Return to Transcripts main page
American Morning
Autism Vaccine Study Fraud; Republicans Rule the House; Bubbling Crude: Near $100 Per Barrel; Wild Horse Roundup; "Golden" Gift
Aired January 06, 2011 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, there, everybody. Good morning to you all. And welcome to this AMERICAN MORNING for this Thursday, the 6th of January. I'm T.J. Holmes.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: It's good to see you this morning.
HOLMES: Good to be back with you.
CHETRY: I'm Kiran Chetry. We have a lot going on this morning. The top story, we start out with this autism vaccine study debunk. The doctor who first reported a link between autism and a childhood vaccine discredited his reported lies. Panic parents have led to a sharp drop in the number of children getting the vaccine that prevents measles, mumps and rubella. So now the debate over whether vaccines are safe should be over, right? Well, that's not true. And this morning, CNN's exclusive interview with the doctor who sparked a scare worldwide.
HOLMES: Also, it is day two on Capitol Hill with the new Congress. It's their first full day at work today, so they're going to go right to the people's business. But first, some light reading to do. Republicans plan to read the entire constitution out loud today. It's going to take several hours. It's supposed to be a nod here to the Tea Party. Also, seen as symbolic. So, are we going to the same old politics with the brand new Congress?
CHETRY: And remember the homeless man with the golden voice? Jeanne Moos showed it to us yesterday.
Well, boy, things have changed for him overnight. He's now an overnight sensation. Opportunity is knocking at his door for Ted Williams. The offers are pouring in, jobs, cash, even a mortgage. We're going to tell you how he plans to make the most of his second chance.
HOLMES: We have a first here. We need to get back to this story that affects and impacts so many parents. Millions make this decision every day, whether or not they need to vaccinate their children. This morning, the doctor. He started this whole debate about the link between vaccine, we're talking about MMR. A lot of people call it, measles, mumps and rubella. The link between the vaccine and autism. The doctor behind it has been now accused of outright fraud.
CHETRY: Yes. This study has been called into question before. But now, an investigative journalist is accusing Dr. Andrew Wakefield of simply falsifying the data. For instance, claiming that some children had autism when in fact they were healthy. In an exclusive interview on Anderson Cooper last night, Wakefield responded to those charges. Here's a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON COOPER, HOST, "AC 360": Sir, according to this new report, not only did you do a study that was scientifically and ethically flawed, it was, quote, "an elaborate fraud." An award-winning investigative journalist, Brian Deer, has published evidence that you, and I quote, "altered numerous facts about patients' medical histories to support your claims of identifying a new syndrome" and that you also, quote, "sought to exploit the scare among parents for financial gain." How do you respond?
ANDREW WAKEFIELD, AUTHORED RETRACTED AUTISM STUDY: Well, you know, I've had to put up with this man's false allegations for many, many years. I've written a book and in that book --
COOPER: But this is not just one man. This is published in the "British Medical Journal."
WAKEFIELD: And I have not as yet had a chance to read that. But I have read his multiple allegations on many occasions. He is a hit man. He's been brought in to take me down because they are very, very concerned about the adverse reactions of the vaccines that are occurring in children.
COOPER: Wait a minute, sir, let me just stop you right there. You say he's a hit man, and he's been brought in by "they." Who is "they"? Who is he a hit man for? This is an independent journalist who's won many awards.
WAKEFIELD: Yes. And he, you know, who brought this man in? Who is paying this man? I don't know. But I do know for sure that he's not a journalist like you are.
COOPER: Well, he's actually signed a document guaranteeing that he has no financial interest in any of this, or no financial connections to anyone who has an interest in this.
WAKEFIELD: Well, that's interesting that you should say that because he was supported in his investigation by the Association of British Pharmaceutical Industry which is funded directly and exclusively by the pharmaceutical industry.
COOPER: Again, he's received no funding from any parties that have interests in this over the last three years. But let's talk about some of the specifics that he is claiming. You're basically saying this is some sort of conspiracy against you. Is that your argument?
WAKEFIELD: Conspiracy is your word. What this is is a ruthless, pragmatic attempt to crush any investigation into valid vaccine safety concerns. Not just my concerns. I'm here at a meeting of experts on vaccines from around the world who are very extremely concerned about the safety of vaccines and the damage that they believe and I believe is being done to children.
COOPER: But sir --
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHETRY: All right. So that was a portion of the interview that Anderson conducted with the doctor who initially did this study years and years ago.
Joining us to discuss this stunning development is our chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta. And, Sanjay, let's first start by just talking about this issue. Dr. Andrew Wakefield's study on autism and the connection to measles, mumps and rubella, or the MMR vaccine, was always somewhat controversial, right?
SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, absolutely. I mean, this paper that we're talking about originally came out in 1998. It was a very small study. I don't think a lot of people realize that. It was really of 12 children, but in many ways it started this whole concern about vaccines and its relationship to autism.
The concern about the study, specifically besides being small was that it was not replicated really in any major peer review journals. You can see that what Dr. Wakefield said he found at that point actually being found by any other scientists. Ten of the authors on this paper subsequently took their names off of the paper. And then as you know, last year, February of 2010, the paper was actually retracted. So, you know, this has been a widely studied issue, this connection between vaccines and autism. The question of it, the Institute of Medicine has looked into it as well. It's not found the connection that Dr. Wakefield proposed. So I think for some time now, even before the last couple of days, a lot of people have had questions about this.
