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Stem Cell Research Debate; Light Tornado Season

Aired May 24, 2005 - 13:31   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.


MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: As the debate continues in the House of Representatives, the president will enter this discussion in just about 40 minutes' time. We expect to hear from him, East Room of the White House. There he is, having just arrived back from his Social Security talk in New York, at Andrews Air Force Base. The president doesn't have to worry about traffic, of course. So he'll be at the White House in plenty of time. As a matter of fact, a little time to pose for some pictures before he weighs in on that debate.
In the meantime, let's bat it around a bit. If you think stem cell science complicated, the political debate is even moreso.

On one side, people like Sam Schmidt, a former Indy car racer who was injured in a crash five years ago -- there you see him with Chris Reeves -- he's now a quadriplegic. Sam strongly believes federal funds should be used to advance the medical promise of stem cells. He joins us from Indianapolis. Good to have you with us, Sam.

On the other side, Georgia Congressman Phil Gingrey joining us from the House galley. He is also an OB/GYN who opposes abortion and is ethically opposed to research on cells he sees as potential lives.

Gentleman, good to have you both with us. Before we get started here, I just wanted to give folks a little flavor of some of the debate that's going to on the floor of the House of Representatives right now. Let's listen to Tom DeLay just a few moments ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. TOM DELAY, (R) MAJORITY LEADER: This bill, which provides for federal funding of research using adult stem cells which have, unlike embryonic stem cells, proven medical benefits in treating more than 60 separate diseases, will pass with the overwhelming support of both sides of this debate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: Sam, there's no moral issue when it comes to adult stem cells. Why not just focus on research on adult stem cells?

SAM SCHMIDT, FMR. INDY CAR DRIVER: Well, obviously, there has been a lot of promise. I have some people I've spoken to that have been down to Portugal and had some very successful adult stem cell transfer procedures done. I just feel like every day I sit here in this chair is just another day I face a ton of challenges where I feel like there could be some parallel research being done at the same time. And I have to agree with several of the scientists here in the United States right now that say the real long term and the big picture promise will be with the embryonic stem cell type.

O'BRIEN: Congressman Gingrey, this -- all the scientists would tell you that, that embryonic stem cells hold tremendous promise because they're more malleable, you can do more things with them. You don't disagree with that, right?

REP. PHIL GINGREY, (R) GEORGIA: Well, I don't disagree with that, but you said in the lead-in to the show, talking about the raw material. Unfortunately, raw material in embryonic stem-cell research are those embryos that are cloned, is human life. And I agree with Sam Schmidt. I know of the work in Portugal with spinal cord injury patients. And I would say to him that work, that technique, that miracle of science, is available to him today. And why wait three or four or five years down the road for embryonic, which is unproven?

O'BRIEN: Well, but I guess -- I don't want to put words in his mouth, but why not do both?

GINGREY: Well, he needs help now, sooner, not later. But I...

O'BRIEN: So why not do both? Why not continue research on adult stem cells and pursue research on embryonic stem cells. It might get him out of the chair someday or somebody else like him.

GINGREY: Well, the successes have all been achieved with adult stem cells. You saw the clip from our leader Tom DeLay, speaking just a minute ago, when an umbilical cord stem cell usage and the successes of 58 different diseases. That's where the successes are in the private sector. That's where the money is going. It's not on embryonic, it's on adult stem cells, because that's where we're getting the results.

O'BRIEN: Sam, do you go along with that? Is that an accurate statement? And do you think also -- I just want to get you on record on this -- do you view the use of the embryonic stem cells in this context as destroying human life?

SCHMIDT: OK, I guess, one at a time. I mean...

O'BRIEN: Yes. Go ahead.

SCHMIDT: I'd have to agree that the major part of the progress has been made with the adult stem cell research, but that's only because we haven't committed any resources or been allowed to explore the embryonic side of things. I mean, we've been told by some of these bills that have been put up that if we even touch the stuff, we're going to -- you know, eventually get put in jail.

