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Live From...
Flu Shots Still Available Despite Shortage; CIA Confirms Tape Is Bin Laden; Mail Delivery Services in Overdrive; New Jersey Slighted in Security Funding
Aired December 16, 2004 - 13:00 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.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ASSAM GHAZZAWI, SADDAM HUSSEIN ATTORNEY: He's still the president, the legitimate president of Iraq.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Saddam Hussein, legitimate leader or captured law-breaker? As Iraq's special tribunal gets ready to start the trials, the former dictator's lawyer says he's guilty of nothing. We've got the interview.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Terrorist tape: a new recording believed to be that of Osama bin Laden. Does the message prove the world's most wanted man is feeling very secure?
PHILLIPS: President Bush, talking economy and Social Security. We'll bring you the president, live.
WHITFIELD: Suspicious package or simple seasons greetings? Scanning millions of holiday packages for your security. We take you inside a UPS shipping center.
From the CNN center in Atlanta, I'm Fredricka Whitfield in for Miles O'Brien.
PHILLIPS: And I'm Kyra Phillips. CNN's LIVE FROM starts right now.
Straight to health news. Forget the toys and electronic, the hottest commodity this season may be the flu shot. It's been a couple months since the flu vaccine crisis was announced. The CDC is updating reporters right now. Let's listen in.
DR. JULIE GERBERDING, CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION: And that the most common season for flu to peak is February so we are certainly not assuming that we're out of the woods yet. And we will continue to prioritize immunization and flu prevention activities across our whole health system.
I'd like to give you a few facts on vaccine distribution, because obviously, this has been a priority for us at CDC and we've been working hard to get flu allocated and apportioned to places that need it the most. Over 21 million doses of vaccine have been distributed since the shortage was announced in February, and we have been targeting those doses of vaccine to the places that need them the most.
We also have another 3.5 million doses of licensed vaccine still to come. So we have not released all of the vaccine that Aventis will be producing this year. And additional doses are still coming out of the manufacturing process and will be delivered as they are available.
As you know, Secretary Thompson also negotiated the purchase of an additional $1.2 million of investigational vaccine from Europe. That vaccine is not yet being used because we still have licensed vaccine available. But it's important to have it just in case we need it, and we're certainly glad that that purchase moved forward as quickly as it did.
Our partners in the state health agencies and members of ASTHO, the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, have done us a lot of heroic favors this flu season. One of the most recent is to survey states to identify how well they're doing with supply, meeting the demand for vaccine.
Not all states have responded. But of the 49 that we have information on, 82 percent indicate that they do have a sufficient supply of vaccine to meet their need this year -- to meet their demand this year.
And I do want to distinguish between demand and need. Demand is the -- based on who's coming forward and requesting vaccine. Need is our assessment of, in an ideal world if everyone were vaccinated, how many doses would we need?
Of course, we have never met the CDC base need for vaccine. We've never had 100 percent coverage. But we are working hard this year to at least meet the demand for it.
And in cases where the demand is too low, we're going to continue to promote the concept that it is not too late to get flu vaccine. And we want people stepping up to the plate to be vaccinated if they're in a priority group.
PHILLIPS: Dr. Julie Gerberding, the head of CDC, briefing reporters. Let's bring in our medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen.
I guess talking about vaccine, the numbers, how many people got the shot, how many people didn't get the shot, give us all the who, what, where and when. There were some numbers that stood out to you.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Right there were some numbers that stand out. And there are some pictures that stand out.
I think that we can all remember there were these pictures of long lines, people waiting for flu shots, people saying, you know, "My 95-year-old grandmother with heart disease and diabetes can't get a flu shot. What's going on here?" Well, as it turns out now, indeed there are flu shots available. Those long lines have more or less gone away. And so now, some people are worried there's going to be too many flu shots. And the reason, people are not signing up for flu shots in the way that they should. Those lines notwithstanding.
Interesting numbers coming out of the CDC this week. They say, for example, that only about 20 percent of high-risk adults, in other word, people ages 18 to 64 that have diseases that mean they should get a flu shot, only 20 percent of them actually got flu shots.
Now you could say, well, gee, maybe it's because of those lines, and so they thought, "Well, I'm not going to stand in those lines." Or maybe they did stand in those lines and couldn't get a shot.
But part of the problem is that people -- sometimes they just don't think that they need to get a flu shot.
So the CDC is now saying, "Look, there's shots out there. You're probably not going to have to stand in line and you need to get a shot."
Concerns are that people aren't always hearing that.
PHILLIPS: But there was so much media coverage. We went crazy with this story. Yet, when you look at these numbers, even 62 percent of parents thought that their kids 6 -- between 6 and 23 months didn't need the shot, yet that was the age bracket where the kids did need the shot.
COHEN: Exactly, so 62 percent of those parents said, "I don't think my kid needs a shot." And those kids did need a shot.
