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American Morning
British Government Planning New Sanctions Against Zimbabwe; Deadly Workplace Shooting Overnight in Henderson, Kentucky; Taking Viral Video to New Heights; Iraq War Veteran Given a Drug to Help Quit Smoking Made Him Crazy
Aired June 25, 2008 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: But at the same time, you've got those two Muslim women who were told they couldn't sit behind the senator, that was a volunteer who did that, but Congressman Ellison is complaining about the level of outreach to Muslims.
GOV. BILL RICHARDSON (D), NEW MEXICO: Well, you know, everybody in a campaign -- look, we've been through many of them, complains that they're not getting enough attention. I don't believe that's the case, John, with the Muslim community.
Senator Obama wants to reach out to everybody. And, you know, we're a big country. We're a big, diverse nation. And, you know, the guy is trying as much as he can to work 24 hours a day. And I think all of those complaints are going to be reduced as we move into the campaign.
ROBERTS: All right. We'll keep watching. Governor Richardson, it's always great to see you. Thanks for coming on this morning. Appreciate it.
RICHARDSON: Thank you, John.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: We're at the top of the hour now.
Some of the stories we're following. We just heard from an Obama supporter about his energy policy -- Governor Richardson.
Earlier on AMERICAN MORNING, I also spoke with McCain supporter, Sen. Sam Brownback, about the difference in what the two candidates are saying.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. SAM BROWNBACK (R), KANSAS: Well, we've seen Barack Obama doing his side as saying, I want to increase taxes, I want to increase your cost, that's the way I'm going to get energy conserved. That's not the way to increase in conservation as to increase cost.
I mean, it will have a good effect for as far as reducing the demand, but that's not what the American people want. They want more supply. They want more conservation. That's the overall plan that John McCain offers that Barack Obama does not.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: McCain and Brownback both support drilling for oil off the coast of the U.S. as a way to decrease dependence on foreign oil.
Well, forecasters are expecting more rain for the northeast Missouri and the central Iowa areas today and tomorrow. Officials watching the weakest levee along the Mississippi. There are 100 homes and more than 3,000 acres of farmland that could flood if it breaks. They say the levee is so weak that a muskrat caused some water to be released just by the digging near it.
And the British government is planning new sanctions against Zimbabwe, including preventing Zimbabwe's cricket team from touring England next year. The Prime Minister Gordon Brown says that Britain will help Zimbabwe once President Robert Mugabe is out of power.
And we turn now to issue #1 -- your money. Consumer confidence right now at a 16-year low. Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan saying that the economy is on the brink of recession. The Fed is expected to make some comments on that inflation today.
And gas is at $4.07 a gallon. The House failed to pass a measure making gouging at the pump a federal crime. But some relief may finally be near. Oil analysts say that if Congress cracks down on speculation, that prices could drop and fast.
Brianna Keilar live in Washington with more on this for us.
Hi, Brianna.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Kiran. You know, what if I told you that it would only take 30 days to see the price of gas drop dramatically. Wouldn't that be nice? Well, some oil analysts testifying before Congress this week say, look no further than this building behind me.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KEILAR (voice-over): Speculation. It's a dirty word to some on Capitol Hill.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Rapacious speculation.
KEILAR: Many Democrats and Republicans worry it's driving up the price of oil and gasoline. One oil analyst says Congress stepping in is the key to cheaper gas.
REP. ED WHITFIELD (R), KENTUCKY: So you're saying if we adopt these regulatory changes, we could almost cut the retail price of gas in half in a relatively short period of time?
MICHAEL MASTERS, OIL ANALYST: My estimation, it will be within 30 days.
WHITFIELD: Within 30 days of the President's signing the bill?
MASTERS: Yes, sir.
KEILAR: Here's how speculation works. Investors, many of them public pension funds, buy oil futures to sell later at a profit. It's all done on paper. They never physically acquire any oil.
REP. BART STUPAK (D), MICHIGAN: Your pension fund manager may be using your retirement money to drive up the price of oil.
KEILAR: It's perfectly legal. And with oil prices on the rise, it's a sure way to make money. But Republicans and Democrats call some of it excessive.
SEN. JOE LIEBERMAN (R), CHAIRMAN, HOMELAND SECURITY COMMITTEE: Speculators are moving enormous amounts of money into commodities markets for the obvious purpose of making more money. But in so doing, they are artificially inflating the price of food and fuel futures, and causing real financial suffering for millions and millions of people and businesses.
KEILAR: Among the proposals, making transactions more transparent, so regulators can tell whether speculators are gaming the system. Banning hedge funds and pension funds from investing in the oil market. And slowing the speculation spiral by increasing the down payment investors must make on a contract.
