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CNN Live Today

New Flu Vaccine Available; U.S. Troops Delayed in Iraq for Holidays

Aired December 07, 2004 - 10:30   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.


RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Take a look at these pictures that we've been following overnight. 37 people hurt. This is a Chicago high-rise office building on fire last night. It started on the 29th floor, it spread to the 30th floor. Cause not known. There is an investigation under way. It took five hours to put it out, by the way. And officials say fire drills and the city's 911 system saved lives.
Tommy Thompson has promised -- speaking now -- about 5,000 additional doses of the flu vaccine. Here he is.

TOMMY THOMPSON, HHS SECRETARY: As all of you know from the first moments we learned about the loss of the Chiron vaccine, we've responded very swiftly to prioritize vaccine supplies, redirect distributions to people and places that need it most, and work to expand our stockpiles of vaccine and anti-viral medicines. Today I'm very happy and pleased to announce that we have access to an additional 1.2 million doses of vaccine.

The Food and Drug Administration, under the great leadership of Les Crawford, has authorized the use of GlaxoSmithKline's influenza vaccine, Fluarix, for use in the United States under an investigational new drug, or an IND application. The IND allows the investigational use of Fluarix and HHS is immediately purchasing 1.2 million doses that are available this month. We will have the vaccine available this month. We have a quarter of a million of the doses in hand, and the balance of the 1.2 will be coming this month.

GlaxoSmithKline has agreed to make up to 4 million doses available under this procedure. CDC will distribute the new doses to communities they deem to be most in need, based upon the criteria that we've already set out that all you have. They will present more details on distribution in the very near future.

These doses of the Fluarix vaccine are in addition to our existing supply of 61 million doses of influenza vaccine, which includes about 58 million doses of Aventis Pasteur injectible vaccine and 3 million doses of FluMist nasal spray.

Let me explain how the additional doses have become available. Over the past few months, FDA has performed an expensive review of GSX -- GSK's manufacturing processes and clinical information, including an inspection of the GSK manufacturing facility in Germany, where the plant manufactured this vaccine. And after this exhaustive review, they determined that this vaccine is suitable for use under an IND. IND is the status given by the FDA to products that have not yet received approval to be distributed within the United States.

In this situation, the IND mechanism is the best method for distribution, because there is not enough time for a complete review of a full licensing application. We are confident that the GSK vaccine is safe and effective for use under an IND. This vaccine has been licensed for use in more than 30 different countries. And under an IND, the patient has got to sign an informed consent form, acknowledging that they are aware of the potential adverse impacts and effects associated with this investigational vaccine. The sponsor of the IND in this case will be the manufacturing GSK.

It is required to monitor the use of the investigational product, maintain adequate records, control the supply of product and provide periodic reports to FDA regarding the safety and other issues. CDC will assist them with these activities. I am very pleased with this scenario. It will allow us to get more vaccine into the hands of those who need it most. And this is just another layer of protection to help our citizens perform for the upcoming season.

The Aventis Pasteur vaccine is still available and we will continue to ship more doses in the weeks to come. We still are shipping out several million doses of the Aventis vaccine on a weekly basis to the communities that need it most. In addition, we've already purchased and stockpiled anti-viral medicines to treat more than 7 million people and that's on top of the private sector supplies of anti-virals that already exist. All told, between existing supplies, private sector supplies and production capabilities, the FDA estimates there will be enough medicine to treat tens of millions of people through the heart of the flu season.

So let my reiterate that only the people who should be taking this vaccine are individuals from the high priority groups. I encourage seniors across America to continue to check with their local health officials about the availability of vaccine. Anyone having difficulty finding this vaccine can call the CDC hotline at 1-800-cdc- info.

The bottom line is, that this is more good news on the flu front. The vaccine shortage presented us with a challenge, but we have done everything in our power to overcome this challenge and I am pleased with how far and how much we've accomplished. And I want to thank the state health directors, because they have been very cooperative, and have worked very hard to develop a plan so those individuals in the vulnerable groups get the vaccine as soon as possible.

SANCHEZ: So there you have Secretary Thompson. Essentially, the message is pretty clear. Help is on the way. We had mentioned in the setup there was going to be something like 5,000 new doses. Obviously, I misstated, it's more like 5 million. Although the number is not real clear, is it?

