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Navy Seabees Make Friends in Fallujah; Interview with Indy 500 Winner

Aired June 02, 2004 - 14:29   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. In the CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Kyra Phillips, this is LIVE FROM...
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Fredricka Whitfield, in for Miles O'Brien.

Here is what's happening this half hour.

Fallujah, a forgotten battlefield? Hardly. Meet the U.S. Marines and sailors getting the city back on its feet.

PHILLIPS: To prescribe or not to prescribe, the safety of depression medicine for teens.

WHITFIELD: And do the math. Kraft is not downsizing its snacks after all.

But first, here's a look at what's making news this hour.

President Bush outlines his ideology in the fight against terror and gets two standing ovations. He spoke to cadets graduating from the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado. The commander-in-chief told them to take the fight to their enemies and that the U.S. must stay on the offensive to win.

A deadly development in Iraq. Police say this car was rigged with two sets of explosives. The first went off when a U.S. military convoy passed by. No one was hurt. But after a crowd gathered, the second bomb was detonated and five people were killed.

Iraqi exile leader Ahmed Chalabi remains on the defensive, proclaiming his innocence. Sources tell CNN Chalabi told officials in Iran that the United States had broken its intelligence codes and could read Iran's secret communications. The FBI is trying to figure out who leaked the information to Chalabi in the first place.

Very weak. That's what Scott Peterson's attorney calls the state's case. In his opening statement, attorney Mark Geragos pointed to what he sees as a lack of evidence that his client killed his wife and their unborn child. The trial is expected to last about five months.

PHILLIPS: Fallujah. We've seen the firefights. We've witnessed the loss of life. And we will never forget the pictures of four civilian workers burned to death, their bodies disrespectfully dragged through the city's streets. However, within the grim realities of what's happened in Fallujah, there are images and efforts of a much more positive movement.

There's reconstruction, there is trust building and there is now hope in the war-torn Sunni Triangle. He's back, Rear Admiral Charles Kubic, head of the Navy Seabees. He joined us when he was headed to Fallujah. He's joining us now with an update before he heads back there again tomorrow.

Admiral, good to see you.

REAR ADMIRAL CHARLES KUBIC, U.S. NAVY: Good to talk with you, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Well, let's get right to it and talk about the apprentice program. You told me that you were going to get this going, you did. How is it working?

KUBIC: Well, it is working well. But I've got to admit, it's slow steps at first. The first apprentices very courageous young Iraqis. They're our new friends. And, of course, our enemies have made it tough on them at times and even have threatened their families. But they are here coming to work every day, a small number. And as you can see from some of the pictures, getting along very well with the Seabees as we attempt to build this bond of trust really from the bottom up.

PHILLIPS: And tell me what the Seabees here are teaching the Iraqis. They're teaching them the measurement system, they're teaching them how to build the schools and the facilities. Is that right?

KUBIC: Well, it's really basically -- basic construction skills. They're learning how to use tools, how to measure, how to plan the work. And they're actually working on a real project. This project is on the outskirts of Fallujah where we're building a center where Fallujah contractors and other folks can come and do business with the Marine Corps and with the Navy as we begin to build trust in a more broad aspect throughout the community.

PHILLIPS: All right. We're going to talk about those bids in a minute and how the community has gotten involved. But first of all, I want to go to a piece of videotape. I noticed a really neat exchange between some of the Seabees and the Iraqis.

Let's just listen to this for a minute.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Inches, inches. This is inches.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, yes, yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Inches, right here, inches. Inches.

Watch this, ready? Here it goes. Watch. Eight feet, 10 inches. There you go. Eight feet, 10 inches. Right there, find it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: I think this is the first chance, Admiral, that I've had a chance to see the Seabees actually working with the Iraqis. They're laughing and they're having a good time. They're enjoying each other and they're accomplishing the mission. These are not the images we see out of Iraq.

KUBIC: No, but Kyra, this is exactly where we will build the future of Iraq. It is going to start with young men working with young men, identifying with the same goals. We're trying to prepare these young Iraqis to have skills, have jobs of their own. And the Seabees and the young Marines who are working with them I think show them a much different viewpoint of Americans that maybe they've been told in their young lives by other people in their society.

