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More and More Companies Mixing Business with Politics; 'Daily Dose'

Aired May 26, 2004 - 11:30   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.


DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Growing concerns about a potential summer terror attack are echoing on the presidential campaign trail. INSIDE POLITICS anchor Judy Woodruff has that story for us.
Judy, good morning.

JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Daryn, thank you.

Well, Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry says the political conventions and other big summer events will not be shut down by terrorist threats. Kerry was asked about the latest warnings last night in Seattle, where he will give a major speech on national security tomorrow. The senator said it's the right time in the campaign to focus on homeland defense, and how his policies compare with the president's.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We have 160 days, 5 1/2 months -- five months, and it's one of the most important issues facing the nation. Our young men and women are dying in another country, in several other countries, and the threat of terror is very real. And I think I can wage a more effective war on terror than George Bush is. I think we can do a better job of building America's safety and security. I think it's very important to talk about it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WOODRUFF: Kerry's main focus of the campaign so far this week has been rising gas prices. In a speech today, he charges that the president has not lifted a finger to bring down fuel costs. Our new poll helps explain why Democrats keep pushing this issue. 59 percent of Americans surveyed says rising gas prices will cause financial hardship in the future. 47 percent say higher prices already have caused financial hardship. In May of the last presidential election year, only 36 percent of Americans suggested that they felt the pinch at the pump.

President Bush is keeping a low profile today, with no campaign events on his schedule. Yesterday, he traveled to the showdown state of Ohio to promote his goal to open or expand 1,200 health centers across the nation. It was the president's 17th visit to Ohio since taking office.

As he campaigns in Seattle today, John Kerry also had a domestic matter to attend to. He and his wife Theresa are celebrating their ninth wedding anniversary. The couple were married on Memorial Day weekend in 1995.

Well, call it taking the pulse of the people. I sat down this week with six voters in Pennsylvania, and asked their views on George Bush and John Kerry, the war in Iraq, the economy, the role of religion in the campaign. Their candid comments when I go INSIDE POLITICS this afternoon at 3:30 eastern. I'll see you then.

Now right back to Daryn in Atlanta.

KAGAN: And we look forward to that Judy. Thank you. The election is drawing closer. More and more companies are mixing business with politics. Organizations are taking a grassroots approach to get out the business vote.

The story from J.J. Ramberg.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

J.J. RAMBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: ... governmental affairs position is helping U.S.-based employees and ISEs prepare for the upcoming elections.

Employees around the country may soon be seeing from the boss, like this one that Caterpillar Inc. sent out before the 2000 elections. Helped along by the Business Industry Political Action Committe, or BIPAC, Caterpillar is once again heating out their get- out-the-vote program for this year's elections.

DOUG CREW, MGR., CATERPILLAR INC.: We want to make sure that when employees go in the voting both, that they are well informed on the issues that affect the company, may effect them as shareholders of the company, and certainly effect them as employees of the company.

RAMBERG: Between lobbying efforts and direct contributions to pro-business candidates, corporate America has seen big success at getting their message heard in Washington. But now, they're extending their effort, take a cue from labor organizations and getting down to the grassroots.

GREG CASEY, PRES. & CEO, BIPAC: During the recent times of plenty, it was a lot easier to just give candidates money and give soft money contributions to the parties and not engage in the nitty- gritty of communicating with your employees.

RAMBERG: BIPAC and a host of other business organizations are hoping to change that. They expect to work with more than 500 companies and associations this year, including big names like ExxonMobil and BellSouth, helping them create Web sites, flyers, payroll stuffers and executive messages.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One of the concerns the companies have is the employees will look at this is something companies should not be involved in, that they will see this as some type of coercive effort, that they'll see this as something that really isn't the job of the employer.

RAMBERG: Organizers stress that their efforts are bipartisan, but if the race for money is any indication, with President Bush receiving $81 million from business interests, more than triple John Kerry's nearly $24 million, this may be a movement Democrats need to keep their eye on.

J.J. Ramberg, CNN Financial News, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: Putting a face on a deadly form of cancer. In our daily dose of health news, why melanoma is a disease that is more than skin deep.

