Obama's camp, what did she say about that when you spoke to her.
HALPERIN: She thinks that party will come together. And I think the critical moment will come, maybe in June, maybe not until the convention, one of these candidates will lose and they're going to have to say to supporters get over your hard feelings. It's more difficult, it seems quite difficult now, because every day that goes by that they are against each other, the battle lines are hardening within their camps and among their followers around the country. But again, a lot of it can be solved if the loser is gracious in defeat.
CHETRY: That's a big if perhaps.
HALPERIN: Perhaps a big if.
CHETRY: Especially as we talk about some of the behind the scenes supporters of both of the candidates. But Hillary Clinton in particular sending an e-mail, I guess, some big donors, to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi criticizing her for her comments. She hasn't endorsed anybody on either side but she did sat the superdelegates really should support the presidential candidates with the most pledge delegates which is Barack Obama.
HALPERIN: That's not really a neutral statement. And every time Nancy Pelosi, again publicly neutral, has spoken out about the race, it has seemed to favor Obama. This group of donors, big supporters of Hillary Clinton, big supporters of the Democratic party are criticizing Pelosi and saying we think you should be a little more neutral. We think you should let the superdelegates pick the person they think would be the best nominee the best president. It's causing a lot of tension within the party because Nancy Pelosi's people say she's neutral, she just thinks that the will of the voters should determine who the nominee is and not the superdelegates. And that is a leading indicator and a sign that at the highest levels of the Democratic party, the biggest donors, the most powerful officials there is a fight coming. Because at some point again there's going to be a winner, there's going to be a loser. They're going to be some hard feelings.
CHETRY: Now, what you just referred to the will of the voters are these pledged delegates, correct? I mean, these are the delegates that go to the convention based on how these districts voted. And now there's some talk among Hillary Clinton and her people that they don't necessarily have to go with how their district voted.
HALPERIN: Under the rules, pledged is not quite right. They are supposed to vote the way the voters sent them to the convention to vote but they don't have to. And this is not the first time it's come up. Hillary Clinton's campaign says we're not poaching these people, we're not trying to get them to change the way they were elected. But she does point out and she pointed it out in an interview with me, I didn't ask her about it, she brought it up, that they aren't technically pledged and they could switch. But for them to switch would require some huge event that would make them say, you know what, Obama can't be elected, he can't beat McCain. If that happens, I think she'll probably get enough from the superdelegates to win. I'm not sure why she's picking this fight, when it's unlikely to happen. And if it is happening, she's going to be the nominee.
CHETRY: Very interesting. Mark Halperin, great to see you as always. Thanks.
HALPERIN: Thanks.
CHETRY: John.
ROBERTS: Kiran, it's the leading killer of Americans and now there could be a way to detect it sooner. We're paging Dr. Sanjay Gupta. He's got some news on that. Good morning, Sanjay.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN, CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John. We are talking a lot about developing a culture of prevention in this country, trying to keep people from getting sick in the first place. One way to do that is to actually give them a glimpse of what's happening in the hearse. I'm going to do that for you. That's coming up on AMERICAN MORNING. Stay with us.
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ROBERTS: 42 minutes after the hour. Evidence out today that a test for heart disease works for people of several races. Up until now, researchers have only studied the risk of calcium build up in the arteries of Caucasians but a new study is coming out that includes a whole lot more people. And CNN's chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta in Atlanta with more news on this.
Sanjay, why the need to focus on different ethnic groups here. Couldn't we just assume that if there's calcium buildup in Caucasians that can lead to heart disease, it's going to be the same for people of other races?
GUPTA: Yes, you know, it's interesting, John. We can assume that now. What had happened here. First of all, we're talking about calcium in the blood vessels. A lot of people know that as atherosclerosis or plaque, hardening of the arteries. There's tests to be able measure that. The question was as you measure that, how predictive of that is that of having a heart attack in the future.
There was a test in the past that says African-Americans even with lower calcium scores still had higher rates of heart disease. And they thought that maybe there's a difference here racially. The new test today confirms that there's not. As you say, John, if you start to have calcium buildup in your blood vessels, it is as predictive of a heart attack in all races, you know, its regardless of your race, you're still going to have the same likelihood of a heart attack.
Now, this plaque, you've seen - we've shown these pictures of basically how plaque forms in blood vessels. You get cholesterol deposits, it starts to form. I actually had this test done myself as part of a story that I was doing giving people an idea of you go into a CAT scanner, it takes about 15 minutes and it gives you the calcium scores. But I want to show you, John, show you exactly what we're talking about.
Take a look at this image here. This is not my heart that I'm about to show you. But this is a heart. I don't know if you can make sense of this. But right over here are the chambers of the heart, dots I'm putting on there. But this white area right in here, John, see how that's white. That basically is indicative of a blood vessel that is completely filled with calcium. That is what you don't want to see. That is predictive of a heart attack. That is a glimpse inside your heart, if you will, of somebody who has disease.