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Well, we had seen earlier, wire copy said it was going to be about 5 million. Now if you do Tommy Thompson's math, it sounds more like 4 million. In any case, it sounds like a lot more flu vaccine is going to places that apparently could need it. Elizabeth Cohen, our medical correspondent, here to tell us more about that. He was talking about different types of vaccines. Does that matter if you're looking still to get some kind of inoculation?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: It does matter. There are two different types of vaccines. One is the old-fashioned kind that we're all familiar with, you just get your shot.

The other is a nasal vaccine. You heard Secretary Thompson talk about FluMist and how there's more FluMist and people can use FluMist. Well, it's important to remember, FluMist is not for people who are at high risk of complications for flu. You should not use FluMist if you're over, for example, 60 years of age. You should not use it if you're under 5 years of age. You should not use it if you have chronic illnesses. So the spray cannot be used for the people who need the vaccine the most. So that's an important thing to remember.

But we were just talking about numbers. There were so many numbers. I'm just going to give two numbers, the two numbers you need to remember. The first number is -- what they expected, what they hoped to have this flu season, was 100 million shots. What they're going to have with the 4 million that Secretary Thompson just mentioned, is 62 million. So for this flu season, from what he told us, it looks like we've gone from expecting 100 million shots to having 62 million. So it's good to have those 4 million, but it's still a shortfall.

SANCHEZ: It's kind of a layman's question, but I'm wondering -- because they're rushing to get all this new medication, are we sure that this medication is going to be A, as effective, and B, safe? Where's this coming from?

COHEN: Right. Secretary Thompson says that it is. It's coming from a plant in Germany. And what the Department of Health and Human Services and the Food and Drug Administration has done is they went to this factory in Germany, they checked it out, they checked to see that the manufacturing process was OK, that they had done everything they were supposed to do and that it was, indeed, safe and effective.

Now, the reason why we're in this mess in the first place is because when they went to the plant in England, where some vaccine was being made, it wasn't up to snuff. And so they had to say we can't use your doses of the flu shot. And also, the secretary noted that these shots have been licensed to be used in 30 countries. So that's important to remember. I mean, there are real people who have been getting these shots this flu season.

KAGAN: Right. I bet there's some people wondering, you know, the plant in England didn't work out, now you're going to Germany, to that other country. Why not making this right here in the U.S.?

COHEN: There is a huge economic problem with making flu shots and here's what it is. You know, companies make flu shots, they make money off of flu shots, they sell these shots to the government and they sell these shots to municipalities. Well, many years, people just don't want them. People aren't lining up for flu shots. And so these companies find themselves wasting lots and lots of money. So the next year they say well maybe we don't want to make as much. So that's a real -- the problem with flu shots, in many ways, is an economic problem. The demand for flu shots isn't really known year to year. It's not like a childhood polio vaccine. Pretty much every kid gets that. Flu shots are optional.

SANCHEZ: Let's merge two stories now. The one you brought us yesterday about the quote "pandemic," which some people are still wondering what that is, by the way, maybe you can give us a quick explanation of that. And how this information today comes into play with possibly averting that. Whatever it is.

COHEN: Right. A pandemic is basically just a huge outbreak of a certain disease. The reason why I'm not giving a number -- you can see it here, is that it's occurring over a very wide area, several countries or continents, and affecting a large proportion. It's not as if an epidemic ends at a certain number and a pandemic begins at a certain number. It has to do with the geographic region and just an unusually large number of cases.

And also, there's a third component, that the virus is genetically so different from flu viruses of the past, that people's immune systems don't recognize it. They don't know what to do with it. So every so often, usually 20 to 30 years, there's a flu virus that just is genetically so unusual that people's immune systems just can't deal with it. That's what a pandemic is.

Here are some pandemics: in 1918, the Spanish flu killed half a million Americans; 1957, the Asian flu killed 70,000; in the Hong Kong flu in 1968, killed 34,000 Americans. Now you'll notice those numbers get smaller and smaller each time. One reason is that health care has gotten better along the years.

And that's a really important thing to remember, that while the WHO, the World Health Organization, says a pandemic is on the way, it's important to remember we have better health care than we used to, so even if there were a pandemic we have things like anti-virals, for example, which we didn't have before. Those are some drugs that you can take once you get the flu. Didn't have those before.

KAGAN: All right, Elizabeth Cohen, thank you for clarifying some of those points.