PHILLIPS: Now, let's talk about these bids. Before there were local workers that didn't want to get involved. They saw the fighting. They were worried. But you've actually been working with al-Anbar University, the engineering department and getting local businesses involved as well as these young men.

KUBIC: Yes, Kyra. This has been a real success. I talked the last time about the plans we were putting into place. But those plans are actually becoming action now. And we've worked with a large number of engineers who have formed a consulting bureau, many on the faculty of al-Anbar University with master's degrees, Ph.D.s, very dedicated, very skilled, and very courageous engineers who have helped us plan the more complex projects.

We've actually been putting these jobs out for bids. At first some of the Iraqi contractors were hesitant about working in our process. But we've worked not only with the engineers but with the government officials, with the contractors themselves. And now we're getting somewhere in the neighborhood of 20 to 30 bids for every contract. We have some 70 contracts awarded. Nearly $30 million worth of work under contract. And it is growing every day. We have some...

PHILLIPS: Now...

KUBIC: Go ahead.

PHILLIPS: No, I'm sorry. Go ahead.

KUBIC: I was going to say we have some 2400 Iraqi skilled workers that are working for these private contractors again, cleaning up and rebuilding both the city of Fallujah, al-Ramadi and other cities throughout the al-Anbar province.

PHILLIPS: OK. Now, one of the pictures that I noticed, this was -- you are in this picture along with Marines. And it is Iraqi police recruits in a training class. You actually built this facility...

(AUDIO GAP)

PHILLIPS: Now we see all these positive images, we see that the Iraqi police here, they're being trained, they're in facilities. But you also tell me there's a real reality check still when it comes to security. Therefore you've had to build a community outreach center so they feel safe to come and be involved in these projects?

KUBIC: A couple of things there, Kyra. In the case of the policemen, the folks that you're looking at there were about 120 recruits from 600 applicants. And they took physical exams, they took written exams. And they were interviewed, selected by the Marines who were actually running the course, were building the facilities, improving their camps. And then these policemen, after they graduate in a short three-week program, are out on the streets patrolling their own communities. And they're doing so with a sense of pride and sense of commitment. And you have to be proud, particularly of the Marines, the young Marines who are training them.

On the other hand, again, being realistic, many of our new friends are being targeted by our enemies. I think that our good work actually threatens our enemies. And so they're starting to look at people that are working with us, pressuring them, pressuring their families. And so we're very cautious about how we go about working, and as I said earlier, trying to build places that are on the outskirts of the cities where they can come and meet with us. And again, even though they have to be cautious, they're very, very committed; and they're very, very professional about the work they're doing. It's just very important that we stick with our friends as they work through some of their security issues as well.

PHILLIPS: Well, I know you're going back there tomorrow. What's the number one, I guess, agenda item for you once you land in Fallujah again?

KUBIC: Well, it's a tricky balance, Kyra. We have to maintain, obviously, the military security. But we have to do that in such a way that we have political stability and that we are jumpstarting the Iraqi economy. So we'll be attempting to blend all three of those. But most importantly, as every day passes, as we move towards transfer of sovereignty, working closer and closer with Iraqis at all levels.

You know that there's a tremendous effort going on at the national level. We also have our Seabees and Marines working at the province level and at the city level. And most importantly, to continue the work by our young Marines and our Seabees working hand in hand with the youth of Iraq because really it's their future. They need jobs, and most importantly, they need an opportunity to earn new respect.

When you start thinking about 4000 Iraqis working for private contractors and building to maybe 10,000 within a few weeks, those are people that just a few short weeks ago had no hope and in many cases were being pressured to fight, you know, by foreign fighters and anarchists and other terrorists. They now are our friends and we need the stand by them.

PHILLIPS: Admiral Charles Kubic, and you are doing that, and we see by the positive images. Thanks for the encouragement.

KUBIC: Thank you, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Well, the check is final until the mail for thousands of women with silicone breast implant trouble.

Prescriptions or appointments with a psychiatrist? Which is best for kids with depression?