So what does that tell you? As Kyra said, everybody went crazy with this story. We talked about it. We talked about how people need to get shots. The CDC talked about if people need to get shots. Well, apparently, that message does not get through, and people who need flu shots still are not getting them.
Now why is this important? Well, first of all, it's important because people who need flu shots need to get them. It's also important because drug companies think, "Gee, people think that they don't need flu shot, even when they do. What does that mean? When I make a flu shot, people aren't going to buy it."
And so that makes drug companies less than enthusiastic, shall we say, about marketing, about making flu shots. Because they see that people just don't get them.
PHILLIPS: All right.
COHEN: They're under the impression they don't need them.
PHILLIPS: Bottom line, there are plenty of flu shots now, end of story?
COHEN: Well, bottom line, there should be flu shots for people who need them.
PHILLIPS: OK.
COHEN: And so people who need them ought to get them. And also, Dr. Julie Gerberding just said flu usually peaks in February. It's only December. There's plenty of time to get those shots.
PHILLIPS: Great. Elizabeth Cohen, thank you so much.
COHEN: Thanks. Thanks.
PHILLIPS: Other top story that we're following is the praise for terrorists and a call to action.
The CIA says that it's confident that an audiotape posted on Arabic web sites is the voice of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. That tape focuses on Saudi Arabia and makes reference to a recent attack.
CNN senior international correspondent Nic Robertson following the story now from London. He joins us live.
Let's talk about the audience, Nic, that this is aimed for and why specifically it's just on the Internet.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Perhaps it's on the Internet because recently Osama bin Laden has released videotaped message, sent those taped messages to the Arab broadcaster Al Jazeera. Those messages have then been edited down.
This audio message posted on a web site is some 74 minutes long. Through posting it on the Internet, he is able to get his whole message out and nobody filtering it.
The message very much focuses on Saudi Arabia. The message appears to be to -- to the population of Saudi Arabia, saying that the royal family there is lining their pockets with money while many millions of Saudis are starving.
He said that the violence that's been going on there recently is the responsibility of the royal family, that it's part of the global jihad against the United States. And that the Saudi government are really puppets of the United States, as the United States tries to strip oil from Saudi Arabia.
Really what Osama bin Laden is doing here is going back to his roots. His early messages a decade ago were against the Saudi royal family. And that's where his message is today, very much to the Saudis -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: He doesn't mention President Bush at all. Why do you think that is?
ROBERTSON: Perhaps, really, the -- what he's tried to do is capitalize on a day here when some dissident groups in Saudi Arabia had called for demonstrations against the royal family. So perhaps really trying to focus the message for the Saudi audience, release this taped message at a time when dissident groups are calling for people to go out and demonstrate on the streets of Jeddah and Riyadh, the capital.
What we've heard from eye witnesses in Saudi Arabia is that these demonstrations were not very successful. Very few people came out.
However, the same types of web sites have been claiming that thousands of people have come out, that there have been many arrests by the police. That there have even been shootouts. Saudi officials certainly deny that, as well.
So really it does seem to be not looking at the U.S. audience here, really going after the Saudi audience, to unseat the Saudi royal family -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Finally, Hamid Karzai, president of Afghanistan, coming forward, mentioning Mullah Omar, the capture of his security guard, saying they believe they are even closer to Mullah Omar and even closer to Osama bin Laden.
What are you hearing, Nic?
ROBERTSON: Well, many people have also been saying or speculating that really, the trail on Osama bin Laden has gone cold.
But when you analyze this tape and look at that reference to an event that happened only 10 days ago, we haven't seen something -- a message coming out so quickly after an event or a reference to an event so recently as that.
So perhaps this is an indication that wherever Osama bin Laden is, he feels that his lines of communication are very secure.
So maybe Hamid Karzai is right, that people are closing in on him. But that doesn't appear to be the indication that Osama bin Laden is giving here. He appears confident, that he's confident enough to release a message, a taped message, very soon after a recent event -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Our Nic Robertson, live from London. Thanks, Nic.
WHITFIELD: In Iraq, insurgents make their presence known for another day.
A senior Iraqi government official was shot dead as he drove to work at the communications ministry this morning. Three Iraqi national guardsmen and a foreigner were killed in two other attacks across Baghdad.
Word that terror mastermind Abu Musab al-Zarqawi may be operating out of the Iraqi capital. A top U.S. general says al-Zarqawi most likely moved to Baghdad after losing his safe haven in Falluja last month.
Al-Zarqawi's group is believed to be leading a series of brutal bombings and beheadings across Iraq.
And a warning for Americans in Kuwait. The State Department says it has credible information that terrorists are planning an attack in the coming days. Officials remind U.S. citizens in Kuwait to keep a low profile and keep their eyes open.
PHILLIPS: More than a year after he was ferreted out of that spider hole, former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein has had his first meeting with a lawyer.