CHETRY: So what is the now about this then? I mean, this investigative report is coming out. There's also an accompanying editorial.
GUPTA: Right.
CHETRY: I mean, is this just the sort of the final nail in the coffin for this whole notion of a link between MMR and autism?
GUPTA: Well, what's happening now, what's interesting is when the paper was retracted, you look at the language very specifically and they essentially said, look, there were unethical practices that took place when he wrote this paper. Children were paid, for example, to be a part of the study. They were not randomized. Meaning, he picked specific children to be a part of the study. They may have gone through procedures they necessarily need. And for all those reasons they felt the paper should have been retracted.
What's happening now is they're saying, in fact, this was fraudulent. It was an intentional misrepresentation. Again, this is what the "British Medical Journal" is saying. For example, you know, you alluded to this, Kiran, but this idea that at least two of the children -- in one of the cases, the children, the child actually had symptoms before the vaccine was given, and not after. So that would obviously negate any sort of relationship between vaccine and autism. Another case, a child did develop symptoms of autism after a vaccine, but it was six months afterwards. So, again, very hard to draw the link.
There is also been concerns, did he have some sort of preconceived idea about what he would find. Was he sort of looking for this and then making the evidence fit to what his notion was? We asked him about that last night as well. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GUPTA: Since 1988, you've obviously been dealing with this, but these charges that are a big deal in the world of science, that you paid patients, that you did not randomize them. Meaning, you selected patients that you thought would be better for your study. And now, the most damning evidence of all that perhaps these numbers, the dates were all fabricated to sort of make a case. Did you have some sort of preconceived notion of a link between the vaccine MMR and autism before you conducted this study?
DR. ANDREW WAKEFIELD, AUTHORED AUTISM STUDY: Absolutely not. Dr. Gupta, please, I urge you, go and read my book. I'll send you a copy. I'm not trying to promote my book. I'm not trying to make money. Take the book and read it and understand the truth. You will understand it. Many people don't. The parents understand it. They get it because they've lived it, OK? And the claims to whether the vaccine caused their children harm or not came from the parents, not me. I didn't have a preconceived notion about this at all. I had not heard of autism since medical school. This was a clinical examination of children on the merits of their clinical problems by the best people in the world, the best clinical experts in pediatric gastroenterology (ph) in the world, and they came to the diagnosis, not me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GUPTA: He has stayed by that sort of story, you know, Kiran, for some time. This idea that, you know, he wasn't even looking for this connection, necessarily, when he conducted the study. But it sort of declared itself. And that's why he said he wrote about it 12 years ago.
CHETRY: The other question though about all of this is the fact that autism has risen significantly. I mean, we saw a nearly 60 percent increase from 2002 to 2008.
GUPTA: Right.
CHETRY: Now they're saying one in 110 kids in the U.S. has autism spectrum disorder. Why?
GUPTA: Well, you know, that's a really important question and we don't know the answer to that. If we knew the answer to that, I think it would change this debate altogether. Because people can't say, look, it's not this, it's definitely this. You know, you have this very, very contentious issue which has remained.
I think that, you know, when you look specifically at the types of causes, you know, is there some sort of genetic predisposition that some children have then it's triggered by some sort of environmental factor, we just don't know the answer to that. And I think that that's what's made this debate so difficult.
CHETRY: Right. All right. We're going to be talking about this much more throughout the morning. Sanjay, thank you so much for your insight this morning.
GUPTA: Thank you.
CHETRY: And also coming up in just about 25 minutes, we're going talk to Brian Deer. He is the investigative journalist who's calling Dr. Wakefield's study an elaborate fraud.
HOLMES: All right, let's turn back to Capitol Hill now. And the torch has been passed. Actually the gavel. And what a gavel it was. Did you see this thing he's going to be using? Look at this.
This is the moment yesterday. Congress, today, of course, for getting its first full day of work. Republicans now in control and there you're seeing the moment yesterday, as the outgoing House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, handing over a doozy of a gavel over to the new House Speaker, Ohio's John Boehner. And listen to him now. Does any of this sound familiar?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R), HOUSE SPEAKER: To my colleagues in the majority, my message is this. We'll honor our Pledge to America, built on a process of listening to the American people. We will stand firm on our constitutional principles that built our party and built a great nation. We will do these things, however, in a manner that restores and respects the time-honored right of the minority to an honest debate, a fair and open process.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: All right. Sounds good. So far, so good. But again, we're just on day two. The first order of business in the House this morning is some light reading. They are going to be reading the entire constitution out loud. Should take a few hours. It's expected. But they say anyone is invited down, Republican or Democrat. Republicans at least expected to line up for that.
Now, he has a very powerful position now. He is actually second in line in succession to the president. Very powerful man, the speaker of the House. But look at the limits of his power from yesterday. John Boehner, he was there posing with new members and their families yesterday.