And later, get revved up for Buddy Rice, the Indy 500 driver makes a pit stop right here on LIVE FROM...

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: News for teens battling the blues with Prozac. Today's "New York Times" reports on a government financed study that finds that use of the anti-depressant for teenagers suffering from depression works better than talk therapy. Researchers found that combining Prozac and psychotherapy produces the best results. The study is the first to compare drug treatment and talk therapy.

PHILLIPS: The Dow Corning Company is preparing to pay settlements on claims that come from people who claim they developed health problems because of silicone breast implants. Well, the company doesn't produce the implants any longer. They've been banned since 1992.

Holly Firfer has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HOLLY FIRFER, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Pamela Noonan Saraceni has been waiting nine years for a check from Dow Corning to cover more than $50,000 worth of medical expenses from what she says are complications due to her silicone breast implants.

PAMELA NOONAN SARACENI, CLAIMANT: I have got chronic fatigue syndrome. I have fibromyalgia. I have irritable bowel syndrome. I deal with chronic shingles.

FIRFER: Noonan Saraceni joins more than 170,000 other women who have also filed claims against the implant-maker and who will be receiving in about two weeks settlement checks ranging from $2000 to $250,000. Dow Corning says that $3.2 billion settlement, however, does not admit liability. Although studies have shown little evidence that silicone implants cause major diseases like cancer and lupus, the FDA says it is concerned about some rare diseases like fibromyalgia, for which a link has not been conclusively ruled out.

DIANA ZUCKERMAN, NATL. CTR. FOR POLICY RESEARCH FOR WOMEN & FAMILIES: Most of the studies have been conducted on women who had implants for as short as one month or six months or maybe three or four or five years. And it seems that most of the problems happen after that.

FIRFER: In a statement, Dow Corning says: "We are confident that the science shows a clear picture today through more than 30 independent studies, government and court-appointed panels and numerous court decisions that breast implants are not associated with disease."

Silicone implants have been banned by the FDA since 1992, except for those who need reconstructive surgery or agree to be part of a government approved study. Not everyone is worried however. Ladonna Lasko got saline transplants for cosmetic reasons and just recently had them replaced with silicone.

LADONNA LASKO, IMPLANT RECIPIENT: I feel like they're a risk. So I went with what I felt like would be best for me.

Holly Firfer, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: All right. Vocabularies put to the test. It's the national spelling bee in Washington. They're actually on break right now. But here's a little video. Judges are giving hundreds of these students word after word to spell as they proceed to the oral portion of the competition. Here you go. Ready, Fred? Words like lallopadia (ph), and (UNINTELLIGIBLE). Those are just a few of the choices these students are tackling with ease as we suffer through the SATs a number of years ago.

WHITFIELD: Yes, the first word means some kind of paralysis in the face.

PHILLIPS: That's not good.

WHITFIELD: Yes, not good at all. And the second one has something to do with salt.

PHILLIPS: Yes, we looked these up.

WHITFIELD: Salicylic (ph) acid you find in sometimes in makeup. And that's a derivative of it.

PHILLIPS: The little cheat sheet. OK. The acid used in making aspirin.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

PHILLIPS: All right. An external treatment of the skin condition such as -- oh, I see, that makes sense. All right. Very good.

WHITFIELD: My dermatologist told me to look out for that one. That's the reason I know that one.

PHILLIPS: And when would we use these words? Probably never.

WHITFIELD: You never know, when you're reading some of the products of, you know...

PHILLIPS: Face stuff.

WHITFIELD: Yes, cosmetics.

PHILLIPS: All right. Well, did you catch the Indy 500 over the weekend?

WHITFIELD: I didn't catch a whole lot of it. I saw the start, though.

PHILLIPS: OK, that's good, that's worth it. You've got Jim Nabors singing.

WHITFIELD: Yes, I got revved up for it.

PHILLIPS: OK. No pun intended. Well, the winner, this is David Letterman's pal, of course, Buddy Rice, he's going to drop by in just a few minutes here on LIVE FROM....and tell us what it felt like to take that final lap and win. And you know it felt great . WHITFIELD: Well, need a snack? Always. Well, Kraft, apparently they're rethinking the portion sizes.