The former Iraqi leader met with his chief defense attorney for about four hours today. And this morning I talked with another one of Saddam's lawyers. He blasted the people prosecuting Saddam on war crimes charges.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GHAZZAWI: He is still the president of Iraq, because the people in Iraq now governing, this interim government, what you call, they are puppets of the United States administration. They can't go to bathroom without excuse -- taking permission from the states.
They declared many times that they want to make a trial as soon as possible. They said on the seventh month of this year, and then they changed their mind to the 11th. Then they said before the end of the year. And just at the -- their minister said not before 2006.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: I'll have my entire interview with Ghazzawi a little later on LIVE FROM.
WHITFIELD: U.S. Secretary of State Powell was praising the United Nations for its support of the upcoming Iraqi elections.
Powell spoke this morning with U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan. Annan has been under increasing fire for corruption and mismanagement investigations within the U.N.'s now defunct oil-for-food program with Iraq.
The two men addressed that investigation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: We did touch on it briefly in our meeting, and we know there are a number of inquiries under way. Mr. Volcker is doing his work. And there are inquiries taking place up on Capitol Hill here. And we're waiting for the results of those inquiries.
The secretary-general and I noted that we're both deeply concerned about this matter and we want to get the truth out. And we want to see these investigations come to a conclusion so the responsibility and accountability can be assigned.
And the world wants to see the results of these investigations as soon as possible, as well.
KOFI ANNAN, U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL: I think the oil-for-food is something that I'm concerned about and would want to get to the bottom of it. And I am anxious to see the investigations concluded as quickly as possible so that we can get this -- put it behind us and focus on the essential work of the United Nations.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: The United States has not joined those individuals calling for Annan's resignation, and the U.S. ambassador to the U.N. has expressed Washington's support for the U.N. chief -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Straight ahead, Saddam Hussein's lawyer speaks out in the LIVE FROM interview. He says Saddam is not responsible for gassing the Kurds in northern Iraq. Wait until you hear who he does blame, just ahead.
Social Security and the American economy. President Bush expected to talk about his plans for both in just a few minutes. We'll bring that to you live.
KEITH OPPENHEIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Whether you're shipping with a post office, with FedEx, with DHL, or with UPS, this is peak time. I'm Keith Oppenheim, outside Chicago, and in a moment we'll give you a ride with a UPS driver and show you what it's like during this busy season.
ANNOUNCER: You're watching LIVE FROM on CNN, the most trusted name in news.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(WEATHER REPORT)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, a week and a day if you're counting down to Christmas Eve. And that means home stretch for those of you who still haven't finished shopping for holiday packages.
You don't have to remind the folks in the shipping business, though, that it's bustling time. This is the UPS Center in Hodgkin's, Illinois, just near Chicago. It's in overdrive today, getting your boxes from point A to point B.
Now, this is rare, you don't usually see the scenes behind this place, which takes its security very seriously, not only during the holidays, but always.
CNN's Keith Oppenheim live at that very busy facility today.
Hi, Keith.
OPPENHEIM: Hi, Kyra. You know, overdrive is the right word. And there are hundreds of tractor-trailers like this one that come in and out of this facility today. And about half of the trailers are going onto trains, but the other half hit the road. And that's what we're going to do.
Let's meet driver Bill Holland (ph).
Hi, Bill.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi. How are you doing?
OPPENHEIM: OK. Why don't you take us for a little drive here and we'll talk about your load.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.
OPPENHEIM: Where did this load come from? What's inside this tractor?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It comes from one of our pickups, Crate & Barrel. It's in Naperville, Illinois.
OPPENHEIM: And how many packages and parcels are in the back there?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: About 1,500 packages.
OPPENHEIM: So let's talk about the loading process. When you bring a load like this to the bay of the distribution center, how long does it take to get all those packages out and into the distribution center?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: About 20, 25 minutes.
OPPENHEIM: Wow.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They unload it.
OPPENHEIM: You don't do it yourself?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, the people inside, they, they -- they unload the trailers. I just put it in the bay.
OPPENHEIM: Just in general, what's it like at this time of year, during the holiday season. Is it more intense than normal for the drivers?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, it's a little more -- a little more hours, a little more congested. A little hectic around here around this time of the year.
OPPENHEIM: Do you thrive on that or is it just kind of hard?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, in a way, you look forward to it every year. It -- it keeps your blood flowing.
OPPENHEIM: Well, I'm going to is you to give me a stop here so I can just hop out for a second. And I thank you for the ride, Bill.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you.
OPPENHEIM: And as we go here, I'm just going to mention this graphic statistic that we have. Because the peak day deliveries for the different companies are different in number.
You will see that for UPS, 20 million packages is the peak day during the holiday period for one day. And for FedEx, it's 7.7 million. And for DHL it is 2.3 million on the busiest day.