Check this out. He's trying to get the little girl to come over to take a picture with him. I don't think so, Mr. Speaker. I don't care how big that gavel is. You just gaffe (ph), sir. She refused. He reached out, kept trying to. She kept backing away. They couldn't get her over. Finally, somebody picked her up, I believe, and took her over to the picture. But she was not feeling Mr. Speaker yesterday. But nice little moment.
CHETRY: That's a fun age -- that's a fun age for the kids.
HOLMES: Perfect. They're going to show that --
CHETRY: They're going to play that at her wedding.
HOLMES: Yes, they are.
CHETRY: Well, right now, it's 10 1/2 minutes past the hour. We have a check of this morning's weather headlines. Rob Marciano in the extreme weather center. Possibly looking at more snow this week?
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, northeast. There's a sliver of potentially heavy snow, that includes New York City and winter storm warnings or watches, excuse me, have just been posted by the National Weather Service. So it's going to be a complex system that's setting up.
Right now, don't look too much on the radar. Just a few snow showers rolling across the Great Lakes and driving down into the Ohio River Valley. But this will get together offshore tomorrow and could create some problems across New York City. Right now, it's about where you were yesterday for the daytime highs and morning lows and some rain across parts of the Carolinas. Also, some heavy thunderstorms potentially across parts of Florida this morning. Tampa heading across to Orlando.
Seasonal temperatures across the east coast. We'll talk more about this winter storm that's heading towards New York City. For you guys, like you actually need it. I don't think you'll be quite as heavy as last go-round, but some folks will see some heavy snow. We'll detail it a little bit later, guys.
HOLMES: All right. Appreciate you, buddy. We'll talk to you again here soon.
MARCIANO: Sounds good.
CHETRY: Still ahead, Christine Romans joins us "Minding Your Business" this morning, talking about the rise of gas prices and the price of crude oil as well, fast approaching $100 a barrel. In a moment, we'll break down what's behind these rising oil prices.
HOLMES: Also, a lot of people have New Year's resolutions. They want to lose some weight. You need some motivation to exercise? How about drinking more? Oh, yes. You're going to stick around to hear this surprising health study.
CHETRY: And also, what do you do when a 15-foot great white shark starts circling your little boat besides freaking you out? We're going to show you what happened when this thing came a-calling.
Twelve minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Welcome back. Fifteen minutes past the hour right now.
Christine Romans is here "Minding Your Business" this morning. If you've noticed, the prices creeping up at the pump.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: It's not creeping in some places, jumping up at the pump.
HOLMES: Jumping.
ROMANS: You know, it's above $3 now a gallon in most places. I live in New Jersey, where it's lower than in most places, but it is approaching -
CHETRY: And they pump it for you. And they pump it for you. Not fair.
ROMANS: -- now it's approaching $3. And look, we talked last week about this former Shell president who says look, $5 gas is on the way. People have to get used to it and get prepared for it.
We're watching crude oil. That's why gas prices go up, because it's made out in crude oil. Crude oil now above $90 the barrel again. This is a - a market, frankly, that shows a lot of heat and not a lot of signs of pulling back.
If you look at oil prices over the past year or so, you can see that crude oil has been moving higher as the global recovery has been coming to the forefront, mostly because of demand from China, India, Brazil, Russia - BRIC, Brazil, Russia, India, China, those countries that I keep talking about. And, in fact, some oil analysts who I talk to tell me that they think that no matter what the United States does, you're going to see oil prices moving higher.
The chief economist of the International Energy Agency, which is a global energy watchdog, said something that I think any driver, anybody who's running a factory, that uses energy, should pay close attention to. Oil prices are entering a dangerous zone for the global economy. The oil import bills are becoming a threat to the economic recovery. This is a wake-up call to the oil-consuming countries - that's us - and to the oil producers.
Something for all of us to keep in mind here, what does this mean for you? Well, it means that a very - a very tentative economic recovery in the United States. You know, we've got to watch for higher oil prices and what that could do for business and consumers if we see high energy prices.
Now, you can go to AAA.com - I say this all the time - and you can find these great driving tips. Beyond your own driving tips and maybe finding the cheapest place to buy gas in your neighborhood and thinking about a hybrid or thinking about your own energy efficiency. There's not much you can do about a $100 oil. HOLMES: What does this do? What - do we start to react to this and then that in fact affects the markets, affects the prices? Because it scares the heck out of people, (INAUDIBLE).
ROMANS: Well, you know, here's the thing, Stephen Leeb, who is, you know, a money manager and author on these sorts of subjects, he's told us, he said, look, it doesn't really matter how we react because it's not about us anymore. It's about China, it's about Russia and Brazil, and all these countries I keep talking about. They are consuming a lot of oil, as their economies recover, as people enter their middle - middles classes.
And, you know, China, in particular, scouring the globe for direct contracts for oil, not on the global market like we do, where prices go up and down, China locking in, in all of these other countries, including Iran, Sudan and Africa, and all of these other places, so that they have a steady supply, oil supplies all the time. Where United States -
CHETRY: They're always one step ahead of us, OK? No matter what we figure out -
ROMANS: Fascinating. It's fascinating.
CHETRY: -- they figure out something else.
All right. Christine, thank you.
ROMANS: All right. (INAUDIBLE).
HOLMES: We'll see you again shortly.