PHILLIPS: And "The Practice" for real? Hotshot TV producer David E. Kelley jumping on the reality TV bandwagon, imagine that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: News across America now begins with the discovery of two stolen tanker trucks in Texas. The FBI says the ferro-gas tankers loaded with liquefied propane were discovered missing on Monday. Well, they were found near Laredo today. There's no sign of a terrorist link to their disappearance. But it had raised some concerns across the country.

A move to protect a home in Georgia has left it condemned instead. A Kennesaw homeowner contacted a tree cutting service to remove a dead oak from her backyard. The crane was supposed to lift the tree parts over the house. But guess what? It tipped over, the crane did, cutting the house in two.

And heading out to sea. Lava from Hawaii's Kilauea volcano is streaming into the ocean. It's the first time in nearly a year that the fiery floe has reached that far. Scientists say part of the lava floe has widened.

PHILLIPS: Well, you can call it the Indy 500 hat trick. Buddy Rice won the pole position, the pit stop competition and he took the checkered flag at the Brickyard on Sunday, giving racing buddies Bobby Rahal and David Letterman their first win as team owners. Not only did Rice battle other drivers but he battled Mother Nature as well. Buddy Rice is basking in the glory of his victory in New York today. He joins us live.

Buddy, great to see you. BUDDY RICE, INDY 500 WIINER: Yes, thanks for having me on.

PHILLIPS: Well, you had to overcome a lot in this race to win. Tell me what it was like, give me a feel. And when did you know, I'm going to take this race?

RICE: We knew coming into this month that we had a strong car. And we had the capabilities of winning. So that's what we came in to do. But I really didn't know, when the last set of pit stops happened, it was all green flag stop.

So I didn't know where I was at in the shuffle of the transition until just before the yellow flag came out, I finally realized I was in the lead at that point. And it was just starting to drizzle. So we just kept focusing on what we came there to do. And it all kind of came together for us.

But we're real happy with Rahal-Letterman. And I can't say enough about Pioneer and Argent and what they've done to help give me this opportunity. And without the Honda power, this wouldn't have happened.

PHILLIPS: Well, I've got to ask you, was this a little sweet revenge here, because you were the first American to win since Eddie Cheever did. He did in 1998. And I guess we could say you were sort of a part of that team, things didn't really work out. So did it feel good to kind of maybe get back a little bit here?

RICE: Yes. I mean, I was very happy to be where I'm at. I'm glad to be with a team such as Rahal-Letterman, and to be on a team that's not only capable of winning races but winning championships. And that's what we're here to do. So it was a nice move up for myself, even though I was filling in for Kenny Brack.

PHILLIPS: Oh, well, don't sell yourself so short, Buddy. Come on. Now let's talk about David Letterman. Everyone has been talking about this. It is obviously a big deal. You see the night show host all the time. And this is your big moment for the spotlight. Does he ever give you advice, does he crack a joke, try to loosen you up before you get in the car?

RICE: You know, that's been a popular question as of late. But no, I mean, he does a real good job at what he does. And I don't call him and tell him how to do his show. So he definitely is himself as you see him on TV. So it has been excellent to have him around. I'm glad he was there because he's a native Hoosier. And he has been going to that race for so long. It was nice to see that and to see how happy he was.

PHILLIPS: Have you been on his show yet?

RICE: No, that will happen next week on Tuesday or Wednesday, I'll be there.

PHILLIPS: Oh, we're on his show all the time. He's really nice to us, Buddy. I'm sure he'll be great to you, too. RICE: Yes. I'm pretty sure. I got him a couple of big checks. He'll be happy.

PHILLIPS: Yes, really. He better treat you right. Hopefully he'll let you do the "Top Ten."

RICE: There you go.

PHILLIPS: Buddy, listen, we've got some breaking news coming in. I hate to cut this short, but I'm hoping that you're going to take another win and come back and talk to us again. It's an absolute pleasure to finally sort of meet you via satellite.

RICE: Well, thanks for having me on.

PHILLIPS: All right. Good luck, Buddy.

RICE: Thank you.

