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President Bush Speaks at Air Force Academy; Prescription Drugs and Weight Gain

Aired June 02, 2004 - 15:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to LIVE FROM. I'm Kyra Phillips.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Here's what's happening at this hour.

Sources tell CNN that Iraqi emigre leader Ahmad Chalabi told Iran the U.S. had cracked a secret code used by Iranian intelligence. This comes a month after reports that Chalabi provided sensitive U.S. intelligence data to Tehran. The Bush administration cut off funding to Chalabi's organization about that time.

Three foreign aid workers and two Afghans were killed in an ambush in northwestern Afghanistan. Taliban militants claimed responsibility for the attacks some 340 west of Kabul. The international group Doctors Without Borders confirmed that three of its staff members and two Afghans were attacked, but had no other information.

Two jurors get the boot in the Terry Nichols trial. One is the jury foreman. The judge won't say why he dismissed the pair. They've been replaced by alternates. The trial is in the sentencing phase. The jury will eventually decide if Nichols should somebody executed for the Oklahoma City bombing.

From lost to found. Two propane trucks stolen over the weekend have turned up near Laredo, Texas. They were carrying 5,600 gallons of propane. And the FBI says it appears both trucks are full. The disappearance of so much explosive fuel had some authorities quite worried.

PHILLIPS: Well, President Bush tells graduates at the Air Force Academy they could be called on to join the war on terror.

More on the president's commencement speech in Colorado Springs from CNN national correspondent Frank Buckley -- hi, Frank.

FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey there, Kyra.

President Bush delivering one of a series of speeches here at the U.S. Air Force Academy commencement on Iraq, as the U.S. moves toward that June 30 handover to the interim government. Right now, the president's still here after delivering his speech. He's congratulating each of the 981 graduates of the class of 2004 on the floor here at Falcon Stadium. In his speech, the president compared postwar Iraq to the period following World War II and the Cold War. He compared the war on terror to the -- quote -- "great clashes of the last century." The president said the U.S. must stay on the offensive in the global conflict and with regard to Iraq, the U.S. is prepared to help the interim government as it moves toward free elections at the end of the year.

The president also spoke of his belief that democracy in the Middle East is possible and that the U.S. must prevail in what he called a clash of ideologies with radicals in the Middle East.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The terrorist movement feeds on the appearance of inevitability. It claims to rise on the currents of history, using past American withdrawals from Somalia and Beirut to sustain this myth and to gain new followers. The success of free and stable governments in Afghanistan and Iraq and elsewhere will shatter the myth and discredit the radicals.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BUCKLEY: And the president said just as events in Europe determined the outcome of the Cold War, he said events (AUDIO GAP) will set the course of the current global conflict -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right, a little in and out of satellite there. Our Frank Buckley there at the commencement speech. Thanks, Frank -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: Well, now for a story that reads like a spy novel. Ahmad Chalabi, the man once described as a possible Iraqi leader after the war, is now suspected of giving U.S. secrets to Iran.

Sources tell CNN Chalabi told an Iranian official the U.S. had cracked the secret code used by Iranian intelligence. Chalabi, a former Iraqi exile, was the favorite by many at the Bush White House in the run-up to the war. And if the story is true, why would Ahmad Chalabi reveal U.S. secrets to the Iranians. I talked to CNN analyst Ken Pollack about that earlier this afternoon.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KENNETH POLLACK, CNN ANALYST: The fact of the matter is that we knew that Ahmad Chalabi had a relationship with the Iranians. He's had that relationship with the Iranians going back many, many years.

And in fact, when I was in government before 2001, we understood that Chalabi had a relationship with the Iranians and we assumed that anything that we told him could very easily find its way to the Iranians.

WHITFIELD: So, if that was common knowledge, then, then why and how would he be privy to such kind of, you know, secretive information by the U.S.? POLLACK: Well, clearly someone made a big mistake.

Now, there's a story that the individual was drunk at the time. Obviously, that would suggest that he let his guard down. But it may also have just been someone who was somewhat naive, thought that Chalabi was more trustworthy than he was, thought that he was more on our side than he turned out to be.

WHITFIELD: Is there a feeling that perhaps leaks like this may have transpired far longer ago than just six weeks ago?

POLLACK: It's entirely possible. You know, it's clear that there were many people within the administration who had a very close relationship with Ahmad Chalabi, considered him a friend, considered him a very close ally.

And if this kind of revelation could take place, you can't put it past that were other revelations of other secrets at other points in time.