Right now, they pony up just 5 or 7 percent. Compare that to the 50 percent down required to purchase stocks.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KEILAR: But some experts tell Congress making changes could do more harm than good. They say it will shift oil trading to even less regulated areas, perhaps overseas, driving up oil prices even higher and out of the reach of U.S. regulators.
Kiran?
CHETRY: All right. Brianna Keilar for us in Washington. Thanks.
ROBERTS: Breaking news in California to tell you about this morning. Eleven people, including 9 teenagers, are missing inside the Sierra National Forest about 50 miles northeast of Fresno. A command center has been set up at the Courtright Reservoir.
Police, volunteers, helicopters searching the 20-square mile area at an altitude between 9,000 and 10,000 feet. The group was last seen over the weekend. A guide says he reported them missing after they failed to show up at a designated meeting spot. The group was said to have been prepared to camp until Friday. So maybe not too many problems facing them right now.
Also new this morning, a deadly workplace shooting overnight in Henderson, Kentucky. Police say an employee shot and killed four co- workers and then himself at a plastics plant. About 35 people were working the overnight shift at the time. Police say it started with an argument between the gunman and the supervisor.
CHETRY: New this morning. Startling figures released on diabetes. 24 million Americans have the disease, nearly 8 percent of the U.S. population. Center for Disease Control and Prevention says that the 3 million person jumped between 2005 and 2007.
A new report also shows that another 57 million people have blood sugar problems and is pre-diabetes. The CDC saying that part of the increase is that more people are aware that they have diabetes.
Tiger Woods is recovering today after undergoing surgery to repair torn ligaments in his left knee. It comes just over a week after he won the U.S. Open. Doctors say with proper rehab, his knee will be strong and that there will be no long-term effects. It is the fourth surgery on his left knee and the second in just two weeks -- in 10 weeks.
ROBERTS: You're watching the "Most News in the Morning." We send Ali Velshi far and wide to look for oil. And where did he go? The world's biggest sand box. We're going to show you what he came up with.
CHETRY: Also, a ten million clicks. The viral video about a German town trying to launch a car over the Atlantic. The documentary is actually a promotion for a new BMW model. So was that all for fun or is it a fraud?
ROBERTS: And an Iraq war veteran say a drug used to treat post- traumatic stress disorder and smoking together actually made him hear voices. His surprising story, ahead. You're watching the "Most News in the Morning."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Nine minutes after the hour. Welcome back to the "Most News in the Morning." We send Ali Velshi on a hunt for more sources of energy. Right now, he is thousands of miles away from home and he is standing on top of the world's largest known reserves of oil. The problem is it's a little difficult to get to.
Ali joins us now this morning from Fort McMurray, Alberta.
Good morning, Ali.
ALI VELSHI, CNN SENIOR BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John. It is fun up here. This is a boom town largely because of those oil deposits. The oil sands of northern Alberta put out about a million barrels of oil a day. And that could increase within the next decade or so up to 4 million barrels of oil a day.
It's right under us and I'm on the banks of the Clearwater River, John, where over 200 years ago, an explorer came by, saw a film on the water, and came out and he found this on the shore. These are the oil sands. And as your can see, it's dirt.
It looks a little bit like tar. It smells like tar. Basically, it's granules of sand that are in case in bitumen. Now the bitumen is separated from the sand if they -- once they get it out of the ground. And then it's a -- the bitumen itself is like a molasses and it is process into crude oil -- synthetic crude oil. So it is available. There's lots of it in the ground here. But it is very expensive. Now this place is teeming with people. In fact, after I finish talking to you, John, we've been told to allow about two hours to drive 20 miles up to the mines. And that's where we're going to see the whole extraction process. We're going to put that on tape.
We're going to bring that back to you as part of our search for energy in places that are not obvious. So this is a lot harder and more expensive to get than drilling a hole and having oil gush out of the ground. But if you can get it, and at these prices, this bitumen and this sand can turn into the crude oil that we send to refineries and use for everything that we use gas and oil for.
John?
ROBERTS: We're looking forward to seeing a lot more on that, Ali. And how are the black flies up there, by the way?
VELSHI: Oh, I'm telling you, they are like birds. The mosquitoes and black flies are like -- we actually had to send our cameraman back because he's just been eaten alive by them.
ROBERTS: All right. Ali Velshi for us up there in Port McMurray where they say that, Kiran, the black flies are big enough that they have a business class section.
CHETRY: Sounds like fun. Oh boy, thanks, Ali. Well, 9 billion barrels and that's how much oil is estimated to be sitting underneath Los Angeles. Getting it out may drop fuel prices but, of course, environmentalists have some big concerns about it.
Also, Jacqui Jeras, is in the CNN weather center tracking weather for us. All eyes on the Midwest. Parts that were flooded out are hoping that the levees hold.
