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Campbell Brown
Can President Obama Save the Planet?; U.S. Strategy in Afghanistan?
Aired September 22, 2009 - 20:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CAMPBELL BROWN, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Tonight, here are the questions we want answered.
Can President Obama save the planet?
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Our generation's response to this challenge will be judged by history. We risk consigning future generations to an irreversible catastrophe.
BROWN: Hot talk about global warming, but is going green falling off the political agenda?
Will pulling out of Afghanistan lead to another terrorist attack in the U.S.? A new warning for President Obama from Condoleezza Rice.
And is John Edwards about to confess he fathered a child with his mistress?
ELIZABETH EDWARDS, WIFE OF FORMER SENATOR JOHN EDWARDS: I hope, for the sake of this child, that -- that it happens, you know in, a quiet way.
BROWN: Could Edwards face criminal charges over money paid to his ex-mistress? New developments in the sex scandal that destroyed his career.
Also, you have got to see this, the rapping doctor and his prescription for H1N1.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (singing): Never sick again from the H1N1.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANNOUNCER: This is your only source for news. CNN prime time begins now. Here's Campbell Brown.
BROWN: Hey there, everybody.
Those are the big questions tonight. But we start as we always do with the "Mash-Up." It is our look at all the stories making an impact right now and the moments you may have missed today. We are watching it all so you don't have to. And we have new developments tonight to tell you about on the federal government's widening investigation into a suspected terrorist plot, more arrests expected as the feds call for increased vigilance at a wide array of major public venues.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE BROOKS, CNN SECURITY ANALYST: I call these vigilance alerts. International, domestic and lone wolf terrorists have considered stadiums and arenas as targets. Then they go on to talk about al Qaeda training manuals, specifically lists blasting and destroying the places of amusement, immorality and sin.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The fact that these Homeland Security advisories are so general covering such a wide range of places is a clear sign that investigators still don't know what the actual target was.
ERIC HOLDER, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: I think we have disrupted that which they planned. And it's not totally clear to us at this point what it is they had in mind.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In New York and Denver, scores of police and federal agents have been checking companies that sell the kinds of materials listed on the laptop of Najibullah Zazi as potential bomb ingredients to see if he or others suspected in the plot bought any of the supplies.
DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The big concern, the big implication, according to this source, is that those terrorists, if they are terrorists, may have bomb-making material in large quantities that is either stored or ready to move.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: A source familiar with the investigation tells CNN the feds are zeroing on about a dozen suspects -- three men already under arrest tonight, all of Afghan origin.
Speaking of Afghanistan, strong words tonight from Senator John McCain, who says he's never seen such a disconnect between the White House and military leaders. McCain accusing the president of brushing aside recommendations from the war zone commander, General Stanley McChrystal, who is warning, without more American boots on the ground, the war will be lost.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: It's well known that the White House has told General McChrystal not to send his recommendations on troop levels. If you don't have a recommendation on the troop levels that will be necessary to implement a strategy, then how do you decide on the strategy?
I know I sound a little frustrated. And I apologize for doing so. But any leader, to make the best decisions, need a maximum amount of information. The worst decisions we find out in history is when leaders are not well-informed and don't understand the situation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: McCain is now demanding that General McChrystal appear before Congress with a progress report. And that's a call being echoed by both Republicans and Democrats.
Meanwhile, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice herself also speaking out on the importance of following through in Afghanistan, her very stark warning, that failure will open us up to another 9/11.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CONDOLEEZZA RICE, FORMER U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: The last time we left Afghanistan after we had helped the Afghans overthrow Soviet power at the end of the 1980s, when we left Afghanistan and when we abandoned Pakistan, that territory became the very territory on which al Qaeda trained and attacked us on September 11.
And so our national security interests are very much tied up in not letting Afghanistan fail again and become a safe haven for terrorists. It's that simple. If you want another terrorist attack in the United States, abandon Afghanistan.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: Rice was speaking in San Diego. That was last week at "Fortune" magazine's Most Powerful Women Summit.
In New York today, a photo-op with a bit of a deja vu feel, an American president orchestrating a warmish handshake between Israeli and Palestinian leaders. Feel the love, maybe? President Obama's tone, though, impatient and insistent, urging the parties to stop stalling and start talking peace.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: Despite all the obstacles, despite all the history, despite all the mistrust, we have to find a way forward. We have to summon the will to break the deadlock that has trapped generations of Israelis and Palestinians in an endless cycle of conflict and suffering. We cannot continue the same pattern of taking tentative steps forward and then stepping back.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: The president is asking Israeli and Palestinian negotiators to sit down in Washington next week. So, is peace at hand?