(INTERRUPTED FOR BREAKING NEWS)

(MARKET REPORT)

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Aired June 2, 2004 - 14:29   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. In the CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Kyra Phillips, this is LIVE FROM...
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Fredricka Whitfield, in for Miles O'Brien.

Here is what's happening this half hour.

Fallujah, a forgotten battlefield? Hardly. Meet the U.S. Marines and sailors getting the city back on its feet.

PHILLIPS: To prescribe or not to prescribe, the safety of depression medicine for teens.

WHITFIELD: And do the math. Kraft is not downsizing its snacks after all.

But first, here's a look at what's making news this hour.

President Bush outlines his ideology in the fight against terror and gets two standing ovations. He spoke to cadets graduating from the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado. The commander-in-chief told them to take the fight to their enemies and that the U.S. must stay on the offensive to win.

A deadly development in Iraq. Police say this car was rigged with two sets of explosives. The first went off when a U.S. military convoy passed by. No one was hurt. But after a crowd gathered, the second bomb was detonated and five people were killed.

Iraqi exile leader Ahmed Chalabi remains on the defensive, proclaiming his innocence. Sources tell CNN Chalabi told officials in Iran that the United States had broken its intelligence codes and could read Iran's secret communications. The FBI is trying to figure out who leaked the information to Chalabi in the first place.

Very weak. That's what Scott Peterson's attorney calls the state's case. In his opening statement, attorney Mark Geragos pointed to what he sees as a lack of evidence that his client killed his wife and their unborn child. The trial is expected to last about five months.

PHILLIPS: Fallujah. We've seen the firefights. We've witnessed the loss of life. And we will never forget the pictures of four civilian workers burned to death, their bodies disrespectfully dragged through the city's streets. However, within the grim realities of what's happened in Fallujah, there are images and efforts of a much more positive movement.

There's reconstruction, there is trust building and there is now hope in the war-torn Sunni Triangle. He's back, Rear Admiral Charles Kubic, head of the Navy Seabees. He joined us when he was headed to Fallujah. He's joining us now with an update before he heads back there again tomorrow.

Admiral, good to see you.

REAR ADMIRAL CHARLES KUBIC, U.S. NAVY: Good to talk with you, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Well, let's get right to it and talk about the apprentice program. You told me that you were going to get this going, you did. How is it working?

KUBIC: Well, it is working well. But I've got to admit, it's slow steps at first. The first apprentices very courageous young Iraqis. They're our new friends. And, of course, our enemies have made it tough on them at times and even have threatened their families. But they are here coming to work every day, a small number. And as you can see from some of the pictures, getting along very well with the Seabees as we attempt to build this bond of trust really from the bottom up.

PHILLIPS: And tell me what the Seabees here are teaching the Iraqis. They're teaching them the measurement system, they're teaching them how to build the schools and the facilities. Is that right?

KUBIC: Well, it's really basically -- basic construction skills. They're learning how to use tools, how to measure, how to plan the work. And they're actually working on a real project. This project is on the outskirts of Fallujah where we're building a center where Fallujah contractors and other folks can come and do business with the Marine Corps and with the Navy as we begin to build trust in a more broad aspect throughout the community.

PHILLIPS: All right. We're going to talk about those bids in a minute and how the community has gotten involved. But first of all, I want to go to a piece of videotape. I noticed a really neat exchange between some of the Seabees and the Iraqis.

Let's just listen to this for a minute.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Inches, inches. This is inches.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, yes, yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Inches, right here, inches. Inches.

Watch this, ready? Here it goes. Watch. Eight feet, 10 inches. There you go. Eight feet, 10 inches. Right there, find it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: I think this is the first chance, Admiral, that I've had a chance to see the Seabees actually working with the Iraqis. They're laughing and they're having a good time. They're enjoying each other and they're accomplishing the mission. These are not the images we see out of Iraq.

KUBIC: No, but Kyra, this is exactly where we will build the future of Iraq. It is going to start with young men working with young men, identifying with the same goals. We're trying to prepare these young Iraqis to have skills, have jobs of their own. And the Seabees and the young Marines who are working with them I think show them a much different viewpoint of Americans that maybe they've been told in their young lives by other people in their society.