And later, at an age where most kids are just dreaming of just being a cop, or a firefighter or an astronaut, he wanted to be a CEO. And he went right to the source for advice on how to do that. His story is coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Aspirin can ease a headache and reduce the risk of heart attack. We know that. Now researchers say this little wonder drug may help the fight against breast cancer. In a new study, women who used aspirin frequently were less likely to develop the most common type of breast cancer which is fueled by hormones. Still scientist say it's too early to recommend that all women take aspirin to prevent that disease.

More now on our "Daily Dose" of health news. The face of melanoma. The American Cancer Society says the number of new melanoma cases is on the rise in the U.S. CNN's Holly Firfer has the story of one woman's battle against skin cancer.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANN PLANAS, MELANOMA PATIENT: Hit a ball. Go, go, go, go, go, go.

HOLLY FIRFER, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Eight years ago, Ann Planas noticed a spot on her chest. This sun lover went to the doctor and was told it was melanoma. Doctors removed it and told her she was in the clear.

PLANAS: Excellent, we're in great shape. You know small little scar, no big deal. We, you know, go on.

Come on, buddy.

FIRFER: Two years ago that all changed.

PLANAS: I was playing with my son around Christmastime, and he was bouncing on my stomach, and I had a pain on my side. And about a week later, I started having like flu-like symptoms. FIRFER: By Valentine's Day, doctors determined Ann's melanoma was back and had spread. She would undergo liver surgery, like this one, but for her it was a matter of life and death.

PLANAS: Approximately about two weeks before surgery, my husband and I weren't really trying, but we found out that I was -- I was pregnant.

FIRFER: Last September, she gave birth to a healthy, happy baby girl she named Angelina (ph). But her joy was short-lived, three weeks after giving birth, she was told there were three more tumors, this time on her lungs. She would undergo another surgery this past January as the melanoma continued to spread.

DR. CARL WASHINGTON, EMORY UNIVERSITY: For the most part, once it's spread beyond the regional lymph nodes, it's a pretty bad prognosis.

FIRFER: Ann's last body scan showed the melanoma had returned to her liver. Although she has a brave face, she knows her time may be limited.

PLANAS: I have written people letters, because if it happens, you know I don't want to not tell people something. I tell my family I love them as much as I can.

In Atlanta, I'm Holly Firfer.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: We wish her well. Learn more about melanoma on our Web site. The address is cnn.com/health. From there you'll find links to a health guide from the Mayo Clinic.

At the age of 17, he is already the kind of guy would probably will never hear Donald Trump say, "You're fired." A young CEO is taking the wisdom of some real CEOs and bringing it to you. He is with us live coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Well, you heard of copyrights that protect inventions. That is now applying to a law that preserves the perfect pizza. Italian legislators are considering a law that will cook up strict rules for the perfect Neapolitan pie.

This is according to the legal recipe. It has to be round, no more than 35 centimeters in diameter. The center can't be higher than 0.3 centimeters and the crust can't rise above 2 centimeters. There are also restrictions on what kind of yeast can be used and it must be rolled by hand.

You can call our next guest a teenage titan in training. Despite his very young years, Douglas Barry wondered what it would be like to run a Fortune 500 company. That ordinary interests turned into an extraordinary project. And now the 17-year-old high schooler is publishing a book about lessons learned outside the classroom. Douglas Barry joins us live from New York with more on that. Doug Barry, good morning.

DOUGLAS BARRY, "WISDOM FOR A YOUNG CEO": Thanks for having me.

KAGAN: Take us back a few years. You're 14 years old and decide you want to be a CEO. How does a 14-year-old even know what a CEO is?

BARRY: My mom was a big inspiration. I decided -- you know, she really helped me -- you know, she would come home every night and talk about her business. She's involved in the corporate world. And that really influenced me. And that was really -- my mom was really the inspiration behind all this work. She was really, you know, the...

KAGAN: Very good. So you decide you want to be the CEO and you want some advice and you decide to write letter to the top CEOs?

BARRY: Well, yes. I asked my mom if I wrote letters to these men and women, would they write back? And both my parents said, why don't you give it a shot? So I did. And they wrote back to me, you know, fortunately. And I was able to publish the letters.

KAGAN: And what did you ask in the letters?