On the CNN's "SITUATION ROOM" today, Wolf Blitzer put that question to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Mr. Prime Minister, a year from now, will there be an agreement, a peace treaty, if you will, between the Israelis and the Palestinians?
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: Well, I think -- I don't want to set a timetable on it or a stopwatch. But the sooner we get going, the sooner we will get an agreement.
The main obstacle to peace is the persistent refusal to recognize Israel as the Jewish state. If we're asked to recognize the Palestinian state as the nation state of the Palestinian people, then the least we expect from the Palestinians is to come right out and say, yes. You know, it's over.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: President Obama has asked Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to deliver a progress report on the peace talks coming up next month.
President Obama of course in town for the annual U.N. General Assembly, his day, a blur, rushing from meeting to meeting, speech to speech. Here is the snapshot.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID LETTERMAN, HOST, "THE LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN": I was looking at your itinerary for the day, and the activities and the stops and the visits. And it just makes me dizzy.
OBAMA: Even of us must do what we can, when we can, to grow our economies without endangering our planet.
LETTERMAN: It just makes me dizzy.
OBAMA: It is absolutely critical that we get this issue resolved. It's not just critical for the Israelis and the Palestinians. It's critical for the world. It is in the interests of the United States.
LETTERMAN: Dizzy. Dizzy.
OBAMA: Just as no nation can wall itself off from the world, no one nation, no matter how large, no matter how powerful, can meet these challenges alone.
LETTERMAN: Dizzy. Dizzy. Dizzy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: The president addresses the U.N. General Assembly tomorrow morning. Much more on his agenda tonight, including his call for international action on climate change.
Rain tapering off in the Southeast, but residents in the flood zone not breathing easy just yet. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right now the rain has stopped. That is something that people are very thankful for. But the problem is, we're expecting more rain in the future.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The death toll here in Georgia is at least eight, with a suspected ninth fatality up in Tennessee, where a man has been missing since Sunday night. And, as you can tell, the sun came out today, though it is far from picture-perfect.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Across this region, many homeowners will have to start over. Nearly 20 inches of rain in a few short days was just too much.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A toddler swept from his father's arms after a surging creek crushed their mobile home. Two-year-old Slade Crawford's body was found several hours later. Murky brown water swamped neighborhoods and turned Six Flags into a water park.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: Flood warnings remain in effect in six states., Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Florida.
And now from Florida flooding to some Florida fools, a group of police officers caught on tape searching the home of a convicted drug dealer, not exactly hardboiled detective work. Check this out.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Drug raids are intense. Police don't always know what they might encounter on the other side of the door. But that doesn't appear to be the case with this raid in Florida. Officers storm the house of a drug suspect.
And within about 20 minutes, they begin to play the suspect's Nintendo Wii game system. The game of choice? Wii bowling. Folks, you just can't make this stuff up.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: Police officials say the cops on the tape could face discipline. I would say so.
And now the moment you have all been waiting for, the Hammer himself dancing with the stars, words here wholly unnecessary. Just watch. Well. Unfortunately, Congressman DeLay's performance not doing a lot for the show's ratings. They are down from last year. But, hey, he is working it. And it's got to be more fun than dealing with that indictment down in Texas.
And that brings us to the "Punchline," courtesy of Conan O'Brien, who never gets tired of tweaking George W. Bush.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) CONAN O'BRIEN, HOST, "LATE NIGHT WITH CONAN O'BRIEN": According to a new book that's coming out, former President Bush secretly supports gay marriage. That's right. Yes, Bush said, if Bert and Ernie can make it work, anyone can.
(LAUGHTER)
O'BRIEN: That's true. Yes. That's a quote.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: Conan O'Brien, everybody.
And that is the "Mash-Up."
Tonight's big question, is John Edwards about to confess that he is, in fact, the father of his mistress' child and will he face criminal charges for giving her money during the campaign?
Plus, world leaders making dire warnings about global climate change today, but is there enough political will to do anything about it?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: Climate change was at the top of the agenda at the U.N. today. Now, one world leader after another spoke in favor of some kind of climate accord. But can talk actually translate into action? Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: The president said the U.S. is a serious partner in the battle against global warming. And he said we all will be held accountable by what we do now.
OBAMA: Our generation's response to this challenge will be judged by history, for, if we fail to meet it boldly, swiftly and together, we risk consigning future generations to an irreversible catastrophe.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Also making the headlines are comments made by the Chinese president, President Hu -- President Hu announcing some very ambitious plans. He said that his country basically would be looking to get 15 percent of its energy needs from renewable sources within the next decade.
