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La Conchita Mourns; Mevacor Might Go Over-the-Counter

Aired January 13, 2005 - 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.


RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: We are halfway through the hour, exactly at the 30 minute point. I'm Rick Sanchez. Why you looking at me like that?
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: You're just funny sometimes.

I'm Daryn Kagan. Let's take a look at what's happening "Now in the News."

A federal court in Atlanta ruled this hour on evolution in the schools. A judge ruled that a school district in Metro Atlanta, Cobb County, to be specific, cannot place stickers in science textbooks that say, "Evolution is a theory and not a fact." The judge says the stickers convey the message that the school board agrees with the beliefs of Christian fundamentalists and creationists and that, he says, violates the constitution's establishment cause.

A Marine Corps jet crashed today off the coast of Indonesia. The pilot ejected and was picked up by a rescue helicopter. The jet was based aboard the USS Richard, which is helping with tsunami relief.

Vice President Dick Cheney is promoting President Bush's plan to overhaul Social Security. He's going to speak this afternoon at Catholic University in Washington. The president wants workers to have the option to divert some Social Security tax dollars to private investments.

And Major League baseball is expected to announce a new tougher steroid policy today. A positive test would mean a suspension up to ten days. A fourth incident could mean a year away from the game. You'll see that announcement live on CNN at 2:30 Eastern during LIVE FROM. Keeping you informed, CNN is the most trusted name in news.

SANCHEZ: Now let's take you back out to California, where residents of La Conchita are vowing to rebuild some, following the massive mudslide that left ten people dead. But after two mudslides in ten years, others are saying, really, enough is enough.

CNN's Ted Rowlands talked to people drawn to the town's natural beauty, but now wary about the risk of another natural disaster.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN FRANCO, LA CONCHITA RESIDENT: It came right to here, man. I tell you we run out this way and there was a wall right there.

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The mudslide came knocking at John Franco's front door. His family and his home are OK, but many of his neighbors are now dead or injured.

FRANCO: One more up that's where Charlie Womack (ph) lived and, you know, where the family, children and Charlie and numerous other people. And then one more up was John, who they found deceased.

ROWLANDS: John bought the house five years after a slide here in 1995, which destroyed several homes, and he says he knew he was taking a risk.

FRANCO: It's always on the back of our mind, just never thought it would happen.

ROWLANDS: With a wife and three children, John thought hard about buying the house. After the slide of '95, banks were reluctant to grant mortgages and many of his neighbors had to buy their homes with cash. But John did get a mortgage. A geologist report characterized the risk of a slide damage as low. So, unable to resist the lure of La Conchita's shoreline beauty, John and his family moved in.

Don Ski went back to his house, that's also intact, to get some personal belongings. He says he, too, was well aware of the possible danger.

DON SKI, LA CONCHITA RESIDENT: Yes, but I didn't realize it, you know, and nobody does, you know, no one thinks it's going to happen, you know, to you, you know and it did. What can I say? You know, I don't know. I don't know.

ROWLANDS: While it's hard for some to fathom living in a place that faces a high risk of natural disaster, the fact is a lot of people are willing to risk it.

BOB ROPER, FIRE CHIEF, VENTURA COUNTY, CA: We have oceans that cause wave issues on homes, earthquake faults, rivers and the mountains. That's part of the beauty of the state of California and I don't believe that there's a way really to prevent people from evoking their private property rights and living where they want to.

FRANCO: Oh, the memories, the memories here.

ROWLANDS: John and his wife Jerri (ph) were given a half an hour to get some things out of their home. They don't know when they'll be able to come back. John says unless the hillside is somehow fortified he'll never have his family live here again.

FRANCO: Not after what I saw of the devastation, loss of life. There's lots of tears, lots of memories.

ROWLANDS: Ted Rowlands, CNN, La Conchita, California.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger visited the area yesterday. He promises to help residents of La Conchita who do want to rebuild. Some, though, are questioning whether the town should be condemned because of danger from mudslides.

Steve Bennett is the Ventura County supervisor who represents the area. He's joining me now from La Conchita. Mr. Bennett, good morning, thanks for being here with us.

STEVE BENNETT, VENTURA COUNTY SUPERVISOR: Good morning.

KAGAN: I'm sure you heard about the governor's comments from yesterday, if people want to go in, they should be able to. What's your opinion about that?

BENNETT: Well, Ventura County ultimately is responsible to make the decisions about when it is safe to go in and when it's not safe to go in. We certainly have some great experts here that are going to be able to give us that advice. At this point in time, outside of the short time that people are allowed to go back into their homes to get their possessions, our experts are saying it's not safe at this point in time for people to be able go back into their homes.