And there's a tremendous amount of smart people in this country that are dying to go at this at a very fast pace, like the South Koreans have been doing and several other countries outside the U.S. They've just been sitting there ready to go, but they haven't been given the resources and haven't been given the opportunity to do it because it has been so controversial over the last four or five years.

As far as, you know, my feeling about it, I've got say, I mean, I am -- I believe I'm pretty strong in my faith and I believe that this has been a huge personal challenge for me and my family in evaluating embryonic stem cell research.

But it's also important to note that there are several different layers of that. You can talk about in vitro fertilization, cast off so to speak, that have been very controversial. But there are several forms of what I would call SCNT, or somatic cell nuclear transfer. That's a mouthful for me. But that type of embryonic cell research is, to me, wide open and something that I can get my arms around and agree with the ethical side of it, simply because it does not implant it in the womb. It is not something that was created by a fertilization technique for, you know, somebody's...

O'BRIEN: Let me just jump in here, because we don't -- have limited time, Sam. I want to ask the Congressman about a point you hit on there. This research is going to happen, whether -- there are scientists all over the world. In South Korea, obviously, there hasn't been this moral debate which has precluded funding from the government for all of this. So, ultimately the science will press on and ultimately there might very well be cures and ultimately the U.S. would have to buy from the South Koreans. Do you think that is -- that situation would be worth it for this moral stand that you and others are taking?

GINGREY: Well, I think this country is unique. We're different. Maybe we're different from South Korea. We care about life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. I commend the courage of Sam Schmidt. I want him to get out of that chair as soon as possible, but not to sacrifice another human life, a little embryo, who could grow up...

O'BRIEN: But is it really a human life?

GINGREY: ... to be a race-car driver or a member of Congress. I think it's not right. We don't have to do that.

O'BRIEN: But is it really a human life, though, realistically?

GINGREY: Absolutely it's a human life. There's no question about that. Once fertilization occurs, it's a human life. And furthermore, we don't have to do this. We can, with a little bit of research, a little bit of federal funding, we can learn how to obtain those embryonic stem cells without destroying the embryo. It only takes a cell or two and we can do that, and that's what I'm in favor of.

O'BRIEN: Sam, you and others who are disabled, as we hear this debate go on, time is of the essence. And as this debate continues, it must hearten you to see that the research continues elsewhere. Do you wish it were happening more here in the United States?

SCHMIDT: Well, absolutely. I mean, it would certainly be -- I'd certainly have a lot more comfort, which, you know, the Congressman mentioned, you know why haven't I been to Portugal? I mean, frankly, I don't have the comfort in the techniques down there yet and the amount of them they've done.

I mean, my situation's a little different. I'm a very high-level injury and I go to Portugal and I have -- Portugal and get a procedure and I happen to take a little step backwards, I come back on a ventilator. And I would feel much more comfortable if the research were being done here and if ultimately I was going to go in for a procedure, that I could have that done here.

O'BRIEN: Congressman, where do you see it heading, though? I mean, it's inevitable that the science will occur. Is there some way to -- because there are many people who are very much opposed to abortion...

GINGREY: Right.

O'BRIEN: ... who would tell you that, you know, morally these -- they're not as hard over -- they don't draw the line right where you have drawn it. Is there a way to finesse this for you and others?

GINGREY: Absolutely. And the way to finesse it, of course, is to have the ability -- and we're not that far away -- to harvest embryonic cells without destroying the embryo. If we can, in our infertility clinics, create life with a single sperm with a needle injection into a single egg and that was done, 10, 12 years ago, not necessarily the NIH or the Mayo Clinic, but in our neighborhoods and where I live and the infertility clinics and their labs, we can do this.

And that way you don't have to cross this moral divide of taking human life at either extreme of life, either an embryo or an elderly person. Would you take stem cells from old people if they were -- their life had been mainly used up, but you could use those cells to save somebody younger? I think the answer is absolutely not, you would not do that.