WHITFIELD: So, now, what kind of legal recourse might the U.S. have? They've already stop with the paychecks that they were sending to Chalabi. Might there be any kind of treason or espionage charges, anything like that that could be expected?

POLLACK: Honestly, Fredricka, I'm not a lawyer. I don't know the details of that, so I can't comment on legal ramifications.

As you pointed out, the U.S. has stopped its payments to Chalabi's group, which is important. The U.S. could go and seize the documents, the intelligence documents that he has been sitting on, which is why he was getting that money. Another clear repercussion was the president yesterday distancing himself from Chalabi very, very publicly.

These are all the kinds of actions that you would expect them to take to kind of put some distance between themselves and Ahmad Chalabi.

WHITFIELD: And not only that. Did you also hear from the president that he and the administration are distancing themselves from those selected in the interim government as well? This example might be made of that now strained relationship?

POLLACK: Sure.

You know, I think that one of the things that the administration is learning from the incident with Ahmad Chalabi is that too close an embrace with many of these Iraqis is not good for either us or them, that right now our occupation of Iraq has soured so many Iraqis that being seen as being too close to the United States in some cases can be the kiss of death for them.

In other cases, if we get too close with certain Iraqis, it leads to this kind of leak, which can also be damaging for us. WHITFIELD: And might this also add to a suspicion that U.S. leaders may have of other Governing Council members, that perhaps they may be reinvestigating or looking a little closer at some of those members or those selected as interim government leaders?

POLLACK: Sure, and they certainly should.

Anyone who had the same kind of relationship with U.S. officials that Ahmad Chalabi did, anyone who had the same kind of ties with the Iranians or other groups who we may be suspicious of ought to be under fairly close investigation.

What's more, I think the administration really needs to start policing its own troops in terms of other administration officials, getting the word out, saying to them, hey, you cannot talk to foreign nationals no matter how close they may be to the United States government about certain critical national security secrets.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: That was Ken Pollack.

The United States cut off payments to Chalabi's Iraqi National Congress last month.

PHILLIPS: Pumping more to put a lid on soaring oil prices. OPEC nations meet in Beirut, Lebanon, tomorrow. They'll be talking about ways to increase oil production to bring down sky-high oil prices. The United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia have already vowed to boost production. A terrorist attack on foreign workers in Saudi Arabia over the weekend has raised concerns even further about security in the world's No. 1 oil exporting nation.

Did you notice when you filled up today, maybe a teeny bit, that the government says prices fell half-a-smidgen last week down to a penny to an average $2.05 a gallon? I know. We're both laughing.

Chris Lawrence is near Chicago, where prices are actually a bit higher than average.

Chris, what can you tell us?

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, normally, the average person doesn't care what OPEC is up to, but now they seem to be checking the price of crude oil like you check the box scores in the morning paper, everybody looking for just a little bit of a break.

Even a couple cents I guess at this point would make a big difference.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Any kind of break that we get with the reduction in this price would be appreciated. It was a shame that as American taxpayers, consumers, the way that we're getting stiffed.

BUCKLEY: Has the price of gas -- and I notice, you've got a pretty big vehicle here. This is not going to get great mileage. Has it changed the way you drive, where you go, anything like that?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, because I work part-time as a courier, so it's a necessary part of what I do, so that hasn't been able to change, and my pay hasn't been able to go up because the person that I work for can't up the customers because of contracts. So I'm stuck and I'm getting stiffed.

BUCKLEY: Really putting a squeeze on you.

LAWRENCE: Yes, that it is.

BUCKLEY: All right. Well, we can only hope for a little bit of relief. And that's what we've been hearing from people all morning out here, is they just need a little bit. Nobody expects the price to drop back to around maybe around $1.10, like it was a few years ago. But people say even $1.70, $1.80 sure would be a welcome relief heading into summer -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Yes, I'm just wondering if you filled up the news car yet, Chris, or maybe you might be walking, taking the train?

BUCKLEY: That's why we have photographers, Kyra, and company credit cards to take care of just that.

PHILLIPS: Amen. There you go. You expense it. Very good, Chris Lawrence, one of the smartest new reporters we have. Thank you, Chris.

(LAUGHTER)

PHILLIPS: All right.

WHITFIELD: How do you spell pressure, I mean real pressure?

PHILLIPS: P-R-E

(CROSSTALK)

PHILLIPS: Oh, OK. Work, maybe?

WHITFIELD: The kids at this year's National Spelling Bee, they know all too well. We'll get a report from inside the nail-biting competition. And they've got much more difficult words than just pressure.