KAGAN: What about long term, though? I used to live up the road there in Santa Barbara. It is a beautiful area, La Conchita, as you drive up from L.A., right there on the coast, with the mountains in the background. You can see why people would fall in love with this tiny little place and yet, long-term, this is the second major mudslide in ten years. Is it a good idea to have a community at the base of those hills?

BENNETT: Well, it certainly, at a minimum, you can say it's risky to live at the base of hills like this all along the coast of California. But we now have had two slides. And they've been different kinds of slides. Ten years ago in 1995, it was a slide that gave a lot of advanced warning. It was more of a slump, and people knew it was coming. There was no loss of life. There was lots of opportunities for warnings.

This one, there was no notice, no preparation in advance. It was a major, catastrophic slide all the way from the top of the bluff, all at once, in about ten seconds it all came down. So now we're going to have to have the geologists do a different kind of analysis. I think the first slide, to some extent, could put people to sleep thinking well, yes, you could live there, but you would still get the warning. Now we're going to have to have the experts come and give us a whole other analysis before we would be able to make a determination and be able to do a risk assessment about what is the risk of living here underneath this particular area.

Once that determination is made, then there's the whole next level of questions and that is, legally, what are the private property rights of the people that live there? What should be the taxpayers' responsibilities and what should be the private citizen's responsibilities for the risk of living underneath this? Until we get the first assessment, in terms of geological assessment, it's going to be difficult to get into the other legal and policy questions that we're going to have in front of us.

KAGAN: Understandably. We've been, the last couple of days, focusing on La Conchita, along there on the coast. Those who know Ventura County knows that is goes well inland as well. Other parts of your county have been affected by bad weather, including the community of Piru. They were cut off with Highway 126 with those mudslides. What's the latest for the people in that community, sir?

BENNETT: Well, that we got very fortunate. We were anticipating the dam really spilling over and having a lot more damage happen to the community. Quite frankly, we were in complete heavy focus mode on Piru at the time that La Conchita slid because there was no indication we were going to have the slide here. So as a result of that, we were able to get a nurse and a doctor into that community while it was cut off. And the dam did not overflow like they thought it was going to. So the community's in much better shape than I think we all anticipated last Monday.

KAGAN: The governor also declaring a state of emergency. Is that going to help your county get back up and running with all the weather challenges?

BENNETT: Well, it's absolutely essential for us to have both a state and federal state of emergency declared because you can see here, we had 600 rescue people here yesterday. That's all of the various agencies involved. It's very expensive.

There is no way the county of Ventura can handle these kinds of clean-up costs without the help of the federal government and the state government. So yes, that declaration of emergency was absolutely essential and we really appreciate Governor Schwarzenegger coming here. And we made the request yesterday morning and he promptly agreed to it.

KAGAN: Well, our best to the people of La Conchita and all the people in your district and Ventura County. It is a beautiful county, indeed. County Supervisor Steve Bennett, thank you so much for your time.

BENNETT: Thank you.

KAGAN: You might be asking yourself what is up with all the weather extremes across the country? We invite you to stay with CNN for a replay of "Extreme Weather." That's a special edition of "NEWSNIGHT" with Aaron Brown, airing this afternoon between one -- actually, beginning at one Eastern.

SANCHEZ: Speaking of extreme weather, we have some breaking news coming into us right now. It involves some video that we received just a little while ago. These are pictures from Arkansas. Take a look at this. It's in Union County, Arkansas. What certainly appears to be and is being described by residents there as a tornado touchdown.

We're told two people have been killed in the wake of these storms, an elderly man and a woman. Interestingly enough, they were in separate parts of the county. They were killed, according to officials there, last night. We're seeing trailers overturned. You see this one on the roof of a building. Twenty people in all have been injured. It's a 20-mile swathe of destruction, as it's being described to us. It's cut across this part of Union County, Arkansas.

Once again, as we follow the story and get more information, we will share it with you.

KAGAN: That we will. As well as we'll do that with health news. We have serious news for anyone worried about your cholesterol. What the FDA is doing today. It could allow for one drug to be sold over- the-counter. That's coming up in our "Daily Dose."

SANCHEZ: Also, in the wake of the tsunamis, should there be a standard policy for international adoptions? What one senator is doing about it when CNN LIVE returns.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: President Bush taking a field trip of sorts today, going over to the Pentagon to get an update on some key issues, including the war on terror. Also aid relief, military aid relief to the tsunami victims across South Asia. He met with Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. Also Vice President Dick Cheney came along as well.

Also as the tape begins to roll, let's listen to the president.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Mr. Secretary, thank you very much for the briefing that we just had.

The secretary arranged for a briefing from Admiral Fargo and our commanders on the ground who are providing organization in handling the