O'BRIEN: All right, final thought, Sam. We just -- time expiring here, please.

SCHMIDT: I just -- I'm just pleased to be here and to be a part of the debate and I'm hoping that Congress will pass the bill that's in front of them today.

O'BRIEN: All right. Thank you, Congressman Phil...

GRINGREY: God bless Sam Schmidt, thank you very much for being on.

O'BRIEN: ... Gringrey and Sam Schmidt. Thank you both, appreciate it.

SCHMIDT: Thank you.

O'BRIEN: Getting to a vote on federally-funded embryonic stem- cell research may be just a political exercise. At this point, President Bush has already threatened to veto such a bill if it passes. As we told you just a while ago, in a little bit of time, about 30 minutes from now, Mr. Bush will make further remarks on stem cell research in the East Room of the White House. That's at 2:10 Eastern. CNN, of course, will bring it to you live as it happens.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, she's setting records and breaking barriers in pursuit of one of racing's biggest trophies. Indy driver Danica Patrick will join us later on LIVE FROM to talk about making her boss, David Letterman, very happy this weekend.

Also just ahead, twister season winds down. We'll go in-depth with our Jacqui Jeras and why this year there's a lot of tornadoes just not materializing. She'll explain why.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: And now, today's LIVE FROM bonus story, and I mean bonus. You don't have to ask music producer Phil Specter what's up. That answer's a little obvious. Anyway, this is how he showed up at a court hearing in Los Angeles. As you know, Specter goes on trial in September, accused in the 2003 shooting death of actress Lana Clarkson. She's entered -- he's entered, rather, a plea of not guilty.

More LIVE FROM right after a quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: All right. Hurricane season begins this week, but what about the tornadoes? Whatever happened to the tornadoes?

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, where are they?

O'BRIEN: Yes. I mean, this has been -- I can't remember a spring quite like this.

JERAS: It's been very quiet so far. In fact, let's knock on wood, right?

O'BRIEN: Yes, we're probably going to have some...

JERAS: Because right when you say it's quiet, you know all heck breaks loose, right?

O'BRIEN: Cowering in trailer parks everywhere. All right, let's -- why don't you explain what's going on? There's got to be some big scientific reason, right?

JERAS: There is a scientific reason, absolutely. This is the time of year normally when we get the warm air from the south, the cold air from the north, come together and they clash. We get regular tornado outbreaks. The month of May usual averages the number of tornado touchdowns each year. But May 2005 so far is behind in the recordbooks.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) JERAS (voice-over): May 22, 2004, a tornado touched down in Hallam, Nebraska. 37 injured and one dead.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Holy cow! OK, it's really starting to wrap up here. It looks like it's getting to turn into a major tornado.

JERAS: A week later, May 29th, a family of tornadoes sweep across Missouri, killing three and injuring 18. The next day, the town of Marengo, Indiana, was nearly demolished with 80 percent of the homes wiped out. May 2004 featured a string of destruction, with more than 500 touchdowns in all. May 2003 has the record for the most tornadoes in a month, with 543. And May 2002, 204 reports.

What about May 2005? Try only 89 in the first 23 days. So what's going on? The culprit is called the James Bay vortex. Way up in Canada, northern Ontario and Quebec are separated by James Bay. It's the lower portion of Hudson Bay. In this cooler climate, there's been an upper level weather disturbance that's been rather persistent since April.

This system has kept the Northeastern U.S. very cool. For example, Boston has had cooler than average temperatures 21 of the last 23 days. Now while the Northeast is in the big chill, the James Bay vortex is forcing the jet stream in the West to drive storms north of Tornado Alley, missing much of the tornado breeding grounds.

While the tornadoes are fewer, the hail is aplenty. There's been more than double the average number of severe hail reports this month. This is due to cold air aloft and a lack of wind share, which is opposing winds at different levels of the atmosphere.

In order for more tornadoes to develop, the jet stream pattern needs to change. This is what the jet stream usually looks like this time of the year, allowing storms to develop in the Southwest and move into the plains. That's where warm, moist air from the South, cool air from the North and dry air from the West meet and spell a recipe for disaster.