PHILLIPS: Now, let's talk about these bids. Before there were local workers that didn't want to get involved. They saw the fighting. They were worried. But you've actually been working with al-Anbar University, the engineering department and getting local businesses involved as well as these young men.

KUBIC: Yes, Kyra. This has been a real success. I talked the last time about the plans we were putting into place. But those plans are actually becoming action now. And we've worked with a large number of engineers who have formed a consulting bureau, many on the faculty of al-Anbar University with master's degrees, Ph.D.s, very dedicated, very skilled, and very courageous engineers who have helped us plan the more complex projects.

We've actually been putting these jobs out for bids. At first some of the Iraqi contractors were hesitant about working in our process. But we've worked not only with the engineers but with the government officials, with the contractors themselves. And now we're getting somewhere in the neighborhood of 20 to 30 bids for every contract. We have some 70 contracts awarded. Nearly $30 million worth of work under contract. And it is growing every day. We have some...

PHILLIPS: Now...

KUBIC: Go ahead.

PHILLIPS: No, I'm sorry. Go ahead.

KUBIC: I was going to say we have some 2400 Iraqi skilled workers that are working for these private contractors again, cleaning up and rebuilding both the city of Fallujah, al-Ramadi and other cities throughout the al-Anbar province.

PHILLIPS: OK. Now, one of the pictures that I noticed, this was -- you are in this picture along with Marines. And it is Iraqi police recruits in a training class. You actually built this facility...

(AUDIO GAP)

PHILLIPS: Now we see all these positive images, we see that the Iraqi police here, they're being trained, they're in facilities. But you also tell me there's a real reality check still when it comes to security. Therefore you've had to build a community outreach center so they feel safe to come and be involved in these projects?

KUBIC: A couple of things there, Kyra. In the case of the policemen, the folks that you're looking at there were about 120 recruits from 600 applicants. And they took physical exams, they took written exams. And they were interviewed, selected by the Marines who were actually running the course, were building the facilities, improving their camps. And then these policemen, after they graduate in a short three-week program, are out on the streets patrolling their own communities. And they're doing so with a sense of pride and sense of commitment. And you have to be proud, particularly of the Marines, the young Marines who are training them.

On the other hand, again, being realistic, many of our new friends are being targeted by our enemies. I think that our good work actually threatens our enemies. And so they're starting to look at people that are working with us, pressuring them, pressuring their families. And so we're very cautious about how we go about working, and as I said earlier, trying to build places that are on the outskirts of the cities where they can come and meet with us. And again, even though they have to be cautious, they're very, very committed; and they're very, very professional about the work they're doing. It's just very important that we stick with our friends as they work through some of their security issues as well.

PHILLIPS: Well, I know you're going back there tomorrow. What's the number one, I guess, agenda item for you once you land in Fallujah again?

KUBIC: Well, it's a tricky balance, Kyra. We have to maintain, obviously, the military security. But we have to do that in such a way that we have political stability and that we are jumpstarting the Iraqi economy. So we'll be attempting to blend all three of those. But most importantly, as every day passes, as we move towards transfer of sovereignty, working closer and closer with Iraqis at all levels.

You know that there's a tremendous effort going on at the national level. We also have our Seabees and Marines working at the province level and at the city level. And most importantly, to continue the work by our young Marines and our Seabees working hand in hand with the youth of Iraq because really it's their future. They need jobs, and most importantly, they need an opportunity to earn new respect.

When you start thinking about 4000 Iraqis working for private contractors and building to maybe 10,000 within a few weeks, those are people that just a few short weeks ago had no hope and in many cases were being pressured to fight, you know, by foreign fighters and anarchists and other terrorists. They now are our friends and we need the stand by them.

PHILLIPS: Admiral Charles Kubic, and you are doing that, and we see by the positive images. Thanks for the encouragement.

KUBIC: Thank you, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Well, the check is final until the mail for thousands of women with silicone breast implant trouble.

Prescriptions or appointments with a psychiatrist? Which is best for kids with depression?