BARRY: Basically, I asked -- you know what does it take to be a leader? I'm a young man and I'm just starting out in the world and -- you know, I have such and such tools. What else do I need to know beyond books, beyond school work to become as successful as you have been?

KAGAN: The response you got is just amazing in terms of how many people took the time not just to write back but to write you some pretty long letters. These are some busy folks.

You put in the book, "Wisdom For A Young CEO," a couple of the favorite replies that you got. This is from the chairman of Eastman Kodak, George Fisher. "There's more to life than being a CEO, but go for your dreams, whatever they are." You liked that one?

BARRY: That was probably the most important -- one of the most important quotes to me. Raymond Gilmartin from American Companies said that. It was such a refreshing piece of advice because it really underscores the whole theme of passion in it, you have to love what you can do before you can continue on a path to success.

KAGAN: Can't just make it a job. Also you got a good response from Bob McKnight. He's a chairman of the board of Quicksilver, which surf fans will know that brand of clothing. He says, "My career just happened, I didn't premeditate this. I think it was just a natural instinct of being an entrepreneur."

Didn't he also tell you they just wanted to make some money and still keep surfing?

BARRY: Well, yes, that letter was so inspirational to me personally because I love to surf. I really -- you know, I admire that whole culture. A letter coming from Bob McKnight was so -- you know so great, because it really showed me you can do anything you love to do and be successful, as long as you pursue it, you know, to your full potential, you know, to your full self-worth.

KAGAN: A few more things you might need to do before you're a CEO like college and grad school. what are your immediate plans?

BARRY: Next year, I'm going to college. I'm going to Tulane University.

KAGAN: Tulane, the Green Wave. That's the mascot, when you get down there, just so you know. Tulane, well good luck with the book. Douglas Barry. It's called "Wisdom For A Young CEO." Soon to be a freshman at Tulane University. Thank you so much for that good luck with the book. Appreciate it.

BARRY: Thanks.

(MARKET UPDATE)

KAGAN: We'll take a break now. Check of weather just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER UPDATE)

KAGAN: That will do it for me. I'm Daryn Kagan. Wolf Blitzer takes over from Washington, D.C.

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


Aired May 26, 2004 - 11:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Growing concerns about a potential summer terror attack are echoing on the presidential campaign trail. INSIDE POLITICS anchor Judy Woodruff has that story for us.
Judy, good morning.

JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Daryn, thank you.

Well, Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry says the political conventions and other big summer events will not be shut down by terrorist threats. Kerry was asked about the latest warnings last night in Seattle, where he will give a major speech on national security tomorrow. The senator said it's the right time in the campaign to focus on homeland defense, and how his policies compare with the president's.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We have 160 days, 5 1/2 months -- five months, and it's one of the most important issues facing the nation. Our young men and women are dying in another country, in several other countries, and the threat of terror is very real. And I think I can wage a more effective war on terror than George Bush is. I think we can do a better job of building America's safety and security. I think it's very important to talk about it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WOODRUFF: Kerry's main focus of the campaign so far this week has been rising gas prices. In a speech today, he charges that the president has not lifted a finger to bring down fuel costs. Our new poll helps explain why Democrats keep pushing this issue. 59 percent of Americans surveyed says rising gas prices will cause financial hardship in the future. 47 percent say higher prices already have caused financial hardship. In May of the last presidential election year, only 36 percent of Americans suggested that they felt the pinch at the pump.

President Bush is keeping a low profile today, with no campaign events on his schedule. Yesterday, he traveled to the showdown state of Ohio to promote his goal to open or expand 1,200 health centers across the nation. It was the president's 17th visit to Ohio since taking office.

As he campaigns in Seattle today, John Kerry also had a domestic matter to attend to. He and his wife Theresa are celebrating their ninth wedding anniversary. The couple were married on Memorial Day weekend in 1995.

Well, call it taking the pulse of the people. I sat down this week with six voters in Pennsylvania, and asked their views on George Bush and John Kerry, the war in Iraq, the economy, the role of religion in the campaign. Their candid comments when I go INSIDE POLITICS this afternoon at 3:30 eastern. I'll see you then.

Now right back to Daryn in Atlanta.