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, hopefully they will because they are so saturated, Kiran. And there's rain right where we don't need it. Find out what kind of impact that could have.
Plus, the latest on the fire conditions in California. You're watching the "Most News in the Morning."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: It's 14 minutes past the hour now. Jacqui Jeras in the CNN weather center in Atlanta watching the skies, especially over some of the areas that have been flooded out with this devastating Midwestern flood.
(WEATHER REPORT)
CHETRY: Yes. We're not blaming you.
ROBERTS: We never would. Thanks, Jacqui. You're watching the "Most News in the Morning." An Iraq war veteran given a drug to help him quit smoking and treat posttraumatic stress disorder said that drug made him crazy. And no one conducting the study warned him about the side effects. We're going to have his story for you, that's ahead.
Coming up on AMERICAN MORNING
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Today is the big day.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Taking the viral video to new heights.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You don't need to do this.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, we don't need to do it but sometimes we want to have a little fun.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: The 30-minute spoof set to launch a new car. You're watching the "Most News in the Morning."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN CHIEF TECHNOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENT CORRESPONDENT: In Chicago, even the darkest alleys are turning green. Resurface with some concrete and asphalt that leaks like a sieve on purpose.
BRIAN LUTEV, V.P. OZINGA GREEN BUILDING: It's made with the same materials as regular concrete, but it's got 20 percent voids.
O'BRIEN: The voids are there to avoid a big problem. Chicago is the ultimate alley town 1900 miles of them. The largest network in the world. And the older ones were not designed to allow storm water to naturally percolate into the ground. The new concrete does.
LUTEV: It filters through the material and microbes and fungus grow in here and it becomes a BioSystem that actually eats the oil and grease that drips off the cars or comes from the asphalt.
O'BRIEN: Older alleys sent polluted rainwater to storm drains. They get overwhelmed and that dirty water goes straight back into Lake Michigan, not so with green alleys.
LUTEV: It gets the water back in the ground. It gets it there clean so it gets the water into the ground where wells get recharged like Michigan gets recharge, and we're not overpowering the sewer system with all this storm water run off.
O'BRIEN: So far they have greened 34 Chicago alleys. 36 more are on the way. And one more thing, these lighter-colored alleys reflect a lot more light, making the city a little cooler and the alleys not so dark after all.
Miles O'Brien, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: 20 minutes after the hour. It is a wildly popular online video. Millions of people logging on to see one small town's attempt to launch a BMW over the Atlantic Ocean. It turns out, the whole thing is a fake and its part of a growing number of what are called gorilla marketing campaigns. But people watching the videos might not even know that they're trying to be sold something. So why would BMW do it?
Our Alina Cho has got the inside story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Today is the big day and all the townspeople are anxiously waiting for the world to descend upon Oberpfaffelbachen.
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Everything about this 30- minute documentary is fake. From the name of the Bavarian town to its corky inhabitants, to the far-fetched concept of catapulting, a BMW from Germany to the United States. It's part of an ad campaign to launch BMW's latest car in the U.S. market.
(on camera): BMW is a brand name. You don't need to do this.
JACK PITNEY, VP MARKETING, BMW NORTH AMERICA: No, we don't need to do it. But sometimes you want to have a little fun along the way.
CHO (voice-over): And fun, even if over the top, creates buzz.
PITNEY: We never try demographically, we always focus psycho- graphically.
CHO: And what does that mean?
PITNEY: It means what kind of mindset do we think this vehicle will really resonate with. In the end, it could be an 18-year-old and it could be an 80-year-old.
CHO: Sure.
PITNEY: But if they had share a similar mindset, we think we've got the right car.
CHO: Wow.
But experts say companies need to be careful.
REUBEN HENDELL, CEO MRM WORLDWIDE: If you kind of get too corky or a little too obtuse with what you're trying to say, people would just might mess the whole idea. CHO: Or scare people like this Internet ad that showed cell phones popping popcorn. Making people wonder if cell phones can be damaging to the brain. That ad was also a hoax.
(on camera): So if this whole thing is fake and you're not telling your customers it's fake, is that really a good idea?
PITNEY: Obviously, we're not trying to in anyway hide or conceal the fact that we're behind it, which is why we're talking today.
CHO (voice-over): Today, yes. But it was on the Internet for months, before the car company admitted it was theirs. BMW says it's been a hit getting 10 million views.
And just for the record, you cannot launch a one series from Germany to the U.S. It won't happen?
PITNEY: Well, we're not going to do it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHO: You know, I never thought they actually could do it. BMW, by the way, continue to joke the joke, if you will. They created Web sites for the fictional town of Oberpfaffelbachen. I love saying that, don't you?