And later, get revved up for Buddy Rice, the Indy 500 driver makes a pit stop right here on LIVE FROM...

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: News for teens battling the blues with Prozac. Today's "New York Times" reports on a government financed study that finds that use of the anti-depressant for teenagers suffering from depression works better than talk therapy. Researchers found that combining Prozac and psychotherapy produces the best results. The study is the first to compare drug treatment and talk therapy.

PHILLIPS: The Dow Corning Company is preparing to pay settlements on claims that come from people who claim they developed health problems because of silicone breast implants. Well, the company doesn't produce the implants any longer. They've been banned since 1992.

Holly Firfer has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HOLLY FIRFER, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Pamela Noonan Saraceni has been waiting nine years for a check from Dow Corning to cover more than $50,000 worth of medical expenses from what she says are complications due to her silicone breast implants.

PAMELA NOONAN SARACENI, CLAIMANT: I have got chronic fatigue syndrome. I have fibromyalgia. I have irritable bowel syndrome. I deal with chronic shingles.

FIRFER: Noonan Saraceni joins more than 170,000 other women who have also filed claims against the implant-maker and who will be receiving in about two weeks settlement checks ranging from $2000 to $250,000. Dow Corning says that $3.2 billion settlement, however, does not admit liability. Although studies have shown little evidence that silicone implants cause major diseases like cancer and lupus, the FDA says it is concerned about some rare diseases like fibromyalgia, for which a link has not been conclusively ruled out.

DIANA ZUCKERMAN, NATL. CTR. FOR POLICY RESEARCH FOR WOMEN & FAMILIES: Most of the studies have been conducted on women who had implants for as short as one month or six months or maybe three or four or five years. And it seems that most of the problems happen after that.

FIRFER: In a statement, Dow Corning says: "We are confident that the science shows a clear picture today through more than 30 independent studies, government and court-appointed panels and numerous court decisions that breast implants are not associated with disease."

Silicone implants have been banned by the FDA since 1992, except for those who need reconstructive surgery or agree to be part of a government approved study. Not everyone is worried however. Ladonna Lasko got saline transplants for cosmetic reasons and just recently had them replaced with silicone.

LADONNA LASKO, IMPLANT RECIPIENT: I feel like they're a risk. So I went with what I felt like would be best for me.

Holly Firfer, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: All right. Vocabularies put to the test. It's the national spelling bee in Washington. They're actually on break right now. But here's a little video. Judges are giving hundreds of these students word after word to spell as they proceed to the oral portion of the competition. Here you go. Ready, Fred? Words like lallopadia (ph), and (UNINTELLIGIBLE). Those are just a few of the choices these students are tackling with ease as we suffer through the SATs a number of years ago.

WHITFIELD: Yes, the first word means some kind of paralysis in the face.

PHILLIPS: That's not good.

WHITFIELD: Yes, not good at all. And the second one has something to do with salt.

PHILLIPS: Yes, we looked these up.

WHITFIELD: Salicylic (ph) acid you find in sometimes in makeup. And that's a derivative of it.

PHILLIPS: The little cheat sheet. OK. The acid used in making aspirin.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

PHILLIPS: All right. An external treatment of the skin condition such as -- oh, I see, that makes sense. All right. Very good.

WHITFIELD: My dermatologist told me to look out for that one. That's the reason I know that one.

PHILLIPS: And when would we use these words? Probably never.

WHITFIELD: You never know, when you're reading some of the products of, you know...

PHILLIPS: Face stuff.

WHITFIELD: Yes, cosmetics.

PHILLIPS: All right. Well, did you catch the Indy 500 over the weekend?

WHITFIELD: I didn't catch a whole lot of it. I saw the start, though.

PHILLIPS: OK, that's good, that's worth it. You've got Jim Nabors singing.

WHITFIELD: Yes, I got revved up for it.

PHILLIPS: OK. No pun intended. Well, the winner, this is David Letterman's pal, of course, Buddy Rice, he's going to drop by in just a few minutes here on LIVE FROM....and tell us what it felt like to take that final lap and win. And you know it felt great . WHITFIELD: Well, need a snack? Always. Well, Kraft, apparently they're rethinking the portion sizes.