SANCHEZ: This is a related note we wanted to share with you. We're going to continue, right here on CNN, something we call "Security Watch," in an effort to try and make sure you are safe from all types of possible dangers. Now, tonight in prime time, we're going to take a closer look at the flu vaccine shortage and what's being done about it.

Also, what is the Avian flu? I'm sure you've been hearing an awful lot about it. The nation's secretary of health and human services says tens of millions of people could die as a result of this thing. That's worldwide, by the way. And this pandemic you were just hearing Elizabeth refer to. Tonight on CNN's "Security Watch," beginning, once again, at 7:00 Eastern. We invite you to watch.

KAGAN: Some people may be adjusting their alarm clocks after they hear this story. Still to come, nevermind the calories, those extra pounds might be linked to the sleep you get or don't get at night.

SANCHEZ: Get up! Get up!

KAGAN: That guy sleeping on the couch.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Welcome back, everyone. Rick Sanchez here with the Daryn Kagan.

KAGAN: Not a lot of girls named Daryn running around out there. I guarantee you that.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

SANCHEZ: My kids are -- let me wait for the animation. Hold on. Nice animation, huh? Now say it. My kids would say, Dad, this is kind of a duh. But listen to this, you might find it interesting. Sometimes the obvious helps. Two new studies suggest that you'll be able to lose weight by just adding Zs. That's right.

Researchers studied two hormones linked to appetite and eating behavior. Here's what they found. People who only slept for four hours a night felt a need for more food. That's where the duh comes in, you're tired. When given a choice, the sleep deprived subjects tended to eat sweet and starchy foods, as well. Well, that makes sense, because you're hungry, you want energy. So what do you go for? The sugar.

KAGAN: Yes, works for me.

We have a lot more news ahead. Thousands of U.S. troops had high hopes of being home for the holidays. That will not be happening, however. Still to come, how are they holding up? We're going to talk to one army chaplain.

SANCHEZ: This is what we're working on for you, as well, for the next hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: It was an attack on U.S. shores that brought America into another war. 63 years ago today, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. The surprise attack lasted two hours, damaged or destroyed 21 ships and 320 aircraft and killed 2,390 people. With the passing of time, the number of Pearl Harbor survivors has dwindled. Some survivors will attend anniversary ceremonies today.

SANCHEZ: Here's something we're going to be following for you today, as well. President Bush is en route to a U.S. marine base whose units have suffered some heavy casualties in Iraq. The president left Andrews Air Force Base this morning for Camp Pendleton, California. Mr. Bush wants to thank the troops while he's there and their families for their sacrifices. More than 200 troops from units based in Camp Pendleton have died in Iraq, including seven the last three weeks alone. And yes, we here at CNN will have live coverage of the President's speech this afternoon at 12:35 Eastern.

KAGAN: Some Cub Scouts in Houston are helping U.S. troops in Iraq celebrate Hanukkah. Tonight will be the first night of Hanukkah. The scouts put together and sent care packages with Hanukkah candles, menorahs and dreidles. Jewish soldiers make up about one percent of the U.S. force. Hanukkah, as I mentioned, begins at sundown today.

SANCHEZ: There's going to be some unhappy holidays for some U.S. troops in Iraq because the Pentagon has recently extended the tours of duty for more than 10,000 troops at least through the end of January. To help explain what the military does and try to keep spirits up through the holidays, we now turn to, well, somebody who does this often on a daily basis when he's there.

Army Chaplain, Major Scott Sterling. Chaplain, thanks so much for being with us, sir.

MAJOR SCOTT STERLING, U.S. ARMY CHAPLAIN: It's my pleasure. Glad to be here.

SANCHEZ: Well, what do you say to these young soldiers when they come to you and they say, you know, it's not like I'm against what I'm doing, but I signed up to be here a year and now they're telling me I've got to stay another two months, I miss my wife, I'm not seeing my kids grow up and frankly, I'm angry about this. What do you say to them?

STERLING: It's a real challenge. Chaplains are experiencing many of the same kinds of feelings and emotions as the soldiers are. We try to encourage them, in this time when they're disappointed and they're facing a longer tour than they had anticipated, that we're all in this together. That at one point the mission is going to end, we're all going to be going back home, and as long as we can stay sort of like a family together and continue on with the mission together, then we're going to be okay. And you try not to give pat answers. We try to actually let the soldiers experience what they're feeling.