HU JINTAO, CHINESE PRESIDENT (through translator): Global climate change has a profound impact on the survival and development of mankind.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: You know, it's been awhile since global warming got this much attention. Remember when everybody seemed to be going green? What happened? Has global warming really fallen off of our radar screens?
Joining me now, a couple of guys who would like to change that, Bill Nye, the Science Guy, and actor and environmentalist Ed Begley Jr., who is host of the reality show "Living With Ed" on the Planet Green channel.
Hey, guys. Welcome.
ED BEGLEY JR., ACTOR: Thank you for having us on.
BILL NYE, THE SCIENCE GUY: It's good to see you.
BROWN: Well, Bill, let me start with you here.
The president urging the world to act quickly. We also just heard this pretty powerful speech on climate change from the Chinese president today. Do you think governments around the world finally coming to grips now with the enormity of the crisis?
NYE: No.
I think we still have -- we are the technologically most advanced country in the world, and we still lag behind. We still -- there's a very good chance that the country of China will outproduce us in, for example, solar panels, directly from sunlight to electricity.
We -- in the United States we, in my view, should be doing a great deal more as leaders. But the reason I think that climate change fell off the radar, as you said, the last couple years, is because of the presidential election. Now that that's squared away, we can maybe refocus this thing. And really it could be a world -- it is going to be a world-changing thing.
BROWN: And I know, Ed, that's kind of what you're trying to do with your show is refocus it here -- or attention on the issue. And you make some pretty extreme life changes to minimize your impact on the environment. But how many of those are realistic for average people?
BEGLEY: You know, when I started this in 1970, Campbell, I did all the cheap and easy stuff first. I was a broke actor in 1970. I didn't have a lot of money. So, I picked the low-hanging fruit first and did what I could. Right now, those choices abound for folks, energy-efficient lighting, LED lighting, energy-saving thermostat, weather stripping around your doors and windows.
I didn't do broke buying solar panels I couldn't afford in 1970. I didn't buy my first electric solar system until 1990, 20 years later. But I bought solar hot water, for instance, in 1985. That's much cheaper. I did what I could. I behaved in a fiscally responsible manner. And there's so many things we can do today that we can afford that will make a huge difference.
BROWN: All right, show us a couple of things.
NYE: The biggest source of energy... BROWN: Yes, hold that thought, Bill, because I want Ed to just very quickly while he's talking about this just show us a couple of things. I know he's got this barbecue that's kind of special behind you.
NYE: Oh.
(LAUGHTER)
BEGLEY: Solar oven. This was a little earlier in the day. It was up to 350 degrees. And I made some lunch in it. The solar panels are still putting out power above me. Up above me there, there's some solar electric photovoltaic panels that are putting out plenty of power to run my house and charge my electric car.
Over here, we have a cistern (INAUDIBLE) bell. There's a cistern for collecting water. I collect my rainwater there. That's a very inexpensive way to do things. But there's many things that people can do. Growing your own food is a great way to go, no pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, very good way. Make my own compost on site, make my own plant food right here.
So, do the cheap and easy stuff first. That's what I did in 1970. And many people want to do that today to clean up the air in Houston and L.A., to lessen our dependence on Mideast oil, and put money in our pocket.
BROWN: Right.
BEGLEY: And, oh, by the way, it's going to help global climate change, right, Bill?
NYE: Exactly.
BROWN: And, Bill, I know you guys are neighbors and you're actually somewhat competitive about who can be the most green. And I read, Bill, that you...
BEGLEY: Competitive? Moi?
NYE: Crush him like a bug.
(LAUGHTER)
BROWN: No, you were able to get your electricity bill down to 20 bucks a month; is that right?
(CROSSTALK)
NYE: Well, mine's $7 a month. But he's got...
(CROSSTALK)
BEGLEY: I have got more people here. But I have got an electric car.
You have got an electric car now, too, so it's going to be interesting.
(CROSSTALK)
BROWN: All right, a more serious question, Bill. Bottom-line this for us. Is climate change and dealing with the issue the responsibility of governments, I mean, given the how massive the problem is...
NYE: Absolutely.
BROWN: ... or of individuals?
NYE: Well, it's -- here's my belief now, having spent another five years with it. We have to do everything all at once.
Now, with regard to government, you could pass a regulation -- here in California, it's proposed to have a regulation to not allow televisions to use too much energy. It turns out modern plasma televisions use more energy than old-fashioned cathode-ray tubes.