PHILLIPS: Well, from smarty pants to Smarty Jones, going for racing glory now. Will it be three for three?

WHITFIELD: And paying to boost your brain, why America's college bills are piling up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: News across America now.

You might say last night's weather in Dallas, Texas, looked more like images in the movie "The Day After Tomorrow." Supercell thunderstorms pounded the area with lightning strikes, winds topping 80 miles per hour, torrential rain and hail the size of tennis balls. The storms knocked out electricity in many areas and damaged several buildings and homes.

Streams of lava from the Kilauea volcano on the big island of Hawaii are pouring into the Pacific Ocean. That volcano has been erupting since January 1983. It's the first time in 11 months that lava has reached the water.

Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Smarty Jones will try Saturday to become the first Triple Crown winner in 26 years. Smarty will be in post position 9, facing 2-5 odds at Belmont. That colt has an 8-0 career record. He left Philadelphia for New York today.

WHITFIELD: Well, there are some sweaty palms in Washington, D.C. as some of the nation's brightest minds tackle tough questions, like spelling of the word widdershins. It's the 77th annual Scripps National Spelling Bee. And more than 200 students are hoping to be the one who will walk away with the $12,000 big prize or about $5,000 in other prizes.

Associated Press writer Ben Feller covers the event and he is joining us by phone.

And about what stage, Ben, are they in right now, still trying to whittle down the number of contenders?

BEN FELLER, ASSOCIATED PRESS: That's right. They're in the fourth round right now, and it's about down to 70 students. They started out yesterday at 265 with a written test and began the oral competition today, and it's getting down there.

WHITFIELD: We're looking at the video. These kids look intense. Their faces are full of concentration. But you say you really have observed these kids having a lot of fun. They are loving this competition, aren't they?

FELLER: Well, sure, it's both. You have to remember that they've already accomplished a lot to get this far. They're really celebrities in their home towns. They have fan clubs there and they have quite a lot of support here. So they're trying to soak it in.

At the same time, you see a lot of concentration. They're obviously interested in doing well and advancing as far as they can.

WHITFIELD: And you've even witnessed how some of these kids are kind of practicing, aren't they, before they're put in the hot seat. What are you seeing these kids do? What are some of the rituals they go through to get warmed up for the big competition?

FELLER: Well, they each have their own style. There's a lot of comradery in the months leading up to this, as they progress through their local bees. They have their own methods of practicing with their parents. Or some even hire specialists to go over words with them. And then when they get to Washington, they break up into study groups here. They did some of that last night. I even saw one boy practicing his words aloud sort of to himself going down the escalator into the ballroom. It's very smart much on their minds.

WHITFIELD: And the funny thing about it is, a lot of these kids really don't know much about the definition of these words, but they are smart enough and they are able to ask about maybe the derivation of the word, so they can try and piece together whether this is a Latin word, French, German, etcetera. Explain how that go.

FELLER: Well, the bee organizers really encourage these kids to be word detectives, to try to understand where the word comes from, what its language of origin is, use it in the context of a sentence, so that, if they get up on stage, they're not relying on memorization techniques, but rather the ability to figure out what the word is.

A lot of them do know these definitions. A few have offered them to the judges before even being asked.

WHITFIELD: Well, let's talk about who some of these kids are.

The ages range from 9-15, grades 4-8. Are these mostly private school kids, public school kids, homeschool? Are you able to see what kind of the makeup of these kids are?

FELLER: Sure. It's fairly diverse in a lot of ways.

Most of these kids do go to traditional public schools, about two-thirds of them. And the others are homeschooled. There's always a strong contingent from that group. And the rest go to private schools of one sort or another or public charter schools.

WHITFIELD: Now, these kids, while they may have gotten a few words wrong here and there, they really don't know the what real rejection is yet, right? You were describing earlier that there is this rejection bell that is so demoralizing that these kids just might be hearing in the next few hours.

FELLER: Oh, we're getting into full-scale rejection mode, yes.

(LAUGHTER)

FELLER: They're down to the one-and-done format right now. So if they get a word wrong, that's it. They hear the dinging of the bell and they're taken off stage to what's called the comfort room where they have some snacks and a dictionary if they want to sort of take a look and piece together what just went wrong.

Some of these kids, when they get to the microphone, are hearing a word they've never heard before. It's apparent. And they're giving it a shot. Others are really earnestly surprised when they didn't get the word right. And, of course, some are doing quite well and going right back to their seats after they get it right.

WHITFIELD: Well, these kids are champions just for being there. But you know some of them take it so seriously. All they know is, I've got to win. I've got to win.