Even created a Facebook page for several of the characters including the fictional filmmaker who actually ended up with 800 Facebook friends. And when we call the ad agency asking for a company of the DVD for the mockumentary, they sent us the DVD. But John, they also sent us this.
A beer mug that says,"Visit the gigantish ramp in Oberpfaffelbachen." And then, all rage, now. This T-shirt, which says, "The ramp." But you know, again, BMW not on any of these products. You don't see an actual BMW in the mockumentary until about 30 minutes in.
ROBERTS: It's all about creating buzz, though, isn't it?
CHO: Yes, it is. And you know what, it's working. 10 million hits, they say. And two-thirds of the new car, the 1-series, are already pre-sold.
ROBERTS: And what was it about the fake teeth that didn't just give this whole thing away is a joke. Hey, speaking of viral marketing campaigns, we found one this morning that we wanted to share with folks. This one is particularly fun. Take a look at this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Also a strike to count to Brent Johnson, one out, top of the seventh inning. (INAUDIBLE) two to Cuomo one. Santos in a jam. Johnson, his first year at AAA from the shoddy deal. That's (INAUDIBLE). Deep down the left field line toward the corner and this ball is going to be.
It's not Jake Long. That's the ball's girl. Jake Long, left field, can't believe it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Let's watch the replay of the catch there. This is terrific.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Take that, Jake. I don't see you making the effort. Alphonso, the catcher.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Everybody is a God. Oh my God. How did she catch that? Look! Here we go!
Matrix action there. That's an ad for Gatorade. We particularly love that one.
CHO: Right. Alas, it is not real.
ROBERTS: All right. Thank you.
CHO: You bet.
ROBERTS: Boy, oh boy. Unbelievable stuff.
Kiran?
CHETRY: All right. Well, North Korea says it will blow up part of a nuclear reactor. Our own Christiane Amanpour is on her way there to watch it. She's going to preview her trip inside of North Korea, ahead.
Also, billions of barrels of oil in Los Angeles -- under homes, under ball fields, even at campus at Beverly Hills High. See how the city is dealing with some of the proposals to maybe cash in on the new rush.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: An Iraq war veteran given the drug to help him quit smoking. He said the drug drove him crazy and that he was never warned of the side effects. Brian Todd has his story.
Brian?
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John and Kiran. One veteran says he became so disoriented when he took a drug that was given to him as part of this VA study that he had a 20-minute confrontation with police that nearly killed him. This particular medication has become very controversial in the treatment of veterans.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TODD (voice-over): James Elliott would rather light up than use the medication he says was given to him to stop smoking. The drug is called Chantix. Elliot, an Iraq war veteran, says he was prescribed it as part of a broad study on whether to treat posttraumatic stress disorder and smoking together. The study's overseen by the Department of Veterans' Affairs.
Here's what Elliott said Chantix did to him.
JAMES ELLIOTT, IRAQ WAR VETERAN: Hearing voices, you know, in my head. I -- you know, situations like that, you know, auditory hallucinations, visual hallucinations and general paranoia.
TODD: He says he started taking the drug in early November of last year. A couple of weeks later, the Food and Drug Administration and the manufacturer, Pfizer, notified health care providers, including the VA, about possible side effects, including depressed mood and suicidal behavior.
And they sent an even stronger warning on February 1st of this year. Saying, it appears increasingly likely that there's an association between Chantix and serious neuropsychiatric symptoms.
Did anybody at the VA or anywhere else tell you about the warnings of this about this particular drug?
ELLIOTT: No, not at all. Zero percent. Zero warnings about that.
TODD: On February 5th of this year Elliott says he snapped, confronted by his fiancee about his erratic behavior, he said he went to visit a friend walking down the street armed with a handgun.
ELLIOTT: Before I got there, the police arrived. And according to the police report -- I don't -- I don't remember this at all. But I had this 20-minute standoff with those guys.
TODD: The police tasered Elliott. He says they saved his life. Elliott said it wasn't until a couple of weeks after that standoff that the VA told him and others in the study about the possible side effects of Chantix. Elliott says he feels betrayed and the congressman that oversees the VA is investigating.
REP. BOB FILNER (D), VETERANS' AFFAIRS CHAIRMAN: This is the life and death of our children. They should have moved immediately. They should have -- as I said, call everybody up and suspend the study until we figure out what is going on.
TODD: But the study is still going on with more than 140 veterans being given Chantix. We asked the VA's top research official why.
DR. JOEL KUPERSMITH, DEPT. OF VETERANS AFFAIRS: Leave it to the mental health professionals who in our case are the world's leading authorities to determine whether this is the right treatment for the patient or not.
TODD: Dr. Joel Kupersmith says Chantix has proven effective against smoking. ABC News and "The Washington Times" which first reported the story quote one of the leaders of the VA as saying there's no proof that James Elliott's breakdown was caused by Chantix. Elliott believes there was no other cause. The VA says it sent all warnings immediately to doctors. We asked should it have told Elliott.