And as I get out of my great ride here, Kyra -- thanks, Bill...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you.
OPPENHEIM: Bye-bye.
I'll note that once you're inside the facility, it's pretty fascinating, that it takes just one package 15 minutes to be unloaded and then to be reloaded.
In other words, for distribution just that period of time to get on to the truck where it's going to be delivered to. Pretty intense business for these folks around this time of year.
Back to you.
PHILLIPS: Hey, Keith, I want to know if Bill Holland (ph) is getting a Christmas bonus or a holiday bonus from UPS. Can he answer that question?
OPPENHEIM: Yes. Yes, I have the answer. His bonus is that he gets to be on CNN, and he's pretty happy about it.
PHILLIPS: Outstanding. All right, Keith Oppenheim there in the busy holiday season. Free ride today. Thanks so much.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS (voice-over): Next on LIVE FROM: defending Saddam Hussein. The former Iraqi dictator's lawyer says his client is innocent. And he is still the president of Iraq. We'll talk with him as he prepares for trial.
Later on LIVE FROM, scared straight? A mom says a school principal went too far when he had her unruly 5-year-old handcuffed and driven around in a police car.
He admits he was once out of control with alcohol, drugs, and legal battles. But now, former Dallas Cowboy Thomas Hollywood Henderson tells his story of life, love, and winning the lottery. The LIVE FROM interview, tomorrow.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) PHILLIPS: President Bush bringing Social Security to the table at the economic summit in Washington today. Mr. Bush says that the time to confront Social Security's looming problems is now before the situation gets any worse.
He's also vowing to submit a tough budget in his second term, aimed at cutting the federal budget deficit in half over the next four year.
As soon as he steps up to that podium, we plan to take him live, as he addresses the summit, to hear more from him.
It is literally a stone's throw from New York City, and it's the most densely populated state in the nation. So why is New Jersey seeing massive cuts in federal security funding while New York City anti-terror coffers are swelling?
CNN's Deborah Feyerick with more on the numbers and the resulting anger.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): On September 11, Fire Captain Edward Sisk and his rescue unit raced from their station house in Elizabeth, New Jersey, to the smoldering ruins of the World Trade Center in lower Manhattan. It took just 15 minutes.
CHIEF EDWARD SISK, UNION COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT: We don't look at it, New York versus New Jersey. We're facing the same threats, you know, every day.
FEYERICK: Across the river and there you are, two states, close as sisters.
But while New York City's federal anti-terrorism dollars soared, up more than 340 percent for next year, in New Jersey, the money was slashed by 35 percent.
SHERIFF ARNANDO FONTOURA, ESSEX COUNTY, NEW JERSEY: So it looked like the Grinch showed up and said, "Hey, you know, you guys, you know, we don't care about you. We think you got enough."
FEYERICK: New Jersey has a major international airport, three vital shipping ports, a two-mile stretch of oil refineries and chemical plants, and countless commuter neighborhoods, all right next to Manhattan.
Every time there's a threat, as there was this summer, they are all potential targets. So why, New Jersey politicians ask, is emergency response money being cut at such a critical time?
GOV. RICHARD CODEY (D), NEW JERSEY: The terrorists of 9/11 at some point lived in New Jersey. The terrorists who bombed the World Trade Center in 1993, in the underground garage, all lived in New Jersey.
How in God's name can the president justify this? It is unconscionable.
FEYERICK (on camera): Five years ago, was this a piece of equipment you ever thought you'd be called on to use?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, no, not -- since 9/11, the world has changed.
FEYERICK (voice-over): After 9/11, emergency responders across northern New Jersey came up with a plan. It involved buying high-tech equipment like decontamination tents one year and training the next.
CAPT. JAMES DRYLE, WEST ORANGE, N.J., POLICE: Having the reduction in funding that they're proposing is going to restrict our ability to protect ourselves, both as police and firefighters, but also to protect the general public.
FEYERICK: First responders say the proposed cuts likely means fewer trauma centers, fewer radiation detectors and fewer radio systems linking on-scene police and fire commanders.
DEPUTY CHIEF LATHEY WIRKLIS, UNION COUNTY, N.J., FIRE DEPARTMENT: Watch what's going on over in Iraq and you see that they don't have the proper equipment to protect their vehicles with armor.
Well, the same thing is now occurring here. They're telling us, "Well, we want you to take care of a terrorist attack, but we're not going to give you the armor to protect your people."
FEYERICK: The outgoing homeland security secretary offers no details, but blames the cuts on Congress' formula for handing out money.
TOM RIDGE, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: Some people win and some people got more. Some communities got less.
SCOTT DI GIRALORO, MORRIS COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT: It certainly doesn't benefit the citizens, trying to protect them appropriately.
FEYERICK: A fear that keeps many first responders awake at night.