Large-scale, ripe tornado conditions are not expected to happen in the shorter term forecast, as the James Bay vortex may stick around and keep tornado conditions quiet for the rest of May.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JERAS: And just because the James Bay vortex is still there doesn't mean we won't see any tornadoes. We're just not expecting any of the big outbreaks across the country. And, of course, Miles, remember, all it takes is one tornado to cause any damage.

O'BRIEN: Well, that's true, too. I mean, and if it hits in the right spot. But who knew if tornadoes were driven by James Bay, of all places. You don't hear a lot about tornadoes up there.

JERAS: You certainly don't.

O'BRIEN: All right, so based on all of this, what you're sort of suggesting here, because the upper level patterns are the way they are, it's going to remain quiet, likely?

JERAS: It looks that way. At least for the shorter term forecast, we're looking at least the next seven to 10 days we're going to stay in this type of pattern. We may be changing later. It's kind of hard to predict tornadoes. You look at more of the shorter term forecast for tornadoes. When you talk about hurricanes, of course, we can look at climatology, we can look at weather patterns, so it's a totally different animal.

O'BRIEN: Is it possible that that jetstream will change later in the season and give us a later tornado season?

JERAS: Absolutely possible. Just because we're quiet now doesn't mean things can't kick up for June, July, even August.

O'BRIEN: All right. Thank you, Jacqui. Appreciate it. Now you know the trivia question. The answer to the trivia question, what does James Bay have to do with tornadoes? Appreciate it -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Well, one of the two "Newsweek" journalists behind the now retracted article accusing U.S. interrogators of defiling the Koran is speaking out. Michael Isikoff addressed the controversy last night on "The Charlie Rose Show." Isikoff says that he regrets that the article may have spurred riots and he admits that he may have dropped the ball by not corroborating his anonymous source.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL ISIKOFF, "NEWSWEEK" JOURNALIST: I said to him are you absolutely sure that you read this in the SouthCom report? And he said, that's what I believed it to be. And I said, well, wait a second, believed it to be -- you know, what do you mean believed it to be? Was it the SouthCom report or not? I have to be -- we have to be 100 percent certain on this. And what we were left with is, look, I read a lot of stuff, I see a lot of these reports, I see a lot of material that comes in on this and, no, he couldn't be certain that he'd seen it in the U.S. Southern Command report.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Well, "Newsweek" says it's raising its standards now for anonymous sourcing.

The stem cell debate is heating up at the nation's Capitol. Coming up in just a few minutes, the president weighs in. Hear what he has to say and get our comprehensive coverage of this hot button issue, beginning at the top of the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: All right. Now a quick check with our dot-com desk, is CNN's Veronica De La Cruz.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN.COM CORRESPONDENT: If you're tired of stashing your cash under a mattress, or in your piggy bank, log onto CNNmoney.com for a lesson in money 101. These 10 tips on banking and saving could help you tremendously.

The first tip, use a federally insured bank account. It's likely your safest bet, because your funds are insured for up to $100,000 by the U.S. government.

When shopping for a bank account options may appear limitless. In order to pick the right one, ask yourself these four questions. How much money will you put in the bank? How many checks do you plan to write? How many related banking services will you need? And how many different types of accounts will you want to set up?

Plus, see if you're making the grade when it comes to Money 101 with an online quiz.

Last but not least, now that you've got money in a safe place find out how fast it will grow with the savings calculator.

You can find it all online at CNNmoney.com/101. From the dot-com news desk, I'm Veronica De La Cruz.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: Coming up in our second hour of LIVE FROM, the president gives his thoughts on the stem cell debate.

PHILLIPS: That and more on the hot topic of the day, as LIVE'S FROM's "Hour of Power" begins right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: President Bush moments away from remarks on embryonic stem cell research. We're going to bring you the president's comments on the controversial science, live.