KAGAN: And we look forward to that Judy. Thank you. The election is drawing closer. More and more companies are mixing business with politics. Organizations are taking a grassroots approach to get out the business vote.

The story from J.J. Ramberg.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

J.J. RAMBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: ... governmental affairs position is helping U.S.-based employees and ISEs prepare for the upcoming elections.

Employees around the country may soon be seeing from the boss, like this one that Caterpillar Inc. sent out before the 2000 elections. Helped along by the Business Industry Political Action Committe, or BIPAC, Caterpillar is once again heating out their get- out-the-vote program for this year's elections.

DOUG CREW, MGR., CATERPILLAR INC.: We want to make sure that when employees go in the voting both, that they are well informed on the issues that affect the company, may effect them as shareholders of the company, and certainly effect them as employees of the company.

RAMBERG: Between lobbying efforts and direct contributions to pro-business candidates, corporate America has seen big success at getting their message heard in Washington. But now, they're extending their effort, take a cue from labor organizations and getting down to the grassroots.

GREG CASEY, PRES. & CEO, BIPAC: During the recent times of plenty, it was a lot easier to just give candidates money and give soft money contributions to the parties and not engage in the nitty- gritty of communicating with your employees.

RAMBERG: BIPAC and a host of other business organizations are hoping to change that. They expect to work with more than 500 companies and associations this year, including big names like ExxonMobil and BellSouth, helping them create Web sites, flyers, payroll stuffers and executive messages.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One of the concerns the companies have is the employees will look at this is something companies should not be involved in, that they will see this as some type of coercive effort, that they'll see this as something that really isn't the job of the employer.

RAMBERG: Organizers stress that their efforts are bipartisan, but if the race for money is any indication, with President Bush receiving $81 million from business interests, more than triple John Kerry's nearly $24 million, this may be a movement Democrats need to keep their eye on.

J.J. Ramberg, CNN Financial News, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: Putting a face on a deadly form of cancer. In our daily dose of health news, why melanoma is a disease that is more than skin deep.

And later, at an age where most kids are just dreaming of just being a cop, or a firefighter or an astronaut, he wanted to be a CEO. And he went right to the source for advice on how to do that. His story is coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Aspirin can ease a headache and reduce the risk of heart attack. We know that. Now researchers say this little wonder drug may help the fight against breast cancer. In a new study, women who used aspirin frequently were less likely to develop the most common type of breast cancer which is fueled by hormones. Still scientist say it's too early to recommend that all women take aspirin to prevent that disease.

More now on our "Daily Dose" of health news. The face of melanoma. The American Cancer Society says the number of new melanoma cases is on the rise in the U.S. CNN's Holly Firfer has the story of one woman's battle against skin cancer.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANN PLANAS, MELANOMA PATIENT: Hit a ball. Go, go, go, go, go, go.

HOLLY FIRFER, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Eight years ago, Ann Planas noticed a spot on her chest. This sun lover went to the doctor and was told it was melanoma. Doctors removed it and told her she was in the clear.

PLANAS: Excellent, we're in great shape. You know small little scar, no big deal. We, you know, go on.

Come on, buddy.

FIRFER: Two years ago that all changed.

PLANAS: I was playing with my son around Christmastime, and he was bouncing on my stomach, and I had a pain on my side. And about a week later, I started having like flu-like symptoms. FIRFER: By Valentine's Day, doctors determined Ann's melanoma was back and had spread. She would undergo liver surgery, like this one, but for her it was a matter of life and death.

PLANAS: Approximately about two weeks before surgery, my husband and I weren't really trying, but we found out that I was -- I was pregnant.

FIRFER: Last September, she gave birth to a healthy, happy baby girl she named Angelina (ph). But her joy was short-lived, three weeks after giving birth, she was told there were three more tumors, this time on her lungs. She would undergo another surgery this past January as the melanoma continued to spread.

DR. CARL WASHINGTON, EMORY UNIVERSITY: For the most part, once it's spread beyond the regional lymph nodes, it's a pretty bad prognosis.

FIRFER: Ann's last body scan showed the melanoma had returned to her liver. Although she has a brave face, she knows her time may be limited.

PLANAS: I have written people letters, because if it happens, you know I don't want to not tell people something. I tell my family I love them as much as I can.