Deborah Feyerick, CNN, Morris Plains, New Jersey.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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Aired December 16, 2004 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ASSAM GHAZZAWI, SADDAM HUSSEIN ATTORNEY: He's still the president, the legitimate president of Iraq.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Saddam Hussein, legitimate leader or captured law-breaker? As Iraq's special tribunal gets ready to start the trials, the former dictator's lawyer says he's guilty of nothing. We've got the interview.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Terrorist tape: a new recording believed to be that of Osama bin Laden. Does the message prove the world's most wanted man is feeling very secure?
PHILLIPS: President Bush, talking economy and Social Security. We'll bring you the president, live.
WHITFIELD: Suspicious package or simple seasons greetings? Scanning millions of holiday packages for your security. We take you inside a UPS shipping center.
From the CNN center in Atlanta, I'm Fredricka Whitfield in for Miles O'Brien.
PHILLIPS: And I'm Kyra Phillips. CNN's LIVE FROM starts right now.
Straight to health news. Forget the toys and electronic, the hottest commodity this season may be the flu shot. It's been a couple months since the flu vaccine crisis was announced. The CDC is updating reporters right now. Let's listen in.
DR. JULIE GERBERDING, CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION: And that the most common season for flu to peak is February so we are certainly not assuming that we're out of the woods yet. And we will continue to prioritize immunization and flu prevention activities across our whole health system.
I'd like to give you a few facts on vaccine distribution, because obviously, this has been a priority for us at CDC and we've been working hard to get flu allocated and apportioned to places that need it the most. Over 21 million doses of vaccine have been distributed since the shortage was announced in February, and we have been targeting those doses of vaccine to the places that need them the most.
We also have another 3.5 million doses of licensed vaccine still to come. So we have not released all of the vaccine that Aventis will be producing this year. And additional doses are still coming out of the manufacturing process and will be delivered as they are available.
As you know, Secretary Thompson also negotiated the purchase of an additional $1.2 million of investigational vaccine from Europe. That vaccine is not yet being used because we still have licensed vaccine available. But it's important to have it just in case we need it, and we're certainly glad that that purchase moved forward as quickly as it did.
Our partners in the state health agencies and members of ASTHO, the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, have done us a lot of heroic favors this flu season. One of the most recent is to survey states to identify how well they're doing with supply, meeting the demand for vaccine.
Not all states have responded. But of the 49 that we have information on, 82 percent indicate that they do have a sufficient supply of vaccine to meet their need this year -- to meet their demand this year.
And I do want to distinguish between demand and need. Demand is the -- based on who's coming forward and requesting vaccine. Need is our assessment of, in an ideal world if everyone were vaccinated, how many doses would we need?
Of course, we have never met the CDC base need for vaccine. We've never had 100 percent coverage. But we are working hard this year to at least meet the demand for it.
And in cases where the demand is too low, we're going to continue to promote the concept that it is not too late to get flu vaccine. And we want people stepping up to the plate to be vaccinated if they're in a priority group.
PHILLIPS: Dr. Julie Gerberding, the head of CDC, briefing reporters. Let's bring in our medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen.
I guess talking about vaccine, the numbers, how many people got the shot, how many people didn't get the shot, give us all the who, what, where and when. There were some numbers that stood out to you.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Right there were some numbers that stand out. And there are some pictures that stand out.
I think that we can all remember there were these pictures of long lines, people waiting for flu shots, people saying, you know, "My 95-year-old grandmother with heart disease and diabetes can't get a flu shot. What's going on here?" Well, as it turns out now, indeed there are flu shots available. Those long lines have more or less gone away. And so now, some people are worried there's going to be too many flu shots. And the reason, people are not signing up for flu shots in the way that they should. Those lines notwithstanding.
Interesting numbers coming out of the CDC this week. They say, for example, that only about 20 percent of high-risk adults, in other word, people ages 18 to 64 that have diseases that mean they should get a flu shot, only 20 percent of them actually got flu shots.
Now you could say, well, gee, maybe it's because of those lines, and so they thought, "Well, I'm not going to stand in those lines." Or maybe they did stand in those lines and couldn't get a shot.
But part of the problem is that people -- sometimes they just don't think that they need to get a flu shot.
So the CDC is now saying, "Look, there's shots out there. You're probably not going to have to stand in line and you need to get a shot."
Concerns are that people aren't always hearing that.
PHILLIPS: But there was so much media coverage. We went crazy with this story. Yet, when you look at these numbers, even 62 percent of parents thought that their kids 6 -- between 6 and 23 months didn't need the shot, yet that was the age bracket where the kids did need the shot.
COHEN: Exactly, so 62 percent of those parents said, "I don't think my kid needs a shot." And those kids did need a shot.
So what does that tell you? As Kyra said, everybody went crazy with this story. We talked about it. We talked about how people need to get shots. The CDC talked about if people need to get shots. Well, apparently, that message does not get through, and people who need flu shots still are not getting them.