ROBERTS: And Sanjay, it's not just in the coronary arteries either right? You can have it like in your major dissenting aorta. I had a CAT scan for a GI issue and they said, oh, you know, we caught a slight glimpse of calcium in your aorta. And I immediately thought, oh my god, am I going to have a heart attack at some point? Will everybody who's got these calcium deposits go on to have a heart attack and what can you do if you have these calcium deposits to lower the level? GUPTA: Yes. First of all, to your point about the aorta. You know, the aorta is a much bigger blood vessel. So, if you have a little bit of calcium there, it's going to be less problematic than these tiny vessels on top of the heart like the one that I just showed you. They can become blocked. Who should get these test? What the current recommendations are, if they, based on your family history, cholesterol levels, if you have about a 10 to 20% chance of having heart disease over the next ten years, you should get one of these test to figure how much calcium you have in there.
And it's pretty predictive. If you have a lot of calcium there, they will give a score. They'll say your calcium score is x, y, or z, and that gives you a percentage likelihood of having a heart attack. What can you do about it? Well, you can't get the calcium out once it's in there. It's like a rock. You can see how white it is. It's like cement. The real goal, obviously, John, is try to prevent it in the first place. People talk about taking statin medications, obviously exercise and diet. If the blood vessels become blocked, having some sort of intervention, either surgery or a stent or something to try and open that blood vessel back up, John.
ROBERTS: Real quick, Sanjay, does it follow that if you got calcium deposits in a major blood vessel like the aorta that you're going to have it in your coronary arteries as well?
GUPTA: Great question. They have looked at the carotid arteries, they've look at the aorta as well. There is a correlation but the only way and this came out of the study as well, a different study, the only way to know for sure is to actually image the heart to see exactly how much calcium you have there.
ROBERTS: Sanjay Gupta for us this morning. Doc, as always thanks very much.
GUPTA: All right, John.
ROBERTS: And if you've got a question for Sanjay, e-mail it to us. Go to cnn.com/am. He's opening up the mail bag in our next hour, answering your questions as he does every Thursday right here on AMERICAN MORNING.
CHETRY: And Rob Marciano at the CNN Weather Center right now tracking extreme weather for us in Missouri right now. Hey, there, Rob.
ROB MARCIANO, CNN, METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Kiran. This is right over the areas that have seen all that flooding with the heavy rain yesterday. Southeastern Missouri, this just past Farmington. That's the severe thunderstorm with some hail and gusty winds moving easterly, should be heading over the Mississippi here in a matter of minutes. St. Genevieve County, one of the counties in the path of that storm. Just to the north, the northern half of Iowa, seeing some heavy snow just north of Des Moines at this hour. You could see several inches of this pile up.
It is heading towards Chicago, a mixture of rain and snow expected in Chicago. So be aware if you're traveling through that major hub, we'll see maybe an inch of snow there. Down to the south looking at rain that's moving across right into the Ohio River. So, how much rain are we going to see here. Obviously, the Ohio River doesn't need any more rain. They've got some flooding issues, too. Anywhere from one to two inches of rainfall expected here in the next day or two. And then this will shift down to the south and east which will bring heavier rainfall into parts of Arkansas. I think by the end of week and through the beginning of next week which could cause some problems.
As mentioned, if you're doing some travel today, Chicago O'Hare, rain and snow mixture there. Some low clouds expected in Los Angeles. Not so much of weather delay in Atlanta. It should be beautiful with temperatures in the lower 70s. But those Delta inspections with the MD-80 aircraft may cause some connection issues if you're flying Delta at least for today. Kiran, back up to you.
CHETRY: And as Miles O'Brien said to us, don't complain. Yours safety first.
MARCIANO: That's right, better than crashing.
CHETRY: Thanks a lot, Rob.
New developments in a case we've been following, a woman who died in police custody while at the airport. The family said authorities used excessive force. Police though pinning the blame on the family. We'll tell you why ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
President Bush optimistic, predicting a turnaround for the nation's economy. We're going to find out why his optimism may be premature and what it means for you ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
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CHETRY: Welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING. She died last year in police custody during an airport layover in Phoenix. Now the family of Carol Ann Gotbaum has filed an $8 million claim against the city. Police say she strangled herself while trying to twist her handcuffed arms from around her neck to her front. The family says police used excessive and unreasonable force on Gotbaum who was traveling to Tucson to enter a treatment for alcoholism. Now, police are pinning the blame on her husband for letting his wife travel alone. The claim is the first step in filing a wrongful death suit.
ROBERTS: Eight minutes now to the top of the hour, President Bush talking up the economy saying everything is going to be OK but with the price of oil, Ali Velshi, you might not think that's not going to be case?