KUPERSMITH: We, you know, sent all these communications to providers. The providers communicate with their patients.
TODD: Dr. Kupersmith says that he could not talk about James Elliot's specific case, citing patient-doctor confidentiality. Elliot gave us the name of his provider. We called and e-mailed the doctor repeatedly but did not get a reply.
Officials with Pfizer, the manufacturer of Chantix tells CNN, they've been completely transparent with the FDA and with healthcare providers about the possible side effects of Chantix. They say they stand behind the overall safety of the drugs saying the benefits for smokers far outweigh the risks. And they say they're continuing to monitor its use.
Meanwhile, the V.A. is sending out letters to 32,000 veterans who were prescribed Chantix, warning them about the possible side effects. John and Kiran, back to you.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN, ANCHOR: Ryan Todd for us. Very interesting feature.
ROBERTS: Yes, definitely.
30 minutes after the hour now. And here's some of the top stories that we're following for you right now. A bill to outlaw gas price gouging may be dead in the water. House democrats fail to get the two-thirds vote needed to resurrect the measure that would have made it a federal crime. That bill would have imposed up to $2 million in fines and possible jail time for violators.
Minnesota's transportation commissioner rejecting the report that suggests money problems may have been a factor in last year's deadly bridge collapse. The report delivered a harsh assessment of maintenance before the I-35w bridge collapse in Minneapolis killing 13 people. The official tells state law makers that bridge safety was not compromised by funding considerations.
And Barack Obama asking his money people to help Hillary Clinton repay some of her campaign debt. Clinton owes about $22 million, in all. But $12 million is money she loaned herself. And in an exclusive interview with CNN, Obama praised his former rival.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Senator Clinton has been a larger-than-life figure in democratic politics and American politics, even before she ran for presidency. Her candidacy only enhanced her stature. She ran an extraordinary campaign. She garnered, not just votes, but the passion and support of so many millions of people. She's going to be a force to be reckoned with, not only in the Senate, but hopefully, if I'm successful, in the White House, she's going to be one of my key partners in making sure that we're moving forward on issues like health care that she cares so deeply about.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: A call for unity there, from Senator Obama. And interestingly enough, Senator Clinton and Obama had their first joint campaign appearance Friday in Unity, New Hampshire.
Major steps expected this week in the nuclear standoff with North Korea. The North says it will blow up part of a key nuclear reactor on Friday. Our chief international correspondent Christiane Amanpour is going to be there for the big event on Friday. Right now, the worldwide resources of CNN, bring us all the way to Beijing, live where Christiane is standing by. Good morning from here, good evening to you there.
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good evening to you, John. And indeed North Korea is about to make an important stride in from the cold. It's going to hand over its nuclear declaration, long awaited. It should have done so in the end of 2007. Nonetheless, it will do so here in Beijing tomorrow, Thursday. After that, President Bush will remove North Korea, from the list that the U.S. has of states that sponsor terrorism. And remove some of the sanctions that are imposed on North Korea. And then, as a gesture of intent, also a highly symbolic, highly psychological gesture, in Pyongyang. They will implode, collapse that distinctive cooling tower that denotes the nuclear reactor, which is at Yongbyon. And that, according to analysts, is very significant because, including American nuclear scientists who visited Yongbyon several times over the last several years, do believe that the disabling process that we witnessed there, is very serious and is being done with goodwill. And blowing up the tower will make it that much more difficult for any kind of restart if they so intended of the Yongbyon process, John.
ROBERTS: But Christiane, how can American officials be absolutely certain that North Korea is coming clean about all this? I mean, after all, we saw the agreement back in the early 1990s, which North Korea cheated on.
AMANPOUR: Well, American officials and the others say 'look, it's not up to trust. It's up to verify.' They're insisting on a very stiff regime of verification. And that this is a process that doesn't just end, with this two-day event, that starts tomorrow with the handover of the actual nuclear activities declaration, and then, the blowing up of the tower. There's more processes to go through, including, not just disabling but dismantling Yongbyon and then handing over the plutonium that was extracted from Yongbyon including the plutonium that was used to make several weapons. And you know, North Korea did in fact test fire one back in 2006. But the process has most certainly moved forward. And today, analysts are saying, and including as I said those nuclear experts, who are American nuclear experts, believe that North Korea intends, now, to complete this process. And it wants all the reciprocal measures that it's got from the United States. And more of a plan as the process continues.
ROBERTS: We will see if they follow through. And we're looking forward to your reporting from North Korea later on this week. Christiane Amanpour this morning in Beijing. Christiane, thanks.