All right. Well, coming up, it's one thing in the movies, you hear that "Jaws" music, it's very different when you're out there and experience it. I don't know if there was actually music playing -
CHETRY: He probably heard it in his head.
HOLMES: Yes. When this thing started circling a little boat, because it's not good, big fish, little boat. You know what happens.
Eighteen past the hour. You'll see.
CHETRY: Also, interesting new study showing a correlation between gym rats and people who like to drink in excess. Why is that? We're going to take a look at some of the theories in "Morning Talker." Bottoms up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: All right. Welcome back. Twenty-one minutes past the hour now.
A couple things that got our attention this morning, and this certainly got this - CHETRY: Ours.
HOLMES: -- guy's attention. Check this out. The video here is out of Australia. Fishermen on a boat looking for fish, but not fish that big. They came in touch with a 15-foot great white shark in their little bitty boat out in the Indian Ocean. You can kind of get an idea of how this is going. Not just of the sights of it. Listen to the sounds of it here as well.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Holy -
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: I'm sorry, I love that.
The motor never sounded so good. Oh, man.
HOLMES: They high-tailed it out of there. Nobody was injured here. They had been swimming, actually, earlier here, but nobody was hurt.
CHETRY: And really, I mean, and there are sharks, I mean, in that area, they're around. But that one was - that one wanted some human appetizers, clearly.
HOLMES: It was a big sucker.
CHETRY: Well, the more that people drink alcohol the more they exercise. This is from a study in the American Journal of Health Promotion where they found that heavy drinkers said that they exercise about 10 minutes more per week than moderate drinkers and about 20 more minutes per week than people who don't drink at all.
Researchers admit that they were surprised that healthy habits and unhealthy ones usually don't go hand in hand. But as they had a couple of theories, they said that, you know, sometimes the type of person that loves to work out a lot is a very - is a sensory person that loves that. So they love the feeling of binge drinking. They also love the high - the euphoria that they get from working out.
And there was another theory in this article, too, that said people who work out a lot, they counteract the damage to your brain that alcohol does. So maybe they know that intuitively.
HOLMES: Where's your balance?
CHETRY: Well, I don't know. It's not that bad.
HOLMES: Didn't place you on the spot.
CHETRY: I should go to the gym more. I probably should drink less but, you know. You know?
HOLMES: Well, one more here. This kid and his hair, just unbelievable. We're talking about Justin Bieber here. CHETRY: Do you really care about Justin Bieber?
HOLMES: Why not? You know, it's out there. Everybody knows about his hair. He even got into a kind of a hair dispute with Tom Brady and the Patriots.
But, can you believe this now? He's saying he's possibly going to cut his hair.
CHETRY: Don't believe it (ph).
HOLMES: He's doing a - he's doing a movie, right?
Some people are interested, even if you're not, Kiran? If you're not going to participate, just go, OK? Some people are interested in this kid's hair. But he said he might cut it. He's doing a movie now, of course. But after the movie, he may cut it. It might be a little short.
CHETRY: Nice. I can't wait to see what it looks like when it's cut. I wonder if he's going to change the color as well. We'll keep you posted.
HOLMES: We will follow up. All right.
CHETRY: Well, new evidence this morning that the study that started the scare about vaccines and whether they were linked to autism is a fraud. In a moment, we're going to talk to the investigative journalist about why he said that the one-time doctor made up the research.
HOLMES: Also, coming up, the bond between man and mustang. A Nevada prison inmate serving time in a saddle, training and transforming wild horses? Our John Zarrella with an "A.M. Original." That's just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Twenty-seven minutes past the hour right now.
We've been following this story about the government roundup of wild horses that's been taking place out west. Has a lot of animal rights activists up in arms. And the images that we've seen this week in our special investigation are certainly disturbing. Helicopters chasing the horses into pens in an effort to try to control the mustang population.
HOLMES: Animal activists talking about this saying it's cruel. But if there's one place for both sides can maybe find some common ground - a Nevada prison where inmates and horses live and learn from each other.
Our John Zarrella has been on this story for us. He's in Miami with an "A.M. Original". Good morning to you, john.
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, T.J. and Kiran. You know, there's a saying out west that the outside - the inside of a man or the outside of a horse is good for the inside of a man. Well, so we wanted to see how that works, so we went to a place you wouldn't expect to find this - a prison outside Carson City.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ZARRELLA (voice-over): Thomas Smittle, embezzlement. James Redmon, battery with a deadly weapon. Both are serving time in a Nevada prison, but not behind bars. They're in a saddle.
THOMAS SMITTLE, INMATE: This program has forced me to look at myself. And I really have to grow up to be able to - to be successful at it.
JAMES REDMON, INMATE: The biggest thing I've learned so far since I started out here is patience.
ZARELLA: The program takes a dozen inmates, some have never ridden a horse teaches them the ropes. Not just how to ride, but how to break a wild mustang.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Back, back, back.
ZARRELLA: Each inmate is paired with an animal that until it was caught in a Bureau of Land Management roundup had never been touched, let alone ridden. There is a near instant bond between man and mustang.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can see they were so wild like a month ago. And suddenly they're like kids.