Now why is this important? Well, first of all, it's important because people who need flu shots need to get them. It's also important because drug companies think, "Gee, people think that they don't need flu shot, even when they do. What does that mean? When I make a flu shot, people aren't going to buy it."
And so that makes drug companies less than enthusiastic, shall we say, about marketing, about making flu shots. Because they see that people just don't get them.
PHILLIPS: All right.
COHEN: They're under the impression they don't need them.
PHILLIPS: Bottom line, there are plenty of flu shots now, end of story?
COHEN: Well, bottom line, there should be flu shots for people who need them.
PHILLIPS: OK.
COHEN: And so people who need them ought to get them. And also, Dr. Julie Gerberding just said flu usually peaks in February. It's only December. There's plenty of time to get those shots.
PHILLIPS: Great. Elizabeth Cohen, thank you so much.
COHEN: Thanks. Thanks.
PHILLIPS: Other top story that we're following is the praise for terrorists and a call to action.
The CIA says that it's confident that an audiotape posted on Arabic web sites is the voice of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. That tape focuses on Saudi Arabia and makes reference to a recent attack.
CNN senior international correspondent Nic Robertson following the story now from London. He joins us live.
Let's talk about the audience, Nic, that this is aimed for and why specifically it's just on the Internet.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Perhaps it's on the Internet because recently Osama bin Laden has released videotaped message, sent those taped messages to the Arab broadcaster Al Jazeera. Those messages have then been edited down.
This audio message posted on a web site is some 74 minutes long. Through posting it on the Internet, he is able to get his whole message out and nobody filtering it.
The message very much focuses on Saudi Arabia. The message appears to be to -- to the population of Saudi Arabia, saying that the royal family there is lining their pockets with money while many millions of Saudis are starving.
He said that the violence that's been going on there recently is the responsibility of the royal family, that it's part of the global jihad against the United States. And that the Saudi government are really puppets of the United States, as the United States tries to strip oil from Saudi Arabia.
Really what Osama bin Laden is doing here is going back to his roots. His early messages a decade ago were against the Saudi royal family. And that's where his message is today, very much to the Saudis -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: He doesn't mention President Bush at all. Why do you think that is?
ROBERTSON: Perhaps, really, the -- what he's tried to do is capitalize on a day here when some dissident groups in Saudi Arabia had called for demonstrations against the royal family. So perhaps really trying to focus the message for the Saudi audience, release this taped message at a time when dissident groups are calling for people to go out and demonstrate on the streets of Jeddah and Riyadh, the capital.
What we've heard from eye witnesses in Saudi Arabia is that these demonstrations were not very successful. Very few people came out.
However, the same types of web sites have been claiming that thousands of people have come out, that there have been many arrests by the police. That there have even been shootouts. Saudi officials certainly deny that, as well.
So really it does seem to be not looking at the U.S. audience here, really going after the Saudi audience, to unseat the Saudi royal family -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Finally, Hamid Karzai, president of Afghanistan, coming forward, mentioning Mullah Omar, the capture of his security guard, saying they believe they are even closer to Mullah Omar and even closer to Osama bin Laden.
What are you hearing, Nic?
ROBERTSON: Well, many people have also been saying or speculating that really, the trail on Osama bin Laden has gone cold.
But when you analyze this tape and look at that reference to an event that happened only 10 days ago, we haven't seen something -- a message coming out so quickly after an event or a reference to an event so recently as that.
So perhaps this is an indication that wherever Osama bin Laden is, he feels that his lines of communication are very secure.
So maybe Hamid Karzai is right, that people are closing in on him. But that doesn't appear to be the indication that Osama bin Laden is giving here. He appears confident, that he's confident enough to release a message, a taped message, very soon after a recent event -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Our Nic Robertson, live from London. Thanks, Nic.
WHITFIELD: In Iraq, insurgents make their presence known for another day.
A senior Iraqi government official was shot dead as he drove to work at the communications ministry this morning. Three Iraqi national guardsmen and a foreigner were killed in two other attacks across Baghdad.
Word that terror mastermind Abu Musab al-Zarqawi may be operating out of the Iraqi capital. A top U.S. general says al-Zarqawi most likely moved to Baghdad after losing his safe haven in Falluja last month.
Al-Zarqawi's group is believed to be leading a series of brutal bombings and beheadings across Iraq.
And a warning for Americans in Kuwait. The State Department says it has credible information that terrorists are planning an attack in the coming days. Officials remind U.S. citizens in Kuwait to keep a low profile and keep their eyes open.
PHILLIPS: More than a year after he was ferreted out of that spider hole, former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein has had his first meeting with a lawyer.
The former Iraqi leader met with his chief defense attorney for about four hours today. And this morning I talked with another one of Saddam's lawyers. He blasted the people prosecuting Saddam on war crimes charges.