CHETRY: Also new this morning, the head of the U.N.'s food agency, saying food prices are going to stay high and the only way to solve the growing world food crisis is to increase food production. And among the things he's blaming for the food shortage, climate change, and the use of food for energy.
New York City says many ground zero workers are not as sick as their lawsuits claim. Lawyers completed an initial review of medical records of nearly 10,000 workers. And they say as many as three in ten had only common problems, like a runny nose or a cough and no specific illness was ever diagnosed. In many cases, records were incomplete. Lawyers for the workers say the city's review is inaccurate.
And a warning for hospitals using wireless systems to track equipment. New studies say the signals could cause deadly disruptions in breathing and dialysis machines and external pacemakers. Dutch researchers found the problem during more than 120 tests in an Amsterdam hospital. An American Patient Safety experts says hospitals should take action immediately.
ROBERTS: 36 minutes after the hour. Drilling for oil under Los Angeles. Companies looking for new ways to ease environmental concerns. So, can they get access to more than nine million barrels said to be under la la land.
And she went in for a simple doctor's appointment. Seconds later, she suffered a stroke.
Our Dr. Sanjay Gupta on what you need to know about your doctor's degree. You're watching the most news in the morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Wow. Theme from "The O.C." who knew? 39 minutes after the hour. California's home to Hollywood movers and shakers. But it's what's beneath the Simi underbelly of tinsel town that could be the real star. Billions and billions of barrels of crude. Oil companies want access to it. But it could be a tough sell. Our Ted Rowlands take a look this morning is here now.
TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kiran and John, it may not look like it, but we are in the heart of Los Angeles. And as you can see behind me, oil pumps are working away, in the shadow of traffic and homes. The bottom line is California is home to huge oil reserves. But because so many people live here, oil companies have to go to incredible lengths to bring the oil to the surface.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROWLANDS (voice-over): Driving along Pico Boulevard in Los Angeles, you wouldn't know it, but inside that building with the tower, there is a working oil drill, hoping to produce more than the 900 barrels of oil a day. Take a look at this building from the street. Now, look at it from above. Across Los Angeles, oil production blends into urban life, some of it hidden, some of it out in the open. It's in neighborhoods near baseball fields. Even, Beverly Hills High School, has oil pumping on campus, disguised as a work of art.
DR. IRAJ ERSHAGI, UNIV. OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA: More than two thirds is on the ground.
ROWLANDS: Dr. Iraj Ershaghi is the director of Petroleum and Engineering at U.S.C. He estimates there's more than nine billion barrels to of oil still to be had in the Los Angeles basin. A real opportunity to reduce imports which he says should not be lost.
ERSHAGHI: It took millions of years to cook that stuff under ground. And you can't just walk away from it.
ROWLANDS: The map showed a significant part of the Los Angeles basin is rich in oil but with so many people living here, getting to it without disrupting lives or the environment requires facilities like the one on Pico. Here, an electric not diesel drilled does the work. It's capable of going thousands of feet down and up to a mile in any direction.
GREG BROWN, BREITBURN ENERGY PARTNERS: The technology is here to do this sort of facility in ways that are environmentally very sensitive.
ROWLANDS: Greg Brown of Breitburn Energy says resistance to drilling usually comes from cities and neighborhoods. The state is encouraging more drilling, as long as all the environmental concerns are addressed.
BRIDGETT LUTHER, CALIF. CONSERVATOR DIRECTOR: What kind of noise is going to come out of that drill? What is the air pollution like? You know, what kind of engines are they using that might be polluting?
ROWLANDS: Oil drilling has a long history in California which includes a track record of spills, accidents and greed. As depicted in the movie "There will be Blood." While many people are worried about more drilling, it's coming. More than 4,000 applications have been filed already this year, for new wells or opening old ones. That's up from a total of 3,000 last year. Oil companies says with more wells, imports go down tax revenues and jobs go up. And the companies promise not to disturb the neighborhood. Ted Rowlands, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHETRY: can you imagine? What's that noise, honey? Oh, they're just drilling for oil, in our backyard.
ROBERTS: I'm amazed that, a lot of people talk about this, the drills can go down, go out like and then snake around. How do they do that?
CHETRY: I don't know. Somebody paid them $300 million to invent it.
ROBERTS: We should do a story on that. I like that.
CHETRY: Well, CNN NEWSROOM just minutes away. Heidi Collins at the CNN Center with a look at what's ahead. Good morning, Heidi.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Kiran. That's right. In the NEWSROOM rundown this morning, North Carolina police calling the death of a pregnant marine suspicious. Her body found at this motel near Ft. Bragg.
And the sandbags are in place. The Mississippi cresting today at Winfield, Missouri. The town's one remaining levee at high risk now.
One commuter beating high gas prices by kayaking to work. Eight- hours, round-trip, across Washington's Puget Sound.