HANK CURRY, PROGRAM MANAGER: You look for a kind eye -
ZARRELLA: Hank Curry runs the prison program. From the 1,000 mustangs housed here at the facility, Curry picks about 80 to be trained each year. He handpicks the inmates, too. They're not cut any slack.
CURRY: If you're going to trick me, you're going to lie to me, you're going to hide from me, we're going to part ways, and it's just that simple.
ZARRELLA: An unbroken mustang will sell for $125, if you can find a taker. Not these. They sell at auction for a premium.
ZARRELLA (on camera): The horses go for anywhere from $1,000 to $1,600. And at the most recent auction, one of the horses sold for $8,500.
ZARRELLA (voice-over): That's a testament to the program. Eight hours a day, the inmates work with the horses. One learning from the other.
REDMON: They're doing me a lot of good. And I'm doing them a little bit of good. ZARRELLA: The program's success can be measured on two levels. Shaping both man and mustang for life on the outside without breaking the spirit of either.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ZARRELLA: You know, this program, unfortunately, doesn't even put a dent in the number of wild horses that are rounded up this past year. Twelve thousand wild horses rounded up by the Bureau of Land Management. Most all of them will ultimately end up in long-term holding facilities, you know, out on the range in Oklahoma and Texas, where 40,000 wild horses already live. And that's where they will likely spend the rest of their lives.
You know, one of the only hopes, T.J., and, Kiran, that, you know, people see this series that we've been doing all week. And maybe if they can have the wherewithal, go online and adopt one of those wild horses for $125. Just make sure you can get on the back, and ride it and get it broken.
CHETRY: No, I mean, we've gotten such a response, John, from your series. I mean, it really -- it doesn't seem like there's easy answers. But what you said yesterday, they're attempting to do birth control on some of the mares --
ZARRELLA: Yes.
CHETRY: -- to see if that would actually be a viable option. Hopefully, that will work.
ZARRELLA: That is a hope -- definitely a hope.
HOLMES: All right. John, we appreciate you this week. Great series. Good to see you. Thanks so much.
At the bottom of the hour here now, give you a look at some of the stories that are making headlines.
Of course, we know now, Republicans in charge of the House. They're planning to, as one of their first orders of business, read the Constitution out loud, this morning on the floor -- the whole thing. And then, it's on to health care reform and repealing the president's signature legislation from last year. We're talking about it with would brand-new members of Congress. That's coming your way in about 10 minutes.
CHETRY: Also, a gunman is in custody this morning after a hostage standoff at a restaurant in Chandler, Arizona. Police arrested Adam Hernandez at the restaurant after he opened fire at a shopping mall. They say Hernandez is not the federal fugitive that U.S. Marshals thought they spotted earlier yesterday at the Chandler Fashion Mall. Anyway, the mall has since reopened.
HOLMES: Also, the researcher who sparked a global scare and a debate over the supposed link between childhood vaccination and autism has been now accused of outright fraud. An investigative journalist and a prominent medical journalist said that Dr. Andrew Wakefield covered up the fact that some of the kids who had developmental problems actually had them before they were immunized.
CHETRY: Yes. And so, this is certainly a bombshell of a story this morning. The study that linked the MMR vaccine to autism caused shock waves when he it was published back in 1988 in the medical journal "Lancet." But by 2004, most of the paper's co-authors had withdrawn their support. Then last February, "Lancet" retracted that report saying the research was, quote, "unethical." Last summer, Dr. Wakefield was then barred from practicing medicine in Britain.
And Brian Deer is the investigative journalist who really blew the lid off of this story. And he joins us live from London this morning.
Brian, good morning.
BRIAN DEER, INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST, SUNDAY TIMES OF LONDON: Good morning.
CHETRY: One of the things I want to ask is: what is the -- what was the most motivation then for Dr. Wakefield to falsely link autism to the MMR vaccine in that initial study?
DEER: Well, I believe that his motivation was essentially to make money. Initially to make money from litigation, he was retained as an expert in a lawsuit for which we know he was paid three quarters of a million U.S. dollars. But he also had all kinds of business interests which he thought would make considerably more money through promoting the scare and promoting public anxiety through over the MMR vaccine.
CHETRY: And then the question seems to be: why would there be all of these other co-authors? And why would it make its way into a prestigious journal like "Lancet" and really shape the discussion and the fears about autism linked to vaccine?
DEER: Well, that's one of the great weaknesses of medicine and medical publishing, is that people can publish things that are false. People talk about peer review and such like. And they imagine they're some kind of safety system. But, in fact, the whole system works on trust. His co-authors didn't know which child was which in the study that he published.
And so, it is actually possible for determined cheat to get away with the kind of behavior that Dr. Wakefield has been involved in.
CHETRY: Well, Dr. Wakefield is still continuing to stand by his study and his findings. Anderson Cooper actually talked to him last night. He went after you. He accused you of being part of a conspiracy to discredit him.
Let's just listen to a bit of what he said. Also, he claimed that you were getting paid to do this -- to do this investigation. Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, CNN'S ANDERSON COOPER 360) DR. ANDREW WAKEFIELD, ACCUSED OF FAKING AUTISM RESEARCH: I have read his multiple allegations on many occasions. He is a hit man. He's been brought in to take me down because they are very, very concerned about the adverse reactions to vaccines that are occurring to children. Who brought this man in, who is paying this man, I don't know.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Did you have a financial interest in doing this investigation, Brian?