And you could say, no, no, I have a right to buy whatever television I want. And that's true to an extent. But when everybody's buying power from the same power source, the same department of water and power, then maybe not everybody has a right to use too much electricity unless they pay for it, and those rates then would be exorbitant or high.
But the thing is that these are technologies that exist, solar panels. My watch is a solar-powered watch. Why we don't have solar hot water systems that are available in the big box hardware stores, the Home Depots, the Lowe's, and things like that.
BROWN: Right.
NYE: We could have regulations or we could have the industry get together in a government-sponsored program to have standards where these parts are easily interchangeable, the way the parts are in a conventional water heater.
BROWN: Right.
NYE: About 30 percent of our energy could be saved just through conservation. But that's not going to do it. We have got to do a lot more than that. What Ed and I are involved in is doing what we can individually.
And also I think, Ed, you would agree, we're hobbyists. We're trying to see what's possible.
(CROSSTALK)
BROWN: Let me also ask, Ed, just very quickly, Ed -- we're almost out of time -- but rewind the clock to 2006. "An Inconvenient Truth" comes out. Al Gore wins an Oscar. There's all this buzz in Hollywood and Washington about climate change. But then it seems like we lost this momentum. And it did fall off the radar screen. And nothing actually seemed to change that much. Do you agree with that?
BEGLEY: You know, for a large segment of the population, there has been a momentum lost. There hasn't been any momentum lost for the people in Germany putting up solar panels on rooftops everywhere, people in China building a lot of solar manufacturing.
People see what's happening and they want to make a change, and certainly when the same things you're going to do to combat global climate change are going to also clean up the air in our cities, in Beijing, Houston, et cetera, and lessen our dependence on Mideast oil, and put money in our pockets.
The thing I find curious, they always say, well, we can't afford it, we can't afford it. All the money that comes from drilling refineries is good money that goes into the economy, but the money spent on solar and wind is printed on flash paper apparently because it disappears. That's not good for the economy.
Of course it's all good for the economy. It creates green jobs. And that's very important, to create green jobs with good, clean technologies.
BROWN: Guys...
(CROSSTALK)
NYE: But these technologies are sophisticated.
BROWN: Go ahead. Go ahead, Bill. Make your point.
(CROSSTALK)
NYE: I'm sorry. Yes.
Well, it's just that managing, for example, wind power and solar power, using plug-in hybrids where everybody's car -- or plug-in electric cars, where everybody's car stores energy for everybody, these are very sophisticated ideas, as sophisticated, for example, as our cell phone network. So, it's doable, but it's complicated.
And it takes government regulation to ensure that these standards make these systems compatible with each other and truly efficient. And this is where a government, like a machine, should have all the parts it needs, but no more.
BROWN: All right.
Bill Nye, Ed Begley, guys, appreciate it. Thanks so much for your time.
BEGLEY: Thank you, Campbell.
NYE: Thank you, Campbell. BROWN: And when we come back, tonight's next big question: Is Moammar Gadhafi pitching his tent on Donald Trump's property? It's a story that has officials in one New York suburb fuming tonight.
Plus, tonight's newsmaker: the rapping doctor. He took the big prize for his swine flu video and he explains what you need to know about your kids and the new vaccine.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(NEWS BREAK)
BROWN: Tonight's next big question: Will a grand jury indict John Edwards for giving campaign money to his mistress? And is he about to make a bombshell confession? We have got the latest developments on this political scandal that keeps getting worse by the day.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: Is John Edwards in hot water again? You would think he'd have very little left to lose after a sex scandal destroyed his presidential ambitions. But there are new questions tonight about his relationship with his mistress, Rielle Hunter.
Listen to what he told ABC's "Nightline" when the scandal broke more than a year ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN EDWARDS, FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I know that it's not possible that this child could be mine because of the timing of events. So I know it's not possible.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: And the "New York Times" reports say Edwards may soon admit that he did, in fact, fathered a child with his former mistress, Rielle Hunter. Edwards has already confessed to cheating on his wife, Elizabeth, but said he did not have a love child with Hunter.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The article alleged he's likely the dad. Another ugly charge that Edwards promised his mistress a wedding after Mrs. Edwards, who has cancer, passes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The damning allegations come as a grand jury investigates payments the Edwards campaign made to Rielle Hunter.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: Joining me with new developments on this, senior correspondent Joe Johns and CNN political analyst Roland martin here as well.