Also, nine teenage hikers missing in the Sierra Nevadas. The search in the NEWSROOM. Top of the hour right here on CNN. Kiran.
CHETRY: Heidi, thanks.
ROBERTS: Change one baby at a time. A website, promises Barack Obama will kiss your baby. You just have to mail your kid to them. That's all. Not much. Our Jeanne Moos investigates as only she can.
And a patient has a stroke after chiropractic treatment. Is it a coincidence or is there a connection between cervical manipulation and possible problems with blood vessels? We're "Paging Dr. Gupta" this morning. Hey, Sanjay.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, John. The story you're going to hear is remarkable and it is rare, thankfully. What happens to the blood vessels here in the neck, when a manipulation is performed. I'm going to show you what happens and also more importantly how you might avoid it. That's coming up on AMERICAN MORNING. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Well, imagine you go to your chiropractor to get your neck treated and you end up with a stroke. Well, it sounds to be quite a rare event. But according to recent data, hundreds of people say they suffered strokes, sometime after having their necks manipulated to relieve pain. Chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, joins us from Atlanta now with more. How can this happen, Sanjay?
GUPTA: Well, you know, if you look at the anatomy, the neck is a very fragile area. Let me just show you really quickly here, Kiran. You have lots of bones. And on these red - these red structures are blood vessels. Imagine, you manipulating your neck around, you could possibly injure the blood vessels. Take, for example, the story of Britt Harwe who at the age of 26, suffer what is loosely called, a chiropractic stroke.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GUPTA: Britt Harwe hasn't always been this way. A stroke left her weak on one side, unable to eat or swallow, and blind in one eye. She blames it on a simple visit to her chiropractor.
BRITT HARWE, STROKE VICTIM: And did the manipulation, immediately. I felt a rushing in my head, a sound. I couldn't speak.
GUPTA: Doctors say Britt suffered from a vertebral basilar stroke, caused by excessive neck manipulation to the spinal column.
DR. MICHAEL BATIPPS, NEUROLOGY, WASHINGTON HOSPITAL CTR.: The manipulation of the neck should be done by someone who is very expert in it and someone who knows how to take the proper precautions.
GUPTA: Many chiropractors successfully use this form of therapy, to ease neck pains. But sometimes, when the neck is improperly twisted, the bones that protect the vertebral arteries that go up the back of the neck can pinch or snap, causing a kink in those arteries. They can produce blood clots. Once they become loose, they travel to the brain, causing a stroke.
BATIPPS: Because not only is there the theoretical possibility of kinking the vertebral artery, which is somewhat rare. There's also the possibility, of kinking the spinal cord.
GUPTA: Advocacy groups say stroke caused by neck manipulation though still rare, is on the rise because of the use of chiropractic treatment is also on the rise. The American Chiropractic Association is aware of the problem and has updated its website with consumer information on what to look for in a licensed chiropractor.
KEVIN CORCORAN, AMERICAN CHIROPRATIC ASSN.: This is part of an ongoing campaign we have, to ensure that patients understand all the risks and all the opportunities of chiropractic care.
GUPTA: Britt sued her doctor and settled out of court. She is now involved with the Chiropractic Stroke Awareness Group. That's an organization that alerts people of the risk of stroke in chiropractic care.
Licensed chiropractors are required to attend in an accredited chiropractic school for two to four years. And take state-approved exams. The group reminds that chiropractors are not medical doctors and don't have to pass the same tests as physicians in order to hang up a shingle.
HARWE: People need to know that when you're using the title doctor, is it a medical degree? That's why it's so important that they need to specify that they're doctors of chiropractic.
GUPTA: A fact that Britt believes could have changed her life had she known that more than decade ago.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GUPTA: I want to make it clear that licensed chiropractors are trained professionals who can very successfully treat pain and they do in lots of patients across the country, across the world but these sorts of stories do happen as Britt Harwe showed us.
CHETRY: Then, how do you know if you're going to a reliable chiropractor? GUPTA: Well, you know, I mean there are - there is a licensing boards just like there is with most medical professions. And you know, you have to pass exams. You can actually go to most public websites now and find out if your chiropractor is in fact licensed. You can also find out in some cases if they've been sued in the past, and for what. I think more importantly, you know, if you're going to a chiropractor, just your gut instincts. Look, if they're asking you questions about your other medical problems, if they're getting x-rays before they do manipulations. Those are all good signs. If they're sort of rushing into manipulations without doing any of that stuff, that's a little bit more cause for concern.
CHETRY: All right. Sanjay, thank you. You know, we turn now to our legal analyst for a look at your rights when you visit a chiropractor. And if they're not medical doctors in a typical sense, can they be sued for malpractice?