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GHAZZAWI: He is still the president of Iraq, because the people in Iraq now governing, this interim government, what you call, they are puppets of the United States administration. They can't go to bathroom without excuse -- taking permission from the states.
They declared many times that they want to make a trial as soon as possible. They said on the seventh month of this year, and then they changed their mind to the 11th. Then they said before the end of the year. And just at the -- their minister said not before 2006.
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PHILLIPS: I'll have my entire interview with Ghazzawi a little later on LIVE FROM.
WHITFIELD: U.S. Secretary of State Powell was praising the United Nations for its support of the upcoming Iraqi elections.
Powell spoke this morning with U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan. Annan has been under increasing fire for corruption and mismanagement investigations within the U.N.'s now defunct oil-for-food program with Iraq.
The two men addressed that investigation.
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COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: We did touch on it briefly in our meeting, and we know there are a number of inquiries under way. Mr. Volcker is doing his work. And there are inquiries taking place up on Capitol Hill here. And we're waiting for the results of those inquiries.
The secretary-general and I noted that we're both deeply concerned about this matter and we want to get the truth out. And we want to see these investigations come to a conclusion so the responsibility and accountability can be assigned.
And the world wants to see the results of these investigations as soon as possible, as well.
KOFI ANNAN, U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL: I think the oil-for-food is something that I'm concerned about and would want to get to the bottom of it. And I am anxious to see the investigations concluded as quickly as possible so that we can get this -- put it behind us and focus on the essential work of the United Nations.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: The United States has not joined those individuals calling for Annan's resignation, and the U.S. ambassador to the U.N. has expressed Washington's support for the U.N. chief -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Straight ahead, Saddam Hussein's lawyer speaks out in the LIVE FROM interview. He says Saddam is not responsible for gassing the Kurds in northern Iraq. Wait until you hear who he does blame, just ahead.
Social Security and the American economy. President Bush expected to talk about his plans for both in just a few minutes. We'll bring that to you live.
KEITH OPPENHEIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Whether you're shipping with a post office, with FedEx, with DHL, or with UPS, this is peak time. I'm Keith Oppenheim, outside Chicago, and in a moment we'll give you a ride with a UPS driver and show you what it's like during this busy season.
ANNOUNCER: You're watching LIVE FROM on CNN, the most trusted name in news.
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PHILLIPS: Well, a week and a day if you're counting down to Christmas Eve. And that means home stretch for those of you who still haven't finished shopping for holiday packages.
You don't have to remind the folks in the shipping business, though, that it's bustling time. This is the UPS Center in Hodgkin's, Illinois, just near Chicago. It's in overdrive today, getting your boxes from point A to point B.
Now, this is rare, you don't usually see the scenes behind this place, which takes its security very seriously, not only during the holidays, but always.
CNN's Keith Oppenheim live at that very busy facility today.
Hi, Keith.
OPPENHEIM: Hi, Kyra. You know, overdrive is the right word. And there are hundreds of tractor-trailers like this one that come in and out of this facility today. And about half of the trailers are going onto trains, but the other half hit the road. And that's what we're going to do.
Let's meet driver Bill Holland (ph).
Hi, Bill.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi. How are you doing?
OPPENHEIM: OK. Why don't you take us for a little drive here and we'll talk about your load.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.
OPPENHEIM: Where did this load come from? What's inside this tractor?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It comes from one of our pickups, Crate & Barrel. It's in Naperville, Illinois.
OPPENHEIM: And how many packages and parcels are in the back there?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: About 1,500 packages.
OPPENHEIM: So let's talk about the loading process. When you bring a load like this to the bay of the distribution center, how long does it take to get all those packages out and into the distribution center?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: About 20, 25 minutes.
OPPENHEIM: Wow.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They unload it.
OPPENHEIM: You don't do it yourself?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, the people inside, they, they -- they unload the trailers. I just put it in the bay.
OPPENHEIM: Just in general, what's it like at this time of year, during the holiday season. Is it more intense than normal for the drivers?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, it's a little more -- a little more hours, a little more congested. A little hectic around here around this time of the year.
OPPENHEIM: Do you thrive on that or is it just kind of hard?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, in a way, you look forward to it every year. It -- it keeps your blood flowing.
OPPENHEIM: Well, I'm going to is you to give me a stop here so I can just hop out for a second. And I thank you for the ride, Bill.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you.
OPPENHEIM: And as we go here, I'm just going to mention this graphic statistic that we have. Because the peak day deliveries for the different companies are different in number.
You will see that for UPS, 20 million packages is the peak day during the holiday period for one day. And for FedEx, it's 7.7 million. And for DHL it is 2.3 million on the busiest day.
And as I get out of my great ride here, Kyra -- thanks, Bill...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you.