SANCHEZ: In fact, much of what you do is just that, right? Counseling.

STERLING: Exactly.

SANCHEZ: It's an opportunity to let them kind of find themselves in their own words, I suppose.

STERLING: Exactly. And they're growing spiritually. This is a very significant time for most soldiers on a spiritual level. They're faced with their own mortality, the mortality of their friends. And we try to help them to explore that part of who they are.

SANCHEZ: You know, we don't usually talk an awful lot about morale because we're in the business of doing news. We don't read people's minds. But you have a unique position. You really do get to get into these guy's minds. Have you seen a shift in morale overall because of this issue that we just spoke about or the increasing insurgency? How would you measure it? What would you share with us so we could perhaps get a better understanding of what it is?

STERLING: Well, morale goes up and down. It's almost like a roller coaster ride. When I was in Iraq for eight months last year from the start of the war until just before Thanksgiving, we were going through some of the same issues of extended tours and staying longer than we had anticipated.

When you first hear the news, morale plummets. But after a while you realize we're here to do a job, this is what we joined the military for. And in the case of the chaplains, this is what God has called us to do. And we're going to do the best we can. And just realize that morale goes up and down, but we're there for each other and, of course, God is there with us, as well.

SANCHEZ: And we're out of time, but I'd be remissed if I didn't mention that you happen to be a Baptist, but you work with guys and gals who are -- who are Jewish, who are Muslim, just about every faith, right?

STERLING: Yes, we enjoy that. The whole aspect of pluralism is what we really emphasize here in the chaplain school and throughout the chaplain corps. And we enjoy getting to know people from every possible religious background, faith background. It's a great time.

SANCHEZ: And we appreciate and thank you, sir, for the job that you do for us.

STERLING: Well, it's my pleasure. Thank you for having me on.

SANCHEZ: Our pleasure -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Talking about baseball. Major League Baseball taking major league hits over steroid use. Will it respond to calls for reform? We're going live to Arizona. The players union is meeting there today.

SANCHEZ: And then, will Usher get the big yay at the Grammy nominations? Find out why. The second hour of CNN LIVE TODAY begins right after a quick break.

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 December 7, 2004 - 10:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Take a look at these pictures that we've been following overnight. 37 people hurt. This is a Chicago high-rise office building on fire last night. It started on the 29th floor, it spread to the 30th floor. Cause not known. There is an investigation under way. It took five hours to put it out, by the way. And officials say fire drills and the city's 911 system saved lives.
Tommy Thompson has promised -- speaking now -- about 5,000 additional doses of the flu vaccine. Here he is.

TOMMY THOMPSON, HHS SECRETARY: As all of you know from the first moments we learned about the loss of the Chiron vaccine, we've responded very swiftly to prioritize vaccine supplies, redirect distributions to people and places that need it most, and work to expand our stockpiles of vaccine and anti-viral medicines. Today I'm very happy and pleased to announce that we have access to an additional 1.2 million doses of vaccine.

The Food and Drug Administration, under the great leadership of Les Crawford, has authorized the use of GlaxoSmithKline's influenza vaccine, Fluarix, for use in the United States under an investigational new drug, or an IND application. The IND allows the investigational use of Fluarix and HHS is immediately purchasing 1.2 million doses that are available this month. We will have the vaccine available this month. We have a quarter of a million of the doses in hand, and the balance of the 1.2 will be coming this month.

GlaxoSmithKline has agreed to make up to 4 million doses available under this procedure. CDC will distribute the new doses to communities they deem to be most in need, based upon the criteria that we've already set out that all you have. They will present more details on distribution in the very near future.

These doses of the Fluarix vaccine are in addition to our existing supply of 61 million doses of influenza vaccine, which includes about 58 million doses of Aventis Pasteur injectible vaccine and 3 million doses of FluMist nasal spray.

Let me explain how the additional doses have become available. Over the past few months, FDA has performed an expensive review of GSX -- GSK's manufacturing processes and clinical information, including an inspection of the GSK manufacturing facility in Germany, where the plant manufactured this vaccine. And after this exhaustive review, they determined that this vaccine is suitable for use under an IND. IND is the status given by the FDA to products that have not yet received approval to be distributed within the United States.