In Atlanta, I'm Holly Firfer.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: We wish her well. Learn more about melanoma on our Web site. The address is cnn.com/health. From there you'll find links to a health guide from the Mayo Clinic.

At the age of 17, he is already the kind of guy would probably will never hear Donald Trump say, "You're fired." A young CEO is taking the wisdom of some real CEOs and bringing it to you. He is with us live coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Well, you heard of copyrights that protect inventions. That is now applying to a law that preserves the perfect pizza. Italian legislators are considering a law that will cook up strict rules for the perfect Neapolitan pie.

This is according to the legal recipe. It has to be round, no more than 35 centimeters in diameter. The center can't be higher than 0.3 centimeters and the crust can't rise above 2 centimeters. There are also restrictions on what kind of yeast can be used and it must be rolled by hand.

You can call our next guest a teenage titan in training. Despite his very young years, Douglas Barry wondered what it would be like to run a Fortune 500 company. That ordinary interests turned into an extraordinary project. And now the 17-year-old high schooler is publishing a book about lessons learned outside the classroom. Douglas Barry joins us live from New York with more on that. Doug Barry, good morning.

DOUGLAS BARRY, "WISDOM FOR A YOUNG CEO": Thanks for having me.

KAGAN: Take us back a few years. You're 14 years old and decide you want to be a CEO. How does a 14-year-old even know what a CEO is?

BARRY: My mom was a big inspiration. I decided -- you know, she really helped me -- you know, she would come home every night and talk about her business. She's involved in the corporate world. And that really influenced me. And that was really -- my mom was really the inspiration behind all this work. She was really, you know, the...

KAGAN: Very good. So you decide you want to be the CEO and you want some advice and you decide to write letter to the top CEOs?

BARRY: Well, yes. I asked my mom if I wrote letters to these men and women, would they write back? And both my parents said, why don't you give it a shot? So I did. And they wrote back to me, you know, fortunately. And I was able to publish the letters.

KAGAN: And what did you ask in the letters?

BARRY: Basically, I asked -- you know what does it take to be a leader? I'm a young man and I'm just starting out in the world and -- you know, I have such and such tools. What else do I need to know beyond books, beyond school work to become as successful as you have been?

KAGAN: The response you got is just amazing in terms of how many people took the time not just to write back but to write you some pretty long letters. These are some busy folks.

You put in the book, "Wisdom For A Young CEO," a couple of the favorite replies that you got. This is from the chairman of Eastman Kodak, George Fisher. "There's more to life than being a CEO, but go for your dreams, whatever they are." You liked that one?

BARRY: That was probably the most important -- one of the most important quotes to me. Raymond Gilmartin from American Companies said that. It was such a refreshing piece of advice because it really underscores the whole theme of passion in it, you have to love what you can do before you can continue on a path to success.

KAGAN: Can't just make it a job. Also you got a good response from Bob McKnight. He's a chairman of the board of Quicksilver, which surf fans will know that brand of clothing. He says, "My career just happened, I didn't premeditate this. I think it was just a natural instinct of being an entrepreneur."

Didn't he also tell you they just wanted to make some money and still keep surfing?

BARRY: Well, yes, that letter was so inspirational to me personally because I love to surf. I really -- you know, I admire that whole culture. A letter coming from Bob McKnight was so -- you know so great, because it really showed me you can do anything you love to do and be successful, as long as you pursue it, you know, to your full potential, you know, to your full self-worth.

KAGAN: A few more things you might need to do before you're a CEO like college and grad school. what are your immediate plans?

BARRY: Next year, I'm going to college. I'm going to Tulane University.

KAGAN: Tulane, the Green Wave. That's the mascot, when you get down there, just so you know. Tulane, well good luck with the book. Douglas Barry. It's called "Wisdom For A Young CEO." Soon to be a freshman at Tulane University. Thank you so much for that good luck with the book. Appreciate it.

BARRY: Thanks.

(MARKET UPDATE)

KAGAN: We'll take a break now. Check of weather just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER UPDATE)

KAGAN: That will do it for me. I'm Daryn Kagan. Wolf Blitzer takes over from Washington, D.C.

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