Ben Feller, thanks very much.

And this competition ends tomorrow, the big finale, $12,000 at stake for the top winner and then $5,000 in other prizes.

Thanks a lot, Ben. I know you're having a good time covering this one.

FELLER: My pleasure.

WHITFIELD: Here's some of the words. OK?

PHILLIPS: Oh, boy.

WHITFIELD: I know it's very impressive that some of these kids understand the derivation and the definition.

Zeitgeber, ever heard of that one?

PHILLIPS: Zeitgeber?

WHITFIELD: Yes, zeitgeber. It's an environmental agent that helps reset a biological clock of an organism. So bottle that. You know a lot of folks are looking for that one.

PHILLIPS: Oh, sure. That's one we'll use.

WHITFIELD: That's right.

(CROSSTALK)

PHILLIPS: We'll figure out a way to put it in our scripts.

WHITFIELD: Senary.

PHILLIPS: Senary.

WHITFIELD: Sounds like scenery.

PHILLIPS: OK.

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: Nothing of the short. Six parts.

PHILLIPS: Six parts.

WHITFIELD: And these are the easy words.

(CROSSTALK)

PHILLIPS: Here we go. All right. I got that.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

PHILLIPS: And they have their own fan clubs. I wonder if they autographed pictures. We should write to the fan club.

WHITFIELD: Yes, let's do that.

PHILLIPS: Don't you think?

WHITFIELD: And see what our response might be.

PHILLIPS: We're going to get the winner on. We're asking right now.

WHITFIELD: Absolutely.

(FINANCIAL UPDATE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: In health news, is your medicine making you fat?

CNN senior medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta on prescription drugs that can cause to you gain weight.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: For most people, it's no surprise that there's a link between weight gain and the medications you take, but there are also some myths, as well as some surprises.

For example, birth control pills, widely believed to cause weight gain, according to a new report from "Consumer Reports," not so. Birth control pills don't. But there are a lot of medications that do. And they do it by increasing your appetite, decreasing your metabolism, increasing fluid retention or decreasing your activity by making you drowsy.

Let's take a look at the list of some of them, antidepressants, for example. Everything from Elavil to Remeron could possibly cause you to have weight gain by changing your perception of appetite. You feel more hungry. Sometimes, with these medications, you'll actually lose weight for the first three or four months, but then gain all that weight back and more over the following several months.

Another one, also anti-inflammatory drugs. This is everything from steroids to osteoporosis drugs, such as Evista. They can cause bloating. They can cause fluid retention. That can cause you to gain weight long term as well.

Another class of drugs, the anti-convulsant drugs. These are medications such as Depakote, Trileptal. There's also psychiatric drugs such as Clozaril or Risperdal. What happens here is that this drug makes you feel less than full so you want to keep eating more. Researchers advocate actually eating more protein and avoiding the sugar fixes.

There also appears to be a role for age and gender. The older you are or if you're a woman, you're more likely to gain weight on some of these medications.

Now, doctors caution that weight gain is probably not a reason to stop a medication, an important point. But doctors also say, with all of the medication choices out there, you may be able to switch medications or switch doses if the weight gain gets to be a real problem.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: All right, checking entertainment headlines this Wednesday, June 2, Miss Australia, Jennifer Hawkins, captures a new title. Wow, beautiful lady.

WHITFIELD: She's cute.

PHILLIPS: Miss Universe. The 20-year-old, 20 years old, oh, boy, choreographer and avid surfer says she eventually hopes to land a job, oh, in television. There we go. There goes our job, Fred.

Well, a court in the Dominican Republic grants a quickie divorce to singer Marc Anthony and his former Miss Universe wife, oh, no, Dayanara Torres. I thought they were the all-American couple. They married in 2000 and they have two kids.

Michael Moore's controversial documentary "Fahrenheit 9/11" has found a coalition of the willing to distribute it to U.S. theaters. It's scheduled to open June 25. That movie won top prize at last month's Cannes Film Festival. Three independent companies are joining forces to distribute it domestically.

In our reality TV watch, producer and former attorney David E. Kelley says he's got a change of heart about reality TV. Kelley, who created the Emmy-winning legal drama "The Practice," has criticized reality shows in the past. But "Daily Variety" reports that Kelley is now developing a TV drama that will have real lawyers in real civil cases. NBC reportedly has green-lighted eight episodes. I guess you just feel like jumping on the bandwagon when you see cha-ching, cha- ching.

PHILLIPS: There you go.

WHITFIELD: Reality TV is lucrative.