PHILLIPS: And "The Practice" for real? Hotshot TV producer David E. Kelley jumping on the reality TV bandwagon, imagine that.

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WHITFIELD: News across America now begins with the discovery of two stolen tanker trucks in Texas. The FBI says the ferro-gas tankers loaded with liquefied propane were discovered missing on Monday. Well, they were found near Laredo today. There's no sign of a terrorist link to their disappearance. But it had raised some concerns across the country.

A move to protect a home in Georgia has left it condemned instead. A Kennesaw homeowner contacted a tree cutting service to remove a dead oak from her backyard. The crane was supposed to lift the tree parts over the house. But guess what? It tipped over, the crane did, cutting the house in two.

And heading out to sea. Lava from Hawaii's Kilauea volcano is streaming into the ocean. It's the first time in nearly a year that the fiery floe has reached that far. Scientists say part of the lava floe has widened.

PHILLIPS: Well, you can call it the Indy 500 hat trick. Buddy Rice won the pole position, the pit stop competition and he took the checkered flag at the Brickyard on Sunday, giving racing buddies Bobby Rahal and David Letterman their first win as team owners. Not only did Rice battle other drivers but he battled Mother Nature as well. Buddy Rice is basking in the glory of his victory in New York today. He joins us live.

Buddy, great to see you. BUDDY RICE, INDY 500 WIINER: Yes, thanks for having me on.

PHILLIPS: Well, you had to overcome a lot in this race to win. Tell me what it was like, give me a feel. And when did you know, I'm going to take this race?

RICE: We knew coming into this month that we had a strong car. And we had the capabilities of winning. So that's what we came in to do. But I really didn't know, when the last set of pit stops happened, it was all green flag stop.

So I didn't know where I was at in the shuffle of the transition until just before the yellow flag came out, I finally realized I was in the lead at that point. And it was just starting to drizzle. So we just kept focusing on what we came there to do. And it all kind of came together for us.

But we're real happy with Rahal-Letterman. And I can't say enough about Pioneer and Argent and what they've done to help give me this opportunity. And without the Honda power, this wouldn't have happened.

PHILLIPS: Well, I've got to ask you, was this a little sweet revenge here, because you were the first American to win since Eddie Cheever did. He did in 1998. And I guess we could say you were sort of a part of that team, things didn't really work out. So did it feel good to kind of maybe get back a little bit here?

RICE: Yes. I mean, I was very happy to be where I'm at. I'm glad to be with a team such as Rahal-Letterman, and to be on a team that's not only capable of winning races but winning championships. And that's what we're here to do. So it was a nice move up for myself, even though I was filling in for Kenny Brack.

PHILLIPS: Oh, well, don't sell yourself so short, Buddy. Come on. Now let's talk about David Letterman. Everyone has been talking about this. It is obviously a big deal. You see the night show host all the time. And this is your big moment for the spotlight. Does he ever give you advice, does he crack a joke, try to loosen you up before you get in the car?

RICE: You know, that's been a popular question as of late. But no, I mean, he does a real good job at what he does. And I don't call him and tell him how to do his show. So he definitely is himself as you see him on TV. So it has been excellent to have him around. I'm glad he was there because he's a native Hoosier. And he has been going to that race for so long. It was nice to see that and to see how happy he was.

PHILLIPS: Have you been on his show yet?

RICE: No, that will happen next week on Tuesday or Wednesday, I'll be there.

PHILLIPS: Oh, we're on his show all the time. He's really nice to us, Buddy. I'm sure he'll be great to you, too. RICE: Yes. I'm pretty sure. I got him a couple of big checks. He'll be happy.

PHILLIPS: Yes, really. He better treat you right. Hopefully he'll let you do the "Top Ten."

RICE: There you go.

PHILLIPS: Buddy, listen, we've got some breaking news coming in. I hate to cut this short, but I'm hoping that you're going to take another win and come back and talk to us again. It's an absolute pleasure to finally sort of meet you via satellite.

RICE: Well, thanks for having me on.

PHILLIPS: All right. Good luck, Buddy.

RICE: Thank you.

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