And, Joe, we all heard Edwards there previously denying this child was his. Explain to us why this is back in the news. JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Well, I guess there's a lot of reasons. You have a book proposal out there now. You have grand jury testimony going on here in Raleigh, North Carolina. And you have a fellow named Andrew Young. This is a guy who worked for years for John Edwards.
And we've talked to people who are familiar with this, including some attorneys. They tell us he basically was asked by Edwards to go ahead and take responsibility for the baby. And he did it because he believed in Edwards, apparently, he's told people. And at some point, though, these two men had a big falling out.
Now, we know Andrew Young has three kids. He has a wife. And a question, of course, is why would he take responsibility for this child if it wasn't his? Apparently he did it.
Falling out after that, he decides he's going to recant his story, go ahead and say publicly, no, this is not my baby. And it leaves John Edwards in the situation we see him in today, Campbell.
BROWN: And, Joe, he is the one. Young is the one shopping this book proposal.
JOHNS: Absolutely. That is what we understand. It is a proposal written by him with apparently a number of sordid details, we're told, relating to this entire case, apparently, inside from the very beginning. And we also know, of course, that he has testified before the grand jury here that's investigating all of these matters, matters pertaining to the use of campaign contributions, by the way.
He's gone before the grand jury. We don't know what he said there, but it's pretty clear to us that in all likelihood he told the jury this isn't his baby.
BROWN: So, Joe, could Edwards I guess face any criminal or civil consequences if it turns out that he paid his mistress?
JOHNS: Well, you know, as a presidential candidate, as any candidate in a federal election, you can get in trouble for using campaign contributions for personal matters. Now, Rielle Hunter worked for his campaign. Her company was hired to do some documentary work, and certainly she and that company were paid for that work. The question is whether all that was reasonable or if there was something else going on, especially in light of the fact that we know now that she was John Edwards' alleged mistress.
BROWN: Roland, let me bring you in here. I know you've got some strong views on this. If this child does belong to John Edwards, he would have had to have known that, that he was hoodwinking everybody at the time he was running for president. It's astoundingly audacious. I mean, how does he think he can get away with something like this?
ROLAND MARTIN, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: This is what happens when you have guys who think they are so smart, they can outsmart everyone else. Keep in mind, his candidacy was pretty much -- it was over, it was done. But you've got people who were touting him as a possible vice presidential pick. Imagine had he been picked, you'd have to deal with this during the campaign.
Then, of course, let's say he was picked. Then President Barack Obama won. He's sitting in the White House now. This was absolutely crazy. He should have come forward at the first apology, put everything out there. But he kept lying. And he kept going on and on. If he comes out now and says the baby is not his, because he kept saying, it's not mine.
BROWN: What is it, Roland, about some of our most powerful politicians? I mean, that we reach a point where we're like, OK, the latest sex scandal. I mean, that's what it feels like.
MARTIN: It is -- it is this sort of intersection of power and ego because you've got individuals who are in these positions of power. You have people who are CEOs, who are politicians, who talk about taking these kinds of risks and these chances.
This was a guy who built his entire career on faith, on family, talking about what it was like, him and his wife, losing a child. Talking about all of those different things, talking about his belief in Jesus Christ and prayer. And so it was built on all of that. So it is a facade now. And so there really is no future here.
And so this is a guy who just thought, hey, I can just get away with it. It's OK. We'll figure it all out. Now, you've got this man involved, his attorney, Fred Baron, who's now deceased, he was involved. I mean, this is a huge mess that frankly, yes, could land him in jail because of the constant lying.
BROWN: Roland Martin for us tonight, and Joe Johns with the latest details on all this. Joe, appreciate it. Thanks guys.
Some surprising news tonight for parents of babies born in the wintertime. You've probably heard studies show winter babies don't do as well as other babies supposedly. But now some researchers think they have found a new angle on this. It's pretty fascinating stuff. We're going to have this new study for you in a second.
Plus, you got to see this. This is the rap doc's prescription for H1N1.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. JOHN CLARKE, H1N1 FLU AD CREATOR: Sanitizer I advise you get it why. It makes germs die when you rub and let it dry. Don't touch your eyes, your mouth, your nose, your face.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: Tonight's newsmaker proves you can make fighting the H1N1 flu fun. I'm not kidding. And neither is the New York physician who won the government's contest to create the best public service ad for swine flu prevention. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. JOHN CLARKE, H1N1 FLU AD CREATOR: H1N1 swine flu infection for intervention. I bring prevention. Dr. Clarke, here I come to make your head (ph) know. Hey, pop, listen, one, to stop the bad one. If you think you're infected seek attention. If you have it stay at home so you don't spread germs. (INAUDIBLE) this pool of germs is where it spreads from. I'm recommending washing hands for protection.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: Dr. John Clarke is the medical director for the Long Island railroad commuter line here in New York and he is joining us now. Congratulations.