DEER: I've been an investigative journalist working for "The Sunday Times of London" since the early 1980s.
The point you have to remember about this whole issue is, firstly, that it's not me saying this. It's the editors of the "BMJ," a very prestigious medical journal who peer reviewed and checked of the facts which we put forward in our investigation this week. So, it's not me saying it. It's the editors of that journal who are behind this.
But secondly, this material has been published in the United Kingdom in extraordinary detail. If it is true that Andrew Wakefield is not guilty as charged, he has the remedy of bringing a liable action against myself, against "The Sunday Times of London," against the "British Medical Journal," against television networks here -- and he would be the richest man in America.
(CROSSTALK)
CHETRY: But he's alleging that you were being paid to do this article. I mean, you were paid, right, because you were a journalist?
DEER: I was commissioned by the "British Medical Journal" to write the piece, yes. That's what the journalists do.
CHETRY: What about "The Sunday Times of London" and Channel 4 in Britain?
DEER: I work for them. Right. Yes, of course, they pay, I'm a journalist. I was hired to do a job, like you are.
CHETRY: Right.
DEER: You are being paid to your job and I'm being paid to do my job.
CHETRY: Thank goodness.
The bottom line, though, is he's questioning your motivations for going after him? Clearly, what are your motivations for going after Dr. Wakefield and his study?
DEER: It was simply a journalist assignment given to me late in 2003. A simple journalistic assignment which I expected would last a week or two weeks. And it just completely opened up when Dr. Wakefield began what we know has established a campaign of lies. When you're a journalist and you see somebody you're dealing is lying to you, then you pursue it. He then sued me. He was then required to may my costs. So, I received a check on his behalf, the previous false lawsuit that he began.
And now, what he's trying to do, cloud the picture by -- in the same way as he used to cloud the picture by saying some doctors say the vaccine is safe. Some doctors say it isn't safe.
Now, what he's trying to do is to say, well, some people say that he's a liar and he says that I'm a liar.
CHETRY: Right.
DEER: So, what he's trying to basically do is to split the difference. On that basis, he can work a nice living which he's got going. You should see him in Jamaica this weekend, which he's having a marvelous sometime on the expense of parents of autistic children.
CHETRY: Well, I want to ask you about that. What has been the impact of this safety on calling into question the safety worldwide of certain vaccines?
DEER: Oh, it's been absolutely devastating because he and a little clique of lawyers and activists around, anti-vaccine activists around him, have been able to spread anxiety, to export it from the United Kingdom, bring it across the Atlantic, the United States, with the result, we're now seeing parents anxious about vaccination. We've seen just the worst outbreak of whooping cough in California since the 1950s.
CHETRY: Are we going to understand autism and what causes it, though? Because we have seen this rise, 50 percent from 2002 to 2006 in children identified with autism spectrum disorder? I mean, why is it increasing like this?
DEER: Well, I'm a journalist, I'm not a doctor. And I don't give medical advice. I can say from what I understand talking to doctors and scientists is that the (INAUDIBLE) conditions which cause autism, autisms, neurological problems in children, are very complex issues. And science just doesn't have the answer.
So when someone like Dr. Wakefield comes along that gives a simple answer that blames other people, blames drug companies, now blames me, it's all my fault, a very small number of parents become misled by that and cling to this. Because their choice is basically blame somebody else or suffer the possibility that they're left with the guilt of thinking it was their fault that they vaccinated their child. So, it's a very vulnerable group that Dr. Wakefield preys on.
CHETRY: Well, your reporting certainly is getting attention this morning. All of it is going to be out there along with the editorial as well. We look forward to seeing all of this.
Brian Deer, thanks for joining us this morning.
DEER: Thank you.
HOLMES: Also coming up, we're going back to Washington. You remember your freshman year, your first day on campus. Well, they had theirs yesterday. A couple of freshmen joining us to talk about their hope and aspirations and maybe even concerns in this new Congress.
CHETRY: And the voice, as well as the remarkable story for the man behind it. Ted Williams has seen his life turned upside down in just a 24-hour news cycle, from panhandling on the streets to now fielding job offers.
Thirty-nine minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Forty-two minutes past the hour. Welcome back to this AMERICAN MORNING.
The new Congress is getting to work today in Washington, their first full day. Members are gearing up for a big debate. It's going to be coming on repealing President Obama's health care reform. Also on the agenda: a trim to the House's budget, their own budget. Also, they're going to be reading the Constitution on the floor.
We've got two incoming freshmen with us this morning. Congressman Steve Womack, Republican from the state of Arkansas, also the former mayor of Rogers, Arkansas. And also, Congressman David Cicilline, he's a Democrat from Rhode Island and former mayor of Providence.
Gentlemen, thank you both for being here and congratulations on the day from yesterday. There's so much focus on what you guys, the freshmen, need to learn everything -- from how to build coalitions, how to legislate, and even how to find the bathroom. But that's what you all are supposed to learn.