O'BRIEN: A top terrorist reportedly wounded. Al Qaeda web messages indicate Iraq's most notorious insurgent is hurt. We have the latest.

PHILLIPS: A CIA agent given the ultimate order: Bring back the head of Osama bin Laden. This former agent gives us his inside story.

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Aired May 24, 2005 - 13:31   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: As the debate continues in the House of Representatives, the president will enter this discussion in just about 40 minutes' time. We expect to hear from him, East Room of the White House. There he is, having just arrived back from his Social Security talk in New York, at Andrews Air Force Base. The president doesn't have to worry about traffic, of course. So he'll be at the White House in plenty of time. As a matter of fact, a little time to pose for some pictures before he weighs in on that debate.
In the meantime, let's bat it around a bit. If you think stem cell science complicated, the political debate is even moreso.

On one side, people like Sam Schmidt, a former Indy car racer who was injured in a crash five years ago -- there you see him with Chris Reeves -- he's now a quadriplegic. Sam strongly believes federal funds should be used to advance the medical promise of stem cells. He joins us from Indianapolis. Good to have you with us, Sam.

On the other side, Georgia Congressman Phil Gingrey joining us from the House galley. He is also an OB/GYN who opposes abortion and is ethically opposed to research on cells he sees as potential lives.

Gentleman, good to have you both with us. Before we get started here, I just wanted to give folks a little flavor of some of the debate that's going to on the floor of the House of Representatives right now. Let's listen to Tom DeLay just a few moments ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. TOM DELAY, (R) MAJORITY LEADER: This bill, which provides for federal funding of research using adult stem cells which have, unlike embryonic stem cells, proven medical benefits in treating more than 60 separate diseases, will pass with the overwhelming support of both sides of this debate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: Sam, there's no moral issue when it comes to adult stem cells. Why not just focus on research on adult stem cells?

SAM SCHMIDT, FMR. INDY CAR DRIVER: Well, obviously, there has been a lot of promise. I have some people I've spoken to that have been down to Portugal and had some very successful adult stem cell transfer procedures done. I just feel like every day I sit here in this chair is just another day I face a ton of challenges where I feel like there could be some parallel research being done at the same time. And I have to agree with several of the scientists here in the United States right now that say the real long term and the big picture promise will be with the embryonic stem cell type.

O'BRIEN: Congressman Gingrey, this -- all the scientists would tell you that, that embryonic stem cells hold tremendous promise because they're more malleable, you can do more things with them. You don't disagree with that, right?

REP. PHIL GINGREY, (R) GEORGIA: Well, I don't disagree with that, but you said in the lead-in to the show, talking about the raw material. Unfortunately, raw material in embryonic stem-cell research are those embryos that are cloned, is human life. And I agree with Sam Schmidt. I know of the work in Portugal with spinal cord injury patients. And I would say to him that work, that technique, that miracle of science, is available to him today. And why wait three or four or five years down the road for embryonic, which is unproven?

O'BRIEN: Well, but I guess -- I don't want to put words in his mouth, but why not do both?

GINGREY: Well, he needs help now, sooner, not later. But I...

O'BRIEN: So why not do both? Why not continue research on adult stem cells and pursue research on embryonic stem cells. It might get him out of the chair someday or somebody else like him.

GINGREY: Well, the successes have all been achieved with adult stem cells. You saw the clip from our leader Tom DeLay, speaking just a minute ago, when an umbilical cord stem cell usage and the successes of 58 different diseases. That's where the successes are in the private sector. That's where the money is going. It's not on embryonic, it's on adult stem cells, because that's where we're getting the results.

O'BRIEN: Sam, do you go along with that? Is that an accurate statement? And do you think also -- I just want to get you on record on this -- do you view the use of the embryonic stem cells in this context as destroying human life?

SCHMIDT: OK, I guess, one at a time. I mean...

O'BRIEN: Yes. Go ahead.