PHILLIPS: All right, that's it for us, LIVE FROM.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com


Aired June 2, 2004 - 15:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to LIVE FROM. I'm Kyra Phillips.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Here's what's happening at this hour.

Sources tell CNN that Iraqi emigre leader Ahmad Chalabi told Iran the U.S. had cracked a secret code used by Iranian intelligence. This comes a month after reports that Chalabi provided sensitive U.S. intelligence data to Tehran. The Bush administration cut off funding to Chalabi's organization about that time.

Three foreign aid workers and two Afghans were killed in an ambush in northwestern Afghanistan. Taliban militants claimed responsibility for the attacks some 340 west of Kabul. The international group Doctors Without Borders confirmed that three of its staff members and two Afghans were attacked, but had no other information.

Two jurors get the boot in the Terry Nichols trial. One is the jury foreman. The judge won't say why he dismissed the pair. They've been replaced by alternates. The trial is in the sentencing phase. The jury will eventually decide if Nichols should somebody executed for the Oklahoma City bombing.

From lost to found. Two propane trucks stolen over the weekend have turned up near Laredo, Texas. They were carrying 5,600 gallons of propane. And the FBI says it appears both trucks are full. The disappearance of so much explosive fuel had some authorities quite worried.

PHILLIPS: Well, President Bush tells graduates at the Air Force Academy they could be called on to join the war on terror.

More on the president's commencement speech in Colorado Springs from CNN national correspondent Frank Buckley -- hi, Frank.

FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey there, Kyra.

President Bush delivering one of a series of speeches here at the U.S. Air Force Academy commencement on Iraq, as the U.S. moves toward that June 30 handover to the interim government. Right now, the president's still here after delivering his speech. He's congratulating each of the 981 graduates of the class of 2004 on the floor here at Falcon Stadium. In his speech, the president compared postwar Iraq to the period following World War II and the Cold War. He compared the war on terror to the -- quote -- "great clashes of the last century." The president said the U.S. must stay on the offensive in the global conflict and with regard to Iraq, the U.S. is prepared to help the interim government as it moves toward free elections at the end of the year.

The president also spoke of his belief that democracy in the Middle East is possible and that the U.S. must prevail in what he called a clash of ideologies with radicals in the Middle East.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The terrorist movement feeds on the appearance of inevitability. It claims to rise on the currents of history, using past American withdrawals from Somalia and Beirut to sustain this myth and to gain new followers. The success of free and stable governments in Afghanistan and Iraq and elsewhere will shatter the myth and discredit the radicals.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BUCKLEY: And the president said just as events in Europe determined the outcome of the Cold War, he said events (AUDIO GAP) will set the course of the current global conflict -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right, a little in and out of satellite there. Our Frank Buckley there at the commencement speech. Thanks, Frank -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: Well, now for a story that reads like a spy novel. Ahmad Chalabi, the man once described as a possible Iraqi leader after the war, is now suspected of giving U.S. secrets to Iran.

Sources tell CNN Chalabi told an Iranian official the U.S. had cracked the secret code used by Iranian intelligence. Chalabi, a former Iraqi exile, was the favorite by many at the Bush White House in the run-up to the war. And if the story is true, why would Ahmad Chalabi reveal U.S. secrets to the Iranians. I talked to CNN analyst Ken Pollack about that earlier this afternoon.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KENNETH POLLACK, CNN ANALYST: The fact of the matter is that we knew that Ahmad Chalabi had a relationship with the Iranians. He's had that relationship with the Iranians going back many, many years.

And in fact, when I was in government before 2001, we understood that Chalabi had a relationship with the Iranians and we assumed that anything that we told him could very easily find its way to the Iranians.

WHITFIELD: So, if that was common knowledge, then, then why and how would he be privy to such kind of, you know, secretive information by the U.S.? POLLACK: Well, clearly someone made a big mistake.

Now, there's a story that the individual was drunk at the time. Obviously, that would suggest that he let his guard down. But it may also have just been someone who was somewhat naive, thought that Chalabi was more trustworthy than he was, thought that he was more on our side than he turned out to be.

WHITFIELD: Is there a feeling that perhaps leaks like this may have transpired far longer ago than just six weeks ago?

POLLACK: It's entirely possible. You know, it's clear that there were many people within the administration who had a very close relationship with Ahmad Chalabi, considered him a friend, considered him a very close ally.

And if this kind of revelation could take place, you can't put it past that were other revelations of other secrets at other points in time.

WHITFIELD: So, now, what kind of legal recourse might the U.S. have? They've already stop with the paychecks that they were sending to Chalabi. Might there be any kind of treason or espionage charges, anything like that that could be expected?