DR. JOHN CLARKE, H1N1 FLU AD CREATOR: Well, thank you. Thank you.
BROWN: It's good to have you here.
CLARKE: It's great to be here.
BROWN: I'm going to ask you about the video but let me ask you about a little bit of news on the swine flu front that we had over the last couple of days. And that is the results of the H1N1 vaccine trials for children.
CLARKE: Yes.
BROWN: Good news so far in terms of what they've seen but they've also come up with guidelines that are a little bit different depending on the ages of your children.
CLARKE: Right.
BROWN: Just explain that to people.
CLARKE: Yes, the cut-off age is 9 years. What they're saying is children ages 6 months to 9 years should get two doses, whereas those 10 to 17 should get only one and adults also would get one.
BROWN: Let me ask you this because they just walked into the studio. You have two kids here.
CLARKE: Yes.
BROWN: One is 1-year-old and one is 3 1/2-year-old.
CLARKE: Three and a half. Yes.
BROWN: Yes, here they are. Are they wondering around? (INAUDIBLE) No. Are you going to get your kids vaccinated?
CLARKE: Yes, I am.
BROWN: You absolutely are? CLARKE: Yes, because I have concerns because the group that's getting hit the hardest are those ages 5 to 24. So younger people are getting it. My son is in day care.
BROWN: Right.
CLARKE: So, you know, this kind of things run rampant (ph) in day care. So I'm going to definitely get it myself, my wife, and also the children.
BROWN: You've got to understand, though, the concerns some parents have...
CLARKE: Yes, yes.
BROWN: ... given that this is being fast tracked.
CLARKE: Right.
BROWN: We know it's not going through the same amount of testing that previous vaccines have had.
CLARKE: And I have concerns myself. Any time you see a new therapy or treatment you have to have concerns because it's new. But the thing is, you know, the flu season is here. So it's a case where you have to look at the risk versus the benefits. And you know, we've seen in the past in the spring that the swine flu did kill a lot of people, as well as made people sick. So that's one of the issues where you have to say, OK, is the risk of getting the vaccine greater than the risk of getting the flu?
BROWN: You had -- we've all heard the tips of what we're supposed to do, right, in the meantime...
CLARKE: Yes.
BROWN: ... because we're not going to have the vaccine for a few more weeks.
CLARKE: Probably two weeks, yes.
BROWN: You wash your hands, you sneeze into your, you know, elbow, whatever. You actually had one about clipping your kids' fingernails.
CLARKE: Yes.
BROWN: I never heard before.
CLARKE: Right. I also recommend that because often germs will harbor under the nails. So what I recommend is parents also clip their children's nails, that way you get rid of that aspect as well.
BROWN: OK, enough about your medical advice. Where did this video idea come from? CLARKE: The whole thing actually, I began writing rap songs on medical topics in 1997. I've addressed topics from asthma to HIV, sickle cell, a whole number. And in May, my wife, she's a nurse, she actually suggested that I address swine flu. And I created the rap and found out about the contest by accident.
I was looking at the CDC's Web site to find if I could submit the song as a PSA (ph).
BROWN: Right.
CLARKE: Stumbled upon the video contest and then I called my cousin (INAUDIBLE). We shot it, and it took, you know, it's due in four days and, you know, we got it done and submitted it.
BROWN: So, I mean, and the idea being you reach an audience that would never hear about this stuff otherwise, probably.
CLARKE: Yes. Right. And because the age group of 5 to 24 years of age --
BROWN: Is so crucial.
CLARKE: And that's the group that's having the highest rate of swine flu. It's the perfect medium to really reach them.
BROWN: It's so cool. I've got to say, when I saw it, I just loved it.
Dr. John Clarke, so good to have you here.
CLARKE: Thank you. Thanks.
BROWN: The kids are here somewhere, right?
CLARKE: Yes, they're around.
BROWN: Let's give a shot. Those are some cuties, and they're staying up way past their bedtime to be here.
CLARKE: Yes.
BROWN: It's good to have you here. Thanks so much.
CLARKE: Thank you.
BROWN: When we come back, what is causing children known as winter babies to have more trouble in school, a tougher life, according to a lot of research? Well, there's some new research and the people behind it are here tonight to tell you that may not be the case. We'll explain.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: There is a new twist on an old debate about your kids. Studies have shown that children born in the winter, these so-called winter babies, they don't live as long. They're less educated, they're less likely to do well financially.