But what are you there to teach. I'll start with you, Representative Womack, what can they, the veterans on Capitol Hill, learn from somebody like you?
REP. STEVE WOMACK (R), ARKANSAS: Well, what they can learn from us, and I think they get it because they've heard the same message, is that the American public has spoken very loud and clear. We had a very one-sided adult conversation during the campaign with the electorate, and we're bringing those ideas from the trenches of the campaign, if you will, back to Washington. And we're sharing that message with our colleagues.
HOLMES: Well, Representative Cicilline, same question to you, what would you like to teach the veterans there?
REP. DAVID CICILLINE (D), RHODE ISLAND: Well, I think, you know, both -- Congressman Womack and I both are former mayors. And I think what we know is how to get things done and I think what the American are saying very clearly is they want to us work together to get this economy back on track, to get people back to work, to make the right decisions and the right investments here in Washington. But also to be sure that we're being responsible about the deficit.
So, you know, those are decisions we've had to make as mayors. And I think our experience is about balancing budgets, making tough decisions, working together, building relationships. But most importantly, getting things done for the American people is what we're here to do.
HOLMES: And, guys, I don't want to let yesterday go too quickly because we might not see a day like that again. It was very nice to see families and people getting along and both sides being complimentary. So, Representative Cicilline, tell me what was your moment of day yesterday. It was a special day. Whether there was somebody you got to meet, somebody a picture you got to take whatever -- but what was kind of your nice moment of the day you had yesterday?
CICILLINE: My moment was with my family, my parents, my siblings, and about 40 cousins, and aunts and uncles. We had about 300 people from Rhode Island that came to be part of the day. And that was really the most important thing in me.
HOLMES: What about you, Mr. Womack?
WOMACK: Well, too many to single out (AUDIO BREAK) Vice President Dan Quayle, who was with his son Dan, one of our colleagues, and had the opportunity to say the name Boehner, when it was time to announce what my vote would be for speaker of the House.
And I had an opportunity to spend a lot of time with family. My mother was here, a number of my sisters and nephews and so forth. And we just had a terrific day yesterday. But I've got to tell you, it was a quick honeymoon because the work begins right away.
HOLMES: All right. On to the business now, Representative Womack, and one thing is going to be taking up, as we know: repealing the health care bill. Can you just give me a "yes" or "no" -- will you vote to repeal it, first of all?
WOMACK: Absolutely.
HOLMES: You will. Even if you disagree with it, do you think it is the first thing that this Congress needs to take up with everybody focused on jobs still needing to be created?
WOMACK: It's one of the critical pieces of -- I'm just saying it's one of the critical pieces of our economy that we have to fix. It's one-sixth of our economy. And I think it, you know, takes a half of trillion dollars in tax hikes and takes a half of trillion out of Medicare. We just have to do what is necessary to remove the uncertainty in the overall job creating market.
And I think health care is one of those. What it does to families, to seniors to health care providers. We just have to take some action, and that's a pledge. It's a promise that we made to our electorate. And I think it's a promise that we're going to deliver on.
HOLMES: Representative Cicilinne, do you think -- when you watched that whole debate that got fiery and contentious as you were Mayor of Rhode Island, was that a fight you were wanting to be a part of in some ways? And now, you're getting a chance. Are you looking forward to now almost doing this whole thing over again?
REP. DAVID CICILLINE, (D) RHODE ISLAND: What I think is very important, I heard all throughout my campaign, I heard from seniors who are pleased that their prescription drugs are going to become more affordable and we're going to close the (INAUDIBLE). I talked to parents who are going to have their children be able to stay on the health insurance plans. I spoke to many people who have pre-existing conditions who couldn't get health insurance who now can.
So, I think we can't go back to those days where the insurance companies can discriminate against people based on pre-existing conditions, set arbitrary caps on coverage. If we repeal it, it would raise prescription prices for our seniors. So, I think we cannot go back to those things. I, again, think our priority has to be jobs, getting people back to work.
This economy back on track, but I also want to be sure that we don't go back to those practices that gave the insurance companies all the power really going to hurt people. And so, I'm going to work hard to protect that.
HOLMES: Well, gentlemen, I'm going to let you both go here now. But as we know, we know the constitution is going to be read on the House floor today. It's kind of a Republican effort, but with my understanding, anybody who wants to go down can. So, I'll ask you both, do you both plan to get in line and be a part of that reading? Representative Cicilline, are you going to go down?
CICILLINE: I think all the Democrats are happy to be part -- look, this is our constitution of our great country and --
HOLMES: Are you going to go?
CICILLINE: Absolutely.
HOLMES: You're going to go read some. What about you, Representative Womack?
WOMACK: I made it clear yesterday that I'd like to read a portion of the constitution. It is the founding document of our country. And it's the basis for everything that we do. And it would be a great honor for me to do that on the House floor today.
HOLMES: Well, gentlemen, good to see you both. Congratulations on the day yesterday. Congratulations on your election. And we will see you on day 100 and to this Congress will be as pleasant as day one and day two have been, so far. Gentlemen, thanks so much and congratulations.
CICILLINE: Thank you.
WOMACK: My pleasure. Thank you very much.
HOLMES: All right. Let me head back over to Kiran.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: Exactly. How long can the honeymoon last, right?