POLLACK: Honestly, Fredricka, I'm not a lawyer. I don't know the details of that, so I can't comment on legal ramifications.

As you pointed out, the U.S. has stopped its payments to Chalabi's group, which is important. The U.S. could go and seize the documents, the intelligence documents that he has been sitting on, which is why he was getting that money. Another clear repercussion was the president yesterday distancing himself from Chalabi very, very publicly.

These are all the kinds of actions that you would expect them to take to kind of put some distance between themselves and Ahmad Chalabi.

WHITFIELD: And not only that. Did you also hear from the president that he and the administration are distancing themselves from those selected in the interim government as well? This example might be made of that now strained relationship?

POLLACK: Sure.

You know, I think that one of the things that the administration is learning from the incident with Ahmad Chalabi is that too close an embrace with many of these Iraqis is not good for either us or them, that right now our occupation of Iraq has soured so many Iraqis that being seen as being too close to the United States in some cases can be the kiss of death for them.

In other cases, if we get too close with certain Iraqis, it leads to this kind of leak, which can also be damaging for us. WHITFIELD: And might this also add to a suspicion that U.S. leaders may have of other Governing Council members, that perhaps they may be reinvestigating or looking a little closer at some of those members or those selected as interim government leaders?

POLLACK: Sure, and they certainly should.

Anyone who had the same kind of relationship with U.S. officials that Ahmad Chalabi did, anyone who had the same kind of ties with the Iranians or other groups who we may be suspicious of ought to be under fairly close investigation.

What's more, I think the administration really needs to start policing its own troops in terms of other administration officials, getting the word out, saying to them, hey, you cannot talk to foreign nationals no matter how close they may be to the United States government about certain critical national security secrets.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: That was Ken Pollack.

The United States cut off payments to Chalabi's Iraqi National Congress last month.

PHILLIPS: Pumping more to put a lid on soaring oil prices. OPEC nations meet in Beirut, Lebanon, tomorrow. They'll be talking about ways to increase oil production to bring down sky-high oil prices. The United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia have already vowed to boost production. A terrorist attack on foreign workers in Saudi Arabia over the weekend has raised concerns even further about security in the world's No. 1 oil exporting nation.

Did you notice when you filled up today, maybe a teeny bit, that the government says prices fell half-a-smidgen last week down to a penny to an average $2.05 a gallon? I know. We're both laughing.

Chris Lawrence is near Chicago, where prices are actually a bit higher than average.

Chris, what can you tell us?

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, normally, the average person doesn't care what OPEC is up to, but now they seem to be checking the price of crude oil like you check the box scores in the morning paper, everybody looking for just a little bit of a break.

Even a couple cents I guess at this point would make a big difference.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Any kind of break that we get with the reduction in this price would be appreciated. It was a shame that as American taxpayers, consumers, the way that we're getting stiffed.

BUCKLEY: Has the price of gas -- and I notice, you've got a pretty big vehicle here. This is not going to get great mileage. Has it changed the way you drive, where you go, anything like that?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, because I work part-time as a courier, so it's a necessary part of what I do, so that hasn't been able to change, and my pay hasn't been able to go up because the person that I work for can't up the customers because of contracts. So I'm stuck and I'm getting stiffed.

BUCKLEY: Really putting a squeeze on you.

LAWRENCE: Yes, that it is.

BUCKLEY: All right. Well, we can only hope for a little bit of relief. And that's what we've been hearing from people all morning out here, is they just need a little bit. Nobody expects the price to drop back to around maybe around $1.10, like it was a few years ago. But people say even $1.70, $1.80 sure would be a welcome relief heading into summer -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Yes, I'm just wondering if you filled up the news car yet, Chris, or maybe you might be walking, taking the train?

BUCKLEY: That's why we have photographers, Kyra, and company credit cards to take care of just that.

PHILLIPS: Amen. There you go. You expense it. Very good, Chris Lawrence, one of the smartest new reporters we have. Thank you, Chris.

(LAUGHTER)

PHILLIPS: All right.

WHITFIELD: How do you spell pressure, I mean real pressure?

PHILLIPS: P-R-E

(CROSSTALK)

PHILLIPS: Oh, OK. Work, maybe?

WHITFIELD: The kids at this year's National Spelling Bee, they know all too well. We'll get a report from inside the nail-biting competition. And they've got much more difficult words than just pressure.

PHILLIPS: Well, from smarty pants to Smarty Jones, going for racing glory now. Will it be three for three?