Well, now, actually there are some new findings by, of all people, some economists who suggest it isn't so much about the calendar as it is about the parents. And Kasey Buckles and Dan Hungerman of the University of Notre Dame did this new study and found this and they're joining us from South Bend, Indiana. And we also have in Sacramento, California, Dr. Harvey Karp, who's the author of "The Happiest Baby on the Block" with us as well.
So, Kasey, just kind of bottom line this for us and explain what you found out.
KASEY S. BUCKLES, ECONOMIST, UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME: Good evening, Campbell. In our study we used 52 million birth certificates for the U.S. over the 1990s. And we noticed that women who gave birth in winter had lower education, were less likely to be married, and were more likely to be teenage moms than moms who had babies at other times of the year.
BROWN: So, more about the parents rather than the children and their socioeconomic background?
BUCKLES: That's right. So there have been a whole host of studies in economics and in medicine that have shown that when you're born it's related to a lot of your later life outcome. And we're finding that that may not be due, actually, to when in the year you're born as much as it is due to who your parents are.
BROWN: And then, Dan, what you discovered through separately, I guess, is that people with lower incomes or single moms are more likely to have winter babies. So, explain that connection.
DAN HUNGERMAN, ECONOMIST, UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME: Yes. We did find that low socioeconomic status, families and women, single women, teenage women, are more likely to have children in the winter. And those differences between the sorts of women giving birth in the winter and giving birth during the spring, for example, are fairly large.
BROWN: OK. So what do you think the connection is? What's going on here?
BUCKLES: Well, there are probably several things and patterns, but I'll give you an example of one. So survey data suggests that women actually prefer not to give birth in December and January. It's around the holidays. It's in the middle of winter when it's really cold and hard to get your baby out. So it may be that more educated women are either more likely to want to avoid the winter birth or they're better able to avoid them because their births are more likely to be planned.
BROWN: And yes, I've also read here that the suggestion being that these winter babies are also prom babies.
BUCKLES: Yes, that's actually a suggestion that came from my own obstetrician. I asked her if she noticed any patterns throughout the year and she said that they notice an increase in births to teenage moms about nine months after spring celebrations like prom and graduation.
BROWN: So let me turn to Dr. Karp on this. I mean, listening to them and what their research finds, I mean, is it fair to say that these previous studies that were suggesting babies born in the wintertime may have health differences, or needed more care perhaps than other babies, we should ignore that?
DR. HARVEY KARP, PEDIATRICIAN: Well, that's kind of interesting. I mean, we were trying to figure out the reason for this phenomenon, and some people said maybe they had low vitamin D levels because they didn't have enough sun exposure in the wintertime. But I think it's a very interesting finding, what these doctors have come up with.
And I always heard that people ended up having babies after New Year's eve, you know. That that was the association, not the high school prom.
I just don't think it makes a whole lot of difference to an average family. I know when I'm talking to families, I'm going to make sure people know that a winter baby can succeed just as well as a summer baby can.
BROWN: But will it change, I guess, the way doctors think about how, you know, they treat children born in the wintertime or the advice they give about, you know, whether they need to get more time in the sun or more vitamins or anything along those lines?
KARP: I don't think so. I mean, there is one piece of advice I always gave my patients that I think is pertinent to babies born in the wintertime. Because I actually graduated high school when I was 16 because I was born at end of November. And I do believe that it's important to tell families that if your child, especially your son is born in the wintertime, and especially if they're small or short or immature socially, that it may be a good idea to put them in school a little bit later or keep them in school a little bit longer, so they have that chance to mature before they're really getting into the school system. That's something I think about for a winter baby. But that's about -- that's about the main issue.
BROWN: It's interesting stuff. Dr. Harvey Karp along with this new research from Kasey Buckles and Dan Hungerman, appreciate your time. Thanks so much.
KARP: Thank you, Campbell.
BUCKLES: Thank you.
HUNGERMAN: Thank you.
BROWN: Libyan leader Moammar (ph) Gadhafi's visit drawing outrage over his support for the recently released Lockerbie bomber. Tonight, new concern over whether Gadhafi seems to be pitching his tent, or where he seems to be pitching his tent, rather. Would you believe Donald Trump's place. We'll explain when we come back. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: Libyan leader Moammar (ph) Gadhafi has arranged to have a tent pitched just north of New York City on property owned by Donald Trump. The State Department says Gadhafi will hold meetings in it but won't stay there. A lot of people didn't want Gadhafi pitching his tent anywhere near them. And in tonight's breakout report, CNN's Mary Snow looks back at why.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's been a month since the only man convicted in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 received a hero's welcome in Libya. Now, Frank Duggan wants to reciprocate. He, for one, is working to make sure Libya's leader, Moammar Gadhafi, will not feel welcomed in the United States.