ALI VELSHI, CNN, SENIOR BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Yes. He's talking about the stimulus package and how that's going to help the economy. But we've just seen yesterday, we saw a $4.68 increase in the price of oil, and then we saw almost $2 more overnight because there's been an attack on a major pipeline in Iraq which has cut off about half the oil supply that comes out of Iraq. That's caused the price of oil to go up, causing gas prices to go up.
But yesterday while John McCain was giving his speech on foreign policy, President Bush was in northern Virginia speaking to small business owners who are very concerned obviously about the price of gasoline and energy. He was saying that these stimulus checks are going to have a remarkable affect on the economy and they are going to turn it around entirely. Listen to what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRES. GEORGE BUSH, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: We're in a rough patch right now in our economy. But I'm confident in the long-term we'll come out stronger than ever before.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI: References to those stimulus checks which are going to start going out in the first week of May, between $600 and $1200 to qualified American households. Most people don't think that it's going to have that affect. It will probably have a net positive effect but here at CNN we've been polling - CNN and Opinion Research Corporation showing that most people are not planning to spend that money in stores. They are, in fact, going to apply it to outstanding credit or saving it.
And in our informal polls, as Kiran was mentioning earlier, it shows that probably a greater proportion of people won't spend that money. So, will the economy bounce back at some point? Yes. If we're in a downturn, it does comes back, and it generally comes back stronger than before. So, he may be right about that. Not many people are thinking that it is necessarily the stimulus package, these checks that are going out that are going to do that.
ROBERTS: And you got to wonder, how much more pain are we going to go through as a nation before the economy does start to go back?
VELSHI: And we know, we just had an estimate this morning that if oil stays above $100 bucks a barrel, we could see gasoline prices going from about $3.28 right now almost to $4 a barrel before Memorial Day. $4 a gallon before Memorial day. So, you know, that's $600 bucks that will disappear pretty fast.
ROBERTS: This is going to be stuff that you'll be covering on "Issue number one" today?
VELSHI: Absolutely.
ROBERTS: You, Gerri Willis, and the entire CNN economic team.
VELSHI: Anyone, we can grab. If you're around at noon, you're part of the CNN economic team.
CHETRY: Power lunch. Thanks, Ali.
ROBERTS: Yes, it's everyday this at noon Eastern, right here on CNN. CHETRY: Meanwhile, we've been talking this morning about new polling showing possible dissension in the Democratic ranks. At least two polls show more than 20% of Senator Hillary Clinton supporters and Barack Obama supporters would actually vote for Senator John McCain if their candidate does not clinch the nomination. It brings us to this morning's "Quick Vote" question.
Calling all Democrats, if your candidate doesn't win the nomination, will you vote for McCain. Right now, 47% of you saying yes, 53% say no. Cast your vote cnn.com/am. We also want to hear some of you e-mails on the topic, we'll be reading those a little bit later in the show.
ROBERTS: Yes. Some people got some pretty interesting things and some pretty heated things to say about it as well.
CHETRY: As expected, of course. Certainly a fiery topic. Meanwhile, you can watch live coverage of Barack Obama's speech, it's going to 9:15 Eastern time today on cnn.com. Hillary Clinton also speaking 10:30 Eastern time, cnn.com. Again, follow the links to the live event.
ROBERTS: Chelsea Clinton, she's on the trail campaigning for her mom. But recently when she was asked about Monica Lewinsky, she did not want to talk about it. So, who was the student who asked the question and was he out of line for asking it? What did he hope to hear? We'll ask him coming up live.
And can a bulging belly raise your risk of developing dementia down the road? We already know the risk for heart disease but we're paging Dr. Gupta for details of a new study on the brain. That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
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(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHETRY (voice-over): CNN exclusive inside Saddam's cell, Where and how he spent his final days?
Family feud.
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'll take on anybody.
CHETRY: Democrats show no sign of backing down.
BILL CLINTON, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: My family is not big on quitting.
CHETRY: And meet the student who set of Chelsea.
CHELSEA CLINTON, DAUGHTER OF SEN. CLINTON: I do not think that's any of your business.
CHETRY: The young man who asked the question, now answers ours. Live on this AMERICAN MORNING.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHETRY: And welcome. Thanks so much for being with us. A little bit later we're going to get a chance to talk to that student, Evan Strange, about exactly how he phrased it, what sort of tone he used to elicit the response from Chelsea Clinton?
ROBERTS: We're also talking this hour too with Senator Chuck Hagel who has got a brand new book out. I got it back here. "America, our next chapter." He's got some interesting things to say about the war in Iraq, and as well whether or not an independent candidacy is something that could fly in this election year here in America.
Meantime, on the subject of politics, we're about an hour away from Senator Barack Obama's speech on the number one issue for Americans, the economy. Obama is in New York this morning. He's going to be introduced by Mayor Michael Bloomberg who says his endorsement is still up for grabs. Our Suzanne Malveaux is live.
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