WHITFIELD: And paying to boost your brain, why America's college bills are piling up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: News across America now.

You might say last night's weather in Dallas, Texas, looked more like images in the movie "The Day After Tomorrow." Supercell thunderstorms pounded the area with lightning strikes, winds topping 80 miles per hour, torrential rain and hail the size of tennis balls. The storms knocked out electricity in many areas and damaged several buildings and homes.

Streams of lava from the Kilauea volcano on the big island of Hawaii are pouring into the Pacific Ocean. That volcano has been erupting since January 1983. It's the first time in 11 months that lava has reached the water.

Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Smarty Jones will try Saturday to become the first Triple Crown winner in 26 years. Smarty will be in post position 9, facing 2-5 odds at Belmont. That colt has an 8-0 career record. He left Philadelphia for New York today.

WHITFIELD: Well, there are some sweaty palms in Washington, D.C. as some of the nation's brightest minds tackle tough questions, like spelling of the word widdershins. It's the 77th annual Scripps National Spelling Bee. And more than 200 students are hoping to be the one who will walk away with the $12,000 big prize or about $5,000 in other prizes.

Associated Press writer Ben Feller covers the event and he is joining us by phone.

And about what stage, Ben, are they in right now, still trying to whittle down the number of contenders?

BEN FELLER, ASSOCIATED PRESS: That's right. They're in the fourth round right now, and it's about down to 70 students. They started out yesterday at 265 with a written test and began the oral competition today, and it's getting down there.

WHITFIELD: We're looking at the video. These kids look intense. Their faces are full of concentration. But you say you really have observed these kids having a lot of fun. They are loving this competition, aren't they?

FELLER: Well, sure, it's both. You have to remember that they've already accomplished a lot to get this far. They're really celebrities in their home towns. They have fan clubs there and they have quite a lot of support here. So they're trying to soak it in.

At the same time, you see a lot of concentration. They're obviously interested in doing well and advancing as far as they can.

WHITFIELD: And you've even witnessed how some of these kids are kind of practicing, aren't they, before they're put in the hot seat. What are you seeing these kids do? What are some of the rituals they go through to get warmed up for the big competition?

FELLER: Well, they each have their own style. There's a lot of comradery in the months leading up to this, as they progress through their local bees. They have their own methods of practicing with their parents. Or some even hire specialists to go over words with them. And then when they get to Washington, they break up into study groups here. They did some of that last night. I even saw one boy practicing his words aloud sort of to himself going down the escalator into the ballroom. It's very smart much on their minds.

WHITFIELD: And the funny thing about it is, a lot of these kids really don't know much about the definition of these words, but they are smart enough and they are able to ask about maybe the derivation of the word, so they can try and piece together whether this is a Latin word, French, German, etcetera. Explain how that go.

FELLER: Well, the bee organizers really encourage these kids to be word detectives, to try to understand where the word comes from, what its language of origin is, use it in the context of a sentence, so that, if they get up on stage, they're not relying on memorization techniques, but rather the ability to figure out what the word is.

A lot of them do know these definitions. A few have offered them to the judges before even being asked.

WHITFIELD: Well, let's talk about who some of these kids are.

The ages range from 9-15, grades 4-8. Are these mostly private school kids, public school kids, homeschool? Are you able to see what kind of the makeup of these kids are?

FELLER: Sure. It's fairly diverse in a lot of ways.

Most of these kids do go to traditional public schools, about two-thirds of them. And the others are homeschooled. There's always a strong contingent from that group. And the rest go to private schools of one sort or another or public charter schools.

WHITFIELD: Now, these kids, while they may have gotten a few words wrong here and there, they really don't know the what real rejection is yet, right? You were describing earlier that there is this rejection bell that is so demoralizing that these kids just might be hearing in the next few hours.

FELLER: Oh, we're getting into full-scale rejection mode, yes.

(LAUGHTER)

FELLER: They're down to the one-and-done format right now. So if they get a word wrong, that's it. They hear the dinging of the bell and they're taken off stage to what's called the comfort room where they have some snacks and a dictionary if they want to sort of take a look and piece together what just went wrong.

Some of these kids, when they get to the microphone, are hearing a word they've never heard before. It's apparent. And they're giving it a shot. Others are really earnestly surprised when they didn't get the word right. And, of course, some are doing quite well and going right back to their seats after they get it right.

WHITFIELD: Well, these kids are champions just for being there. But you know some of them take it so seriously. All they know is, I've got to win. I've got to win.

Ben Feller, thanks very much.