SCHMIDT: I'd have to agree that the major part of the progress has been made with the adult stem cell research, but that's only because we haven't committed any resources or been allowed to explore the embryonic side of things. I mean, we've been told by some of these bills that have been put up that if we even touch the stuff, we're going to -- you know, eventually get put in jail.

And there's a tremendous amount of smart people in this country that are dying to go at this at a very fast pace, like the South Koreans have been doing and several other countries outside the U.S. They've just been sitting there ready to go, but they haven't been given the resources and haven't been given the opportunity to do it because it has been so controversial over the last four or five years.

As far as, you know, my feeling about it, I've got say, I mean, I am -- I believe I'm pretty strong in my faith and I believe that this has been a huge personal challenge for me and my family in evaluating embryonic stem cell research.

But it's also important to note that there are several different layers of that. You can talk about in vitro fertilization, cast off so to speak, that have been very controversial. But there are several forms of what I would call SCNT, or somatic cell nuclear transfer. That's a mouthful for me. But that type of embryonic cell research is, to me, wide open and something that I can get my arms around and agree with the ethical side of it, simply because it does not implant it in the womb. It is not something that was created by a fertilization technique for, you know, somebody's...

O'BRIEN: Let me just jump in here, because we don't -- have limited time, Sam. I want to ask the Congressman about a point you hit on there. This research is going to happen, whether -- there are scientists all over the world. In South Korea, obviously, there hasn't been this moral debate which has precluded funding from the government for all of this. So, ultimately the science will press on and ultimately there might very well be cures and ultimately the U.S. would have to buy from the South Koreans. Do you think that is -- that situation would be worth it for this moral stand that you and others are taking?

GINGREY: Well, I think this country is unique. We're different. Maybe we're different from South Korea. We care about life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. I commend the courage of Sam Schmidt. I want him to get out of that chair as soon as possible, but not to sacrifice another human life, a little embryo, who could grow up...

O'BRIEN: But is it really a human life?

GINGREY: ... to be a race-car driver or a member of Congress. I think it's not right. We don't have to do that.

O'BRIEN: But is it really a human life, though, realistically?

GINGREY: Absolutely it's a human life. There's no question about that. Once fertilization occurs, it's a human life. And furthermore, we don't have to do this. We can, with a little bit of research, a little bit of federal funding, we can learn how to obtain those embryonic stem cells without destroying the embryo. It only takes a cell or two and we can do that, and that's what I'm in favor of.

O'BRIEN: Sam, you and others who are disabled, as we hear this debate go on, time is of the essence. And as this debate continues, it must hearten you to see that the research continues elsewhere. Do you wish it were happening more here in the United States?

SCHMIDT: Well, absolutely. I mean, it would certainly be -- I'd certainly have a lot more comfort, which, you know, the Congressman mentioned, you know why haven't I been to Portugal? I mean, frankly, I don't have the comfort in the techniques down there yet and the amount of them they've done.

I mean, my situation's a little different. I'm a very high-level injury and I go to Portugal and I have -- Portugal and get a procedure and I happen to take a little step backwards, I come back on a ventilator. And I would feel much more comfortable if the research were being done here and if ultimately I was going to go in for a procedure, that I could have that done here.

O'BRIEN: Congressman, where do you see it heading, though? I mean, it's inevitable that the science will occur. Is there some way to -- because there are many people who are very much opposed to abortion...

GINGREY: Right.

O'BRIEN: ... who would tell you that, you know, morally these -- they're not as hard over -- they don't draw the line right where you have drawn it. Is there a way to finesse this for you and others?

GINGREY: Absolutely. And the way to finesse it, of course, is to have the ability -- and we're not that far away -- to harvest embryonic cells without destroying the embryo. If we can, in our infertility clinics, create life with a single sperm with a needle injection into a single egg and that was done, 10, 12 years ago, not necessarily the NIH or the Mayo Clinic, but in our neighborhoods and where I live and the infertility clinics and their labs, we can do this.