FRANK DUGGAN, VICTIMS OF PAN AMERICAN MORNING. FLT. 103: You can try and make peace with the country, but this guy is still a monster.
SNOW: More than 20 years after the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland that killed 270 people, Duggan is organizing families of those victims to protest outside the United Nations when Colonel Gadhafi addresses the general assembly. He says the release of Abdelbaset Ali Mohammed al-Megrahi (ph) has reignited anger he hasn't seen in years.
(on camera): The reaction to al-Megrahi's release, what does it done for this group?
DUGGAN: It's given them, I hate to say a new lease on life but it has. I mean, it's gotten people to the point where they really wanted to do something.
SNOW (voice-over): Gadhafi had worked to ease his way back onto the world stage, but he's ignited fury over al-Megrahi's homecoming, and now doors are being slammed in his face here in the U.S. Protests erupted in the town of Englewood, New Jersey, where Gadhafi wanted to pitch a tent. The plan was nixed.
He was snubbed from Central Park and reportedly found no room at the inn at a posh New York hotel. Realtor Jason Haber says he was approached about this tony New York townhouse that rents a unit for more than $20,000 a month.
JASON HABER, REALTOR: They were looking for representatives of the Dutch government to stay in a townhouse somewhere on the Upper East Side.
SNOW: The former international relations student says he soon noticed e-mails with Libyan government addresses and discovered the inquiries were about Gadhafi.
HABER: At some point, they said, there must be something we can do, something to that effect. And I had said in exasperation, well, if you send the convicted terrorist back to Scotland, perhaps we could work something out.
SNOW (on camera): You said that for them.
HABER: And they hung up on me.
SNOW: And that was the end.
HABER: And that was the end. That was the end of it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BROWN: That was CNN' Mary Snow reporting.
"LARRY KING LIVE" starts in just a few minutes. His special guest, Tyra Banks.
And up next, tonight's "Guilty Pleasure." The story we just can't resist. Ellen DeGeneres taking on critics of her new gig on "American Idol," when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: "LARRY KING LIVE" starts in just a few minutes. But first, Mike Galanos has tonight's "Guilty Pleasure," the story we just couldn't resist.
Mike, what do you have tonight.
MIKE GALANOS, HLN PRIME NEWS: That's right, guilty pleasure. Don't fight it, just enjoy it. You gave the headline a little earlier. Ellen DeGeneres, new "American Idol" judge, versus the woman she's replacing, Paula Abdul, Ellen versus her critics. Here's Ellen on her show stating her case why she belongs.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ELLEN DEGENERES, HOST, "THE ELLEN DEGENERES SHOW": First of all, I have to talk about something just for a second if you don't mind. Apparently there's a lot of debate going on right now whether I'm qualified or not to be the new judge on "American Idol." And a lot of people are -- I know, there's lots of chatter -- a lot.
I'll tell you right now how I know I'm going to be a great judge, because I have spent my whole life being judged so I know what it's like to be judged.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
So I will be kind. I will be compassionate. I will be empathetic, and I will be truthful. I will be an honest judge without being mean.
(APPLAUSE)
But the things that people are saying. I thought America had moved past this. First, we have our first African-American president. We've sworn in --
(APPLAUSE)
We've sworn in our first Hispanic Supreme Court justice.
(APPLAUSE)
And I think "American Idol" is ready for their first blond judge. I do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GALANOS: All right, there you go, Campbell. And Paula Abdul had been jabbing back and forth. Paula even donned the blond wig, kind of make fun of Ellen.
BROWN: Yes.
GALANOS: Ellen said, "hey, give me my wig back." So it's been friendly so far.
BROWN: I mean, who cares if she has a musical background? It's Ellen. She's going to be hilarious and adorable and wonderful.
GALANOS: She's going to be insane.
BROWN: And I'm so excited I can't stand it.
GALANOS: Yes. Her first assignment is going to be good.
BROWN: All right. Mike Galanos with the "Guilty Pleasure." Thanks, Mike.
GALANOS: See you, Campbell.
BROWN: That is our show. Thanks for watching.
"LARRY KING LIVE" starts right now. Have a good night, everybody.