In this situation, the IND mechanism is the best method for distribution, because there is not enough time for a complete review of a full licensing application. We are confident that the GSK vaccine is safe and effective for use under an IND. This vaccine has been licensed for use in more than 30 different countries. And under an IND, the patient has got to sign an informed consent form, acknowledging that they are aware of the potential adverse impacts and effects associated with this investigational vaccine. The sponsor of the IND in this case will be the manufacturing GSK.

It is required to monitor the use of the investigational product, maintain adequate records, control the supply of product and provide periodic reports to FDA regarding the safety and other issues. CDC will assist them with these activities. I am very pleased with this scenario. It will allow us to get more vaccine into the hands of those who need it most. And this is just another layer of protection to help our citizens perform for the upcoming season.

The Aventis Pasteur vaccine is still available and we will continue to ship more doses in the weeks to come. We still are shipping out several million doses of the Aventis vaccine on a weekly basis to the communities that need it most. In addition, we've already purchased and stockpiled anti-viral medicines to treat more than 7 million people and that's on top of the private sector supplies of anti-virals that already exist. All told, between existing supplies, private sector supplies and production capabilities, the FDA estimates there will be enough medicine to treat tens of millions of people through the heart of the flu season.

So let my reiterate that only the people who should be taking this vaccine are individuals from the high priority groups. I encourage seniors across America to continue to check with their local health officials about the availability of vaccine. Anyone having difficulty finding this vaccine can call the CDC hotline at 1-800-cdc- info.

The bottom line is, that this is more good news on the flu front. The vaccine shortage presented us with a challenge, but we have done everything in our power to overcome this challenge and I am pleased with how far and how much we've accomplished. And I want to thank the state health directors, because they have been very cooperative, and have worked very hard to develop a plan so those individuals in the vulnerable groups get the vaccine as soon as possible.

SANCHEZ: So there you have Secretary Thompson. Essentially, the message is pretty clear. Help is on the way. We had mentioned in the setup there was going to be something like 5,000 new doses. Obviously, I misstated, it's more like 5 million. Although the number is not real clear, is it?

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Well, we had seen earlier, wire copy said it was going to be about 5 million. Now if you do Tommy Thompson's math, it sounds more like 4 million. In any case, it sounds like a lot more flu vaccine is going to places that apparently could need it. Elizabeth Cohen, our medical correspondent, here to tell us more about that. He was talking about different types of vaccines. Does that matter if you're looking still to get some kind of inoculation?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: It does matter. There are two different types of vaccines. One is the old-fashioned kind that we're all familiar with, you just get your shot.

The other is a nasal vaccine. You heard Secretary Thompson talk about FluMist and how there's more FluMist and people can use FluMist. Well, it's important to remember, FluMist is not for people who are at high risk of complications for flu. You should not use FluMist if you're over, for example, 60 years of age. You should not use it if you're under 5 years of age. You should not use it if you have chronic illnesses. So the spray cannot be used for the people who need the vaccine the most. So that's an important thing to remember.

But we were just talking about numbers. There were so many numbers. I'm just going to give two numbers, the two numbers you need to remember. The first number is -- what they expected, what they hoped to have this flu season, was 100 million shots. What they're going to have with the 4 million that Secretary Thompson just mentioned, is 62 million. So for this flu season, from what he told us, it looks like we've gone from expecting 100 million shots to having 62 million. So it's good to have those 4 million, but it's still a shortfall.

SANCHEZ: It's kind of a layman's question, but I'm wondering -- because they're rushing to get all this new medication, are we sure that this medication is going to be A, as effective, and B, safe? Where's this coming from?

COHEN: Right. Secretary Thompson says that it is. It's coming from a plant in Germany. And what the Department of Health and Human Services and the Food and Drug Administration has done is they went to this factory in Germany, they checked it out, they checked to see that the manufacturing process was OK, that they had done everything they were supposed to do and that it was, indeed, safe and effective.

Now, the reason why we're in this mess in the first place is because when they went to the plant in England, where some vaccine was being made, it wasn't up to snuff. And so they had to say we can't use your doses of the flu shot. And also, the secretary noted that these shots have been licensed to be used in 30 countries. So that's important to remember. I mean, there are real people who have been getting these shots this flu season.

KAGAN: Right. I bet there's some people wondering, you know, the plant in England didn't work out, now you're going to Germany, to that other country. Why not making this right here in the U.S.?