OPPENHEIM: Bye-bye.
I'll note that once you're inside the facility, it's pretty fascinating, that it takes just one package 15 minutes to be unloaded and then to be reloaded.
In other words, for distribution just that period of time to get on to the truck where it's going to be delivered to. Pretty intense business for these folks around this time of year.
Back to you.
PHILLIPS: Hey, Keith, I want to know if Bill Holland (ph) is getting a Christmas bonus or a holiday bonus from UPS. Can he answer that question?
OPPENHEIM: Yes. Yes, I have the answer. His bonus is that he gets to be on CNN, and he's pretty happy about it.
PHILLIPS: Outstanding. All right, Keith Oppenheim there in the busy holiday season. Free ride today. Thanks so much.
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PHILLIPS (voice-over): Next on LIVE FROM: defending Saddam Hussein. The former Iraqi dictator's lawyer says his client is innocent. And he is still the president of Iraq. We'll talk with him as he prepares for trial.
Later on LIVE FROM, scared straight? A mom says a school principal went too far when he had her unruly 5-year-old handcuffed and driven around in a police car.
He admits he was once out of control with alcohol, drugs, and legal battles. But now, former Dallas Cowboy Thomas Hollywood Henderson tells his story of life, love, and winning the lottery. The LIVE FROM interview, tomorrow.
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(COMMERCIAL BREAK) PHILLIPS: President Bush bringing Social Security to the table at the economic summit in Washington today. Mr. Bush says that the time to confront Social Security's looming problems is now before the situation gets any worse.
He's also vowing to submit a tough budget in his second term, aimed at cutting the federal budget deficit in half over the next four year.
As soon as he steps up to that podium, we plan to take him live, as he addresses the summit, to hear more from him.
It is literally a stone's throw from New York City, and it's the most densely populated state in the nation. So why is New Jersey seeing massive cuts in federal security funding while New York City anti-terror coffers are swelling?
CNN's Deborah Feyerick with more on the numbers and the resulting anger.
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DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): On September 11, Fire Captain Edward Sisk and his rescue unit raced from their station house in Elizabeth, New Jersey, to the smoldering ruins of the World Trade Center in lower Manhattan. It took just 15 minutes.
CHIEF EDWARD SISK, UNION COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT: We don't look at it, New York versus New Jersey. We're facing the same threats, you know, every day.
FEYERICK: Across the river and there you are, two states, close as sisters.
But while New York City's federal anti-terrorism dollars soared, up more than 340 percent for next year, in New Jersey, the money was slashed by 35 percent.
SHERIFF ARNANDO FONTOURA, ESSEX COUNTY, NEW JERSEY: So it looked like the Grinch showed up and said, "Hey, you know, you guys, you know, we don't care about you. We think you got enough."
FEYERICK: New Jersey has a major international airport, three vital shipping ports, a two-mile stretch of oil refineries and chemical plants, and countless commuter neighborhoods, all right next to Manhattan.
Every time there's a threat, as there was this summer, they are all potential targets. So why, New Jersey politicians ask, is emergency response money being cut at such a critical time?
GOV. RICHARD CODEY (D), NEW JERSEY: The terrorists of 9/11 at some point lived in New Jersey. The terrorists who bombed the World Trade Center in 1993, in the underground garage, all lived in New Jersey.
How in God's name can the president justify this? It is unconscionable.
FEYERICK (on camera): Five years ago, was this a piece of equipment you ever thought you'd be called on to use?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, no, not -- since 9/11, the world has changed.
FEYERICK (voice-over): After 9/11, emergency responders across northern New Jersey came up with a plan. It involved buying high-tech equipment like decontamination tents one year and training the next.
CAPT. JAMES DRYLE, WEST ORANGE, N.J., POLICE: Having the reduction in funding that they're proposing is going to restrict our ability to protect ourselves, both as police and firefighters, but also to protect the general public.
FEYERICK: First responders say the proposed cuts likely means fewer trauma centers, fewer radiation detectors and fewer radio systems linking on-scene police and fire commanders.
DEPUTY CHIEF LATHEY WIRKLIS, UNION COUNTY, N.J., FIRE DEPARTMENT: Watch what's going on over in Iraq and you see that they don't have the proper equipment to protect their vehicles with armor.
Well, the same thing is now occurring here. They're telling us, "Well, we want you to take care of a terrorist attack, but we're not going to give you the armor to protect your people."
FEYERICK: The outgoing homeland security secretary offers no details, but blames the cuts on Congress' formula for handing out money.
TOM RIDGE, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: Some people win and some people got more. Some communities got less.
SCOTT DI GIRALORO, MORRIS COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT: It certainly doesn't benefit the citizens, trying to protect them appropriately.
FEYERICK: A fear that keeps many first responders awake at night.
Deborah Feyerick, CNN, Morris Plains, New Jersey.
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