SUNNY HOSTIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Well, they absolutely can be sued. And they are medical professionals as Sanjay said. But it is a common misconception that because they aren't medical doctors per se that they can't be sued. And we did check with the American Chiropractor Association. And this is what they had to say about their training.
"Chiropractic physicians earn a doctor of chiropractic degree upon graduation from one of 18 accredited degree programs. Under federal stature, all doctors of chiropractic are considered physicians in Medicare and doctor of chiropractics are legally deemed chiropractic physicians in an overwhelmingly majority of states." So, they are required, Kiran, to have medical malpractice insurance. They do have that and they have been sued.
CHETRY: How do you sue? Let's say down the road you have a stroke, how do you prove that it was because you got a chiropractic treatment?
HOSTIN: Well, there are usually two basis of liability for any medical professional. One is that they breached the standard of care. The standard of chiropractic care on this type of situation. But two, sort of a lack of informed consent. They didn't tell the patient that there are particular risks. And I want to explain to the viewer what informed consent is. A patient must have capacity to reason and make judgments. The decision must be made voluntarily and without concern. The patient must have a clear understanding of risks and benefits. And that's where this has sort of become a legal issue because many chiropractors are saying, listen this chiropractic stroke is a very, very rare occurrence. And so, we don't have to inform patients of this but I think that is changing. But those certainly are the two basis of legal liability.
CHETRY: Very interesting. Sunny, thank you. You can e-mail Sunny, by the way, your questions, your legal questions. Drop her a line at Sunnyslaw@cnn.com. You can log on to our website cnn.com/am and she answers your e-mails every Friday.
ROBERTS: 53 minutes after the hour, sealed with a kiss. If you can't make it to a Barack Obama rally with your infant, no worries. Jeanne Moos explores the new mailing option. Forgetting the candidate to kiss your baby.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: How about it? Billy Idol. "Cradle of Love." I saw this one live in concert. Pretty cool. I love Billy Idol, too.
ROBERTS: I haven't seen Billy Idol since 1983. Apparently, he's still out there, though.
CHETRY: Yes, e is.
ROBERTS: Steve Stevens is, what? 90?
CHETRY: Probably. He keeps on singing.
Well, it's common practice on the campaign trail to shake hands and of course, to kiss the babies. Barack Obama not only leading in the polls but he's way ahead in baby smooching.
ROBERTS: And if you can't make it to an Obama rally with your child, you can ship your infant to get kissed by Barack or at least pretend to. Jeanne Moos explains how.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, kids. Don't you know that's the head of a potential presidential touching. Don't pull his nose. Not that Barack Obama minds.
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: After kissing hundreds of babies.
MOOS: It's routine by now. Babies adorn with Obama stickers, try to nap. Parents hand over the baby. The Senator gives him or her a kiss and a smile. Occasionally, the parents brag about it on youtube. But imagine what this madness feels like to the baby.
It's a wonder they don't all sob. Well, it's true some of them do. This father of two is pretty adept at making faces but for supporters who can't make it to an Obama event, have we got a website for you. Sendbarackyourbaby, package and ship your baby in a well padded box, fill out the packing slip, what would you like Senator Obama to do with your baby? Kiss, hug, give hope?
Here's hoping you're not taking this sendbarackyourbaby stuff seriously. Frequently asked questions include how will you return my baby? Most babies are back home in 14 business days. Not quite as quick as an in-person kiss.
OBAMA: I'm going to kiss that one right there. That's a cute one there.
MOOS: A 22-year-old web designer named Kareem Shayad, dreamed up this one no joke website. He's a lukewarm Obama supporter. We've had no reports of anyone actually sending a real infant but if you do, don't forget to bubble wrap your baby. OK. So shipping a baby is out of the question. But people really do let their babies body surf to Obama.
OBAMA: There you go. Start passing the baby up.
MOOS: The kid go from hand-to-hand on the way up then hand-to-hand on the way back. By the way, we're not giving John McCain equal time in the baby kissing department because we can't find examples. We did once interview a guy who had his baby pose with every candidate he could. And he said McCain was a natural. Even when the baby Dahlia cried.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He made a joke that there goes another vote.
MOOS: And though the babies w won't remember any of this, for the parents it's such a four-exclamation point moment.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE; Obama! Obama!
MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTS: I love the baby surfing thing, through the crowd.
CHETRY: You really have to have a lot of faith. You just hand your newborn to a crowd of cheering political supporters.
ROBERTS: Well, you got one, would you do it?
CHETRY: Heck, no. Only if we were standing this close.
ROBERTS: Great to see the art of baby kissing is still very much alive and well, even in 2008.
That's going to do it for us. We will see you again tomorrow morning. Thanks so much for joining us today.
CHETRY: CNN NEWSROOM with Tony Harris and Heidi Collins begins right now.