We're going to check in with Rob Marciano for a look at the travel forecast coming up.
Also, today is the first day of the rest of his life for Ted Williams. A homeless man with a golden voice has a world of opportunity waiting. Forty-eight minutes past the hour.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VICTORIA STILWELL, DOG TRAINER: I'm Victoria Stilwell, trainer and host of Animal Planet's "It's Me or the Dog." And I'm on the road for about nine months of the year. Up, close, good girl. People all over the United States, all over the world, need help with their animals. So, that's why I find that I travel so much.
You can only travel with a dog if it's under a certain weight, and it can fit underneath the seat in front of you. I wouldn't put a dog in a cargo again and again and again because it's very stressful for a dog to travel like that. Try and get a support system built up. People that maybe come in and sit with your pet at home or a good boarding kennel. As a mother, some of my biggest challenges are obviously trying to stay connected with my child.
My daughter gives me this, so that I'm not alone when I travel. I love Skype on the computer. I love to be able to actually see my husband and my child and my dog. As a dog trainer, we really don't need that much (ph) when I'm traveling. The most important thing, earplug. And I'll see you on the road.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Fifty-one minutes past the hour right now. Let's check in with Rob Marciano. He's got a look at the travel forecast for us. Hey, Rob.
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Kiran. Good morning, T.J. Watching a couple of things here on the map. Check it out. Two weak systems, one now pressing across Florida, although, there are some decent thunderstorms with that, and then, this one moving across the Great Lakes, one of several this week that had scooted across the Great Lakes. Just producing a few lake-effect snow showers.
But as it drives down towards the northeast and off the coast, and it will be off the coast, kind of a complex weather system setting up for tomorrow that will probably be bring some accumulating snow to the New York City area. And we've highlighted these counties that are in a winter storm watch, anywhere from four to 10 inches, and it will be pockets because it's to be kind of -- almost kind of like lake-effect snow is coming in off the ocean.
There'll be areas that will be get 10, maybe 12 inches of snow. There'll be areas that get 2 inches of snow. Just be aware that all five boroughs and some of the surrounding Tri-State area are under a winter storm watch for potentially some heavy snow, at least in pockets tomorrow. Some rain on the light side across the Carolinas. And there is your thunderstorm just south of Orlando and Tampa had some beneficial rains yesterday across parts of Florida and Louisiana.
And today's daytime highs like yesterday will be seasonably cool. Keep an eye on the storm as it develops. T.J. and Kiran, back up to you.
CHETRY: All right. Rob, thanks so much.
Coming up, we're going to tell you the happy, maybe, beginning for the one's homeless Ted Williams, the man with the golden radio voice. We're going to see what's going on for him. There he is. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: All right. Ted Williams, he's the homeless man with that golden voice that became an overnight sensation, and his video exploded online.
CHETRY: And now, the offers are rolling in, jobs, cash, even a free home. Here's Jeanne Moos.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Here today, gone tomorrow. But the main thing that changed overnight wasn't Ted Williams' look, it was his life.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fully responsible for everything
MOOS: No wonder he was tearfully thanking folks. The offers were pretty amazing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We had a listener call in and offer $15,000 of her own money.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Would you like to come to Hollywood?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I certainly would.
(LAUGHTER)
MOOS: All because a videographer for the "Columbus Dispatch" taped this exchange with a homeless recovering alcoholic, holding a sign saying he had a God given gift of a voice.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm going to make you work for your dollar. Say something with that great radio voice.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When you're listening to nothing but the best of oldies, you're listening to Magic 98.9
MOOS: And white magic, Ted Williams was transported to the world of media interviews and network morning shows where he choked up at the prospect of a reunion with his 92-year-old mother in New York.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She would live long enough for me to see me, you know, rebound or whatever.
MOOS: He had an offer from a show called "America's Next Voice." from MTV, from "Inside Edition."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For the best in sleazy (ph) recording --
MOOS: Columbus radio station, WMCI, fielded most of the offers. For instance, full-time job doing voiceover work for the Cleveland Cavaliers. And from a company associated with them --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Quicken Loans is actually offering to pay a mortgage on a home.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, my God!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, my God. That's the best deal ever.
MOOS: Not bad for a guy who showed reporters a tent he says he once called home.
MOOS (on-camera): Because Ted knows his way around the microphone, some thought it was a phony.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Meanwhile, it's a hoax, you know. Listen to this guy, what, he's a homeless guy. Why would this guy be a homeless with a delivery like this?
MOOS (voice-over): Thanks to booze and cocaine, Williams admits. It didn't take long for the smoking gun website to publish meet the felon with the golden voice, a roundup of his rap sheet on charges such as theft and robbery. Smoking gun interviewed a Columbus businessman who complained about Williams being nuisance on his property, changing clothes and cursing. From jail cell bars to --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: His golden pipes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That is a man with some velvet pipes.
MOOS: Now living a pipe dream come true.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now batting for the Boston Red Sox, number 9, Ted Williams.
MOOS: Did we mention he has nine kids?
Jeanne Moos, CNN --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And we'll be back with more right after these words.
MOOS: New york.
(END VIDEOTAPE) (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