COHEN: There is a huge economic problem with making flu shots and here's what it is. You know, companies make flu shots, they make money off of flu shots, they sell these shots to the government and they sell these shots to municipalities. Well, many years, people just don't want them. People aren't lining up for flu shots. And so these companies find themselves wasting lots and lots of money. So the next year they say well maybe we don't want to make as much. So that's a real -- the problem with flu shots, in many ways, is an economic problem. The demand for flu shots isn't really known year to year. It's not like a childhood polio vaccine. Pretty much every kid gets that. Flu shots are optional.

SANCHEZ: Let's merge two stories now. The one you brought us yesterday about the quote "pandemic," which some people are still wondering what that is, by the way, maybe you can give us a quick explanation of that. And how this information today comes into play with possibly averting that. Whatever it is.

COHEN: Right. A pandemic is basically just a huge outbreak of a certain disease. The reason why I'm not giving a number -- you can see it here, is that it's occurring over a very wide area, several countries or continents, and affecting a large proportion. It's not as if an epidemic ends at a certain number and a pandemic begins at a certain number. It has to do with the geographic region and just an unusually large number of cases.

And also, there's a third component, that the virus is genetically so different from flu viruses of the past, that people's immune systems don't recognize it. They don't know what to do with it. So every so often, usually 20 to 30 years, there's a flu virus that just is genetically so unusual that people's immune systems just can't deal with it. That's what a pandemic is.

Here are some pandemics: in 1918, the Spanish flu killed half a million Americans; 1957, the Asian flu killed 70,000; in the Hong Kong flu in 1968, killed 34,000 Americans. Now you'll notice those numbers get smaller and smaller each time. One reason is that health care has gotten better along the years.

And that's a really important thing to remember, that while the WHO, the World Health Organization, says a pandemic is on the way, it's important to remember we have better health care than we used to, so even if there were a pandemic we have things like anti-virals, for example, which we didn't have before. Those are some drugs that you can take once you get the flu. Didn't have those before.

KAGAN: All right, Elizabeth Cohen, thank you for clarifying some of those points.

SANCHEZ: This is a related note we wanted to share with you. We're going to continue, right here on CNN, something we call "Security Watch," in an effort to try and make sure you are safe from all types of possible dangers. Now, tonight in prime time, we're going to take a closer look at the flu vaccine shortage and what's being done about it.

Also, what is the Avian flu? I'm sure you've been hearing an awful lot about it. The nation's secretary of health and human services says tens of millions of people could die as a result of this thing. That's worldwide, by the way. And this pandemic you were just hearing Elizabeth refer to. Tonight on CNN's "Security Watch," beginning, once again, at 7:00 Eastern. We invite you to watch.

KAGAN: Some people may be adjusting their alarm clocks after they hear this story. Still to come, nevermind the calories, those extra pounds might be linked to the sleep you get or don't get at night.

SANCHEZ: Get up! Get up!

KAGAN: That guy sleeping on the couch.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Welcome back, everyone. Rick Sanchez here with the Daryn Kagan.

KAGAN: Not a lot of girls named Daryn running around out there. I guarantee you that.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

SANCHEZ: My kids are -- let me wait for the animation. Hold on. Nice animation, huh? Now say it. My kids would say, Dad, this is kind of a duh. But listen to this, you might find it interesting. Sometimes the obvious helps. Two new studies suggest that you'll be able to lose weight by just adding Zs. That's right.

Researchers studied two hormones linked to appetite and eating behavior. Here's what they found. People who only slept for four hours a night felt a need for more food. That's where the duh comes in, you're tired. When given a choice, the sleep deprived subjects tended to eat sweet and starchy foods, as well. Well, that makes sense, because you're hungry, you want energy. So what do you go for? The sugar.

KAGAN: Yes, works for me.

We have a lot more news ahead. Thousands of U.S. troops had high hopes of being home for the holidays. That will not be happening, however. Still to come, how are they holding up? We're going to talk to one army chaplain.

SANCHEZ: This is what we're working on for you, as well, for the next hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: It was an attack on U.S. shores that brought America into another war. 63 years ago today, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. The surprise attack lasted two hours, damaged or destroyed 21 ships and 320 aircraft and killed 2,390 people. With the passing of time, the number of Pearl Harbor survivors has dwindled. Some survivors will attend anniversary ceremonies today.