And that way you don't have to cross this moral divide of taking human life at either extreme of life, either an embryo or an elderly person. Would you take stem cells from old people if they were -- their life had been mainly used up, but you could use those cells to save somebody younger? I think the answer is absolutely not, you would not do that.

O'BRIEN: All right, final thought, Sam. We just -- time expiring here, please.

SCHMIDT: I just -- I'm just pleased to be here and to be a part of the debate and I'm hoping that Congress will pass the bill that's in front of them today.

O'BRIEN: All right. Thank you, Congressman Phil...

GRINGREY: God bless Sam Schmidt, thank you very much for being on.

O'BRIEN: ... Gringrey and Sam Schmidt. Thank you both, appreciate it.

SCHMIDT: Thank you.

O'BRIEN: Getting to a vote on federally-funded embryonic stem- cell research may be just a political exercise. At this point, President Bush has already threatened to veto such a bill if it passes. As we told you just a while ago, in a little bit of time, about 30 minutes from now, Mr. Bush will make further remarks on stem cell research in the East Room of the White House. That's at 2:10 Eastern. CNN, of course, will bring it to you live as it happens.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, she's setting records and breaking barriers in pursuit of one of racing's biggest trophies. Indy driver Danica Patrick will join us later on LIVE FROM to talk about making her boss, David Letterman, very happy this weekend.

Also just ahead, twister season winds down. We'll go in-depth with our Jacqui Jeras and why this year there's a lot of tornadoes just not materializing. She'll explain why.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: And now, today's LIVE FROM bonus story, and I mean bonus. You don't have to ask music producer Phil Specter what's up. That answer's a little obvious. Anyway, this is how he showed up at a court hearing in Los Angeles. As you know, Specter goes on trial in September, accused in the 2003 shooting death of actress Lana Clarkson. She's entered -- he's entered, rather, a plea of not guilty.

More LIVE FROM right after a quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: All right. Hurricane season begins this week, but what about the tornadoes? Whatever happened to the tornadoes?

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, where are they?

O'BRIEN: Yes. I mean, this has been -- I can't remember a spring quite like this.

JERAS: It's been very quiet so far. In fact, let's knock on wood, right?

O'BRIEN: Yes, we're probably going to have some...

JERAS: Because right when you say it's quiet, you know all heck breaks loose, right?

O'BRIEN: Cowering in trailer parks everywhere. All right, let's -- why don't you explain what's going on? There's got to be some big scientific reason, right?

JERAS: There is a scientific reason, absolutely. This is the time of year normally when we get the warm air from the south, the cold air from the north, come together and they clash. We get regular tornado outbreaks. The month of May usual averages the number of tornado touchdowns each year. But May 2005 so far is behind in the recordbooks.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) JERAS (voice-over): May 22, 2004, a tornado touched down in Hallam, Nebraska. 37 injured and one dead.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Holy cow! OK, it's really starting to wrap up here. It looks like it's getting to turn into a major tornado.

JERAS: A week later, May 29th, a family of tornadoes sweep across Missouri, killing three and injuring 18. The next day, the town of Marengo, Indiana, was nearly demolished with 80 percent of the homes wiped out. May 2004 featured a string of destruction, with more than 500 touchdowns in all. May 2003 has the record for the most tornadoes in a month, with 543. And May 2002, 204 reports.

What about May 2005? Try only 89 in the first 23 days. So what's going on? The culprit is called the James Bay vortex. Way up in Canada, northern Ontario and Quebec are separated by James Bay. It's the lower portion of Hudson Bay. In this cooler climate, there's been an upper level weather disturbance that's been rather persistent since April.

This system has kept the Northeastern U.S. very cool. For example, Boston has had cooler than average temperatures 21 of the last 23 days. Now while the Northeast is in the big chill, the James Bay vortex is forcing the jet stream in the West to drive storms north of Tornado Alley, missing much of the tornado breeding grounds.

While the tornadoes are fewer, the hail is aplenty. There's been more than double the average number of severe hail reports this month. This is due to cold air aloft and a lack of wind share, which is opposing winds at different levels of the atmosphere.