And this competition ends tomorrow, the big finale, $12,000 at stake for the top winner and then $5,000 in other prizes.

Thanks a lot, Ben. I know you're having a good time covering this one.

FELLER: My pleasure.

WHITFIELD: Here's some of the words. OK?

PHILLIPS: Oh, boy.

WHITFIELD: I know it's very impressive that some of these kids understand the derivation and the definition.

Zeitgeber, ever heard of that one?

PHILLIPS: Zeitgeber?

WHITFIELD: Yes, zeitgeber. It's an environmental agent that helps reset a biological clock of an organism. So bottle that. You know a lot of folks are looking for that one.

PHILLIPS: Oh, sure. That's one we'll use.

WHITFIELD: That's right.

(CROSSTALK)

PHILLIPS: We'll figure out a way to put it in our scripts.

WHITFIELD: Senary.

PHILLIPS: Senary.

WHITFIELD: Sounds like scenery.

PHILLIPS: OK.

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: Nothing of the short. Six parts.

PHILLIPS: Six parts.

WHITFIELD: And these are the easy words.

(CROSSTALK)

PHILLIPS: Here we go. All right. I got that.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

PHILLIPS: And they have their own fan clubs. I wonder if they autographed pictures. We should write to the fan club.

WHITFIELD: Yes, let's do that.

PHILLIPS: Don't you think?

WHITFIELD: And see what our response might be.

PHILLIPS: We're going to get the winner on. We're asking right now.

WHITFIELD: Absolutely.

(FINANCIAL UPDATE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: In health news, is your medicine making you fat?

CNN senior medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta on prescription drugs that can cause to you gain weight.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: For most people, it's no surprise that there's a link between weight gain and the medications you take, but there are also some myths, as well as some surprises.

For example, birth control pills, widely believed to cause weight gain, according to a new report from "Consumer Reports," not so. Birth control pills don't. But there are a lot of medications that do. And they do it by increasing your appetite, decreasing your metabolism, increasing fluid retention or decreasing your activity by making you drowsy.

Let's take a look at the list of some of them, antidepressants, for example. Everything from Elavil to Remeron could possibly cause you to have weight gain by changing your perception of appetite. You feel more hungry. Sometimes, with these medications, you'll actually lose weight for the first three or four months, but then gain all that weight back and more over the following several months.

Another one, also anti-inflammatory drugs. This is everything from steroids to osteoporosis drugs, such as Evista. They can cause bloating. They can cause fluid retention. That can cause you to gain weight long term as well.

Another class of drugs, the anti-convulsant drugs. These are medications such as Depakote, Trileptal. There's also psychiatric drugs such as Clozaril or Risperdal. What happens here is that this drug makes you feel less than full so you want to keep eating more. Researchers advocate actually eating more protein and avoiding the sugar fixes.

There also appears to be a role for age and gender. The older you are or if you're a woman, you're more likely to gain weight on some of these medications.

Now, doctors caution that weight gain is probably not a reason to stop a medication, an important point. But doctors also say, with all of the medication choices out there, you may be able to switch medications or switch doses if the weight gain gets to be a real problem.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: All right, checking entertainment headlines this Wednesday, June 2, Miss Australia, Jennifer Hawkins, captures a new title. Wow, beautiful lady.

WHITFIELD: She's cute.

PHILLIPS: Miss Universe. The 20-year-old, 20 years old, oh, boy, choreographer and avid surfer says she eventually hopes to land a job, oh, in television. There we go. There goes our job, Fred.

Well, a court in the Dominican Republic grants a quickie divorce to singer Marc Anthony and his former Miss Universe wife, oh, no, Dayanara Torres. I thought they were the all-American couple. They married in 2000 and they have two kids.

Michael Moore's controversial documentary "Fahrenheit 9/11" has found a coalition of the willing to distribute it to U.S. theaters. It's scheduled to open June 25. That movie won top prize at last month's Cannes Film Festival. Three independent companies are joining forces to distribute it domestically.

In our reality TV watch, producer and former attorney David E. Kelley says he's got a change of heart about reality TV. Kelley, who created the Emmy-winning legal drama "The Practice," has criticized reality shows in the past. But "Daily Variety" reports that Kelley is now developing a TV drama that will have real lawyers in real civil cases. NBC reportedly has green-lighted eight episodes. I guess you just feel like jumping on the bandwagon when you see cha-ching, cha- ching.

PHILLIPS: There you go.

WHITFIELD: Reality TV is lucrative.

PHILLIPS: All right, that's it for us, LIVE FROM.

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