SANCHEZ: Here's something we're going to be following for you today, as well. President Bush is en route to a U.S. marine base whose units have suffered some heavy casualties in Iraq. The president left Andrews Air Force Base this morning for Camp Pendleton, California. Mr. Bush wants to thank the troops while he's there and their families for their sacrifices. More than 200 troops from units based in Camp Pendleton have died in Iraq, including seven the last three weeks alone. And yes, we here at CNN will have live coverage of the President's speech this afternoon at 12:35 Eastern.

KAGAN: Some Cub Scouts in Houston are helping U.S. troops in Iraq celebrate Hanukkah. Tonight will be the first night of Hanukkah. The scouts put together and sent care packages with Hanukkah candles, menorahs and dreidles. Jewish soldiers make up about one percent of the U.S. force. Hanukkah, as I mentioned, begins at sundown today.

SANCHEZ: There's going to be some unhappy holidays for some U.S. troops in Iraq because the Pentagon has recently extended the tours of duty for more than 10,000 troops at least through the end of January. To help explain what the military does and try to keep spirits up through the holidays, we now turn to, well, somebody who does this often on a daily basis when he's there.

Army Chaplain, Major Scott Sterling. Chaplain, thanks so much for being with us, sir.

MAJOR SCOTT STERLING, U.S. ARMY CHAPLAIN: It's my pleasure. Glad to be here.

SANCHEZ: Well, what do you say to these young soldiers when they come to you and they say, you know, it's not like I'm against what I'm doing, but I signed up to be here a year and now they're telling me I've got to stay another two months, I miss my wife, I'm not seeing my kids grow up and frankly, I'm angry about this. What do you say to them?

STERLING: It's a real challenge. Chaplains are experiencing many of the same kinds of feelings and emotions as the soldiers are. We try to encourage them, in this time when they're disappointed and they're facing a longer tour than they had anticipated, that we're all in this together. That at one point the mission is going to end, we're all going to be going back home, and as long as we can stay sort of like a family together and continue on with the mission together, then we're going to be okay. And you try not to give pat answers. We try to actually let the soldiers experience what they're feeling.

SANCHEZ: In fact, much of what you do is just that, right? Counseling.

STERLING: Exactly.

SANCHEZ: It's an opportunity to let them kind of find themselves in their own words, I suppose.

STERLING: Exactly. And they're growing spiritually. This is a very significant time for most soldiers on a spiritual level. They're faced with their own mortality, the mortality of their friends. And we try to help them to explore that part of who they are.

SANCHEZ: You know, we don't usually talk an awful lot about morale because we're in the business of doing news. We don't read people's minds. But you have a unique position. You really do get to get into these guy's minds. Have you seen a shift in morale overall because of this issue that we just spoke about or the increasing insurgency? How would you measure it? What would you share with us so we could perhaps get a better understanding of what it is?

STERLING: Well, morale goes up and down. It's almost like a roller coaster ride. When I was in Iraq for eight months last year from the start of the war until just before Thanksgiving, we were going through some of the same issues of extended tours and staying longer than we had anticipated.

When you first hear the news, morale plummets. But after a while you realize we're here to do a job, this is what we joined the military for. And in the case of the chaplains, this is what God has called us to do. And we're going to do the best we can. And just realize that morale goes up and down, but we're there for each other and, of course, God is there with us, as well.

SANCHEZ: And we're out of time, but I'd be remissed if I didn't mention that you happen to be a Baptist, but you work with guys and gals who are -- who are Jewish, who are Muslim, just about every faith, right?

STERLING: Yes, we enjoy that. The whole aspect of pluralism is what we really emphasize here in the chaplain school and throughout the chaplain corps. And we enjoy getting to know people from every possible religious background, faith background. It's a great time.

SANCHEZ: And we appreciate and thank you, sir, for the job that you do for us.

STERLING: Well, it's my pleasure. Thank you for having me on.

SANCHEZ: Our pleasure -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Talking about baseball. Major League Baseball taking major league hits over steroid use. Will it respond to calls for reform? We're going live to Arizona. The players union is meeting there today.

SANCHEZ: And then, will Usher get the big yay at the Grammy nominations? Find out why. The second hour of CNN LIVE TODAY begins right after a quick break.

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