In order for more tornadoes to develop, the jet stream pattern needs to change. This is what the jet stream usually looks like this time of the year, allowing storms to develop in the Southwest and move into the plains. That's where warm, moist air from the South, cool air from the North and dry air from the West meet and spell a recipe for disaster.

Large-scale, ripe tornado conditions are not expected to happen in the shorter term forecast, as the James Bay vortex may stick around and keep tornado conditions quiet for the rest of May.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JERAS: And just because the James Bay vortex is still there doesn't mean we won't see any tornadoes. We're just not expecting any of the big outbreaks across the country. And, of course, Miles, remember, all it takes is one tornado to cause any damage.

O'BRIEN: Well, that's true, too. I mean, and if it hits in the right spot. But who knew if tornadoes were driven by James Bay, of all places. You don't hear a lot about tornadoes up there.

JERAS: You certainly don't.

O'BRIEN: All right, so based on all of this, what you're sort of suggesting here, because the upper level patterns are the way they are, it's going to remain quiet, likely?

JERAS: It looks that way. At least for the shorter term forecast, we're looking at least the next seven to 10 days we're going to stay in this type of pattern. We may be changing later. It's kind of hard to predict tornadoes. You look at more of the shorter term forecast for tornadoes. When you talk about hurricanes, of course, we can look at climatology, we can look at weather patterns, so it's a totally different animal.

O'BRIEN: Is it possible that that jetstream will change later in the season and give us a later tornado season?

JERAS: Absolutely possible. Just because we're quiet now doesn't mean things can't kick up for June, July, even August.

O'BRIEN: All right. Thank you, Jacqui. Appreciate it. Now you know the trivia question. The answer to the trivia question, what does James Bay have to do with tornadoes? Appreciate it -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Well, one of the two "Newsweek" journalists behind the now retracted article accusing U.S. interrogators of defiling the Koran is speaking out. Michael Isikoff addressed the controversy last night on "The Charlie Rose Show." Isikoff says that he regrets that the article may have spurred riots and he admits that he may have dropped the ball by not corroborating his anonymous source.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL ISIKOFF, "NEWSWEEK" JOURNALIST: I said to him are you absolutely sure that you read this in the SouthCom report? And he said, that's what I believed it to be. And I said, well, wait a second, believed it to be -- you know, what do you mean believed it to be? Was it the SouthCom report or not? I have to be -- we have to be 100 percent certain on this. And what we were left with is, look, I read a lot of stuff, I see a lot of these reports, I see a lot of material that comes in on this and, no, he couldn't be certain that he'd seen it in the U.S. Southern Command report.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Well, "Newsweek" says it's raising its standards now for anonymous sourcing.

The stem cell debate is heating up at the nation's Capitol. Coming up in just a few minutes, the president weighs in. Hear what he has to say and get our comprehensive coverage of this hot button issue, beginning at the top of the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: All right. Now a quick check with our dot-com desk, is CNN's Veronica De La Cruz.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

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When shopping for a bank account options may appear limitless. In order to pick the right one, ask yourself these four questions. How much money will you put in the bank? How many checks do you plan to write? How many related banking services will you need? And how many different types of accounts will you want to set up?

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You can find it all online at CNNmoney.com/101. From the dot-com news desk, I'm Veronica De La Cruz.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: Coming up in our second hour of LIVE FROM, the president gives his thoughts on the stem cell debate.

PHILLIPS: That and more on the hot topic of the day, as LIVE'S FROM's "Hour of Power" begins right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: President Bush moments away from remarks on embryonic stem cell research. We're going to bring you the president's comments on the controversial science, live.

O'BRIEN: A top terrorist reportedly wounded. Al Qaeda web messages indicate Iraq's most notorious insurgent is hurt. We have the latest.

PHILLIPS: A CIA agent given the ultimate order: Bring back the head of Osama bin Laden. This former agent gives us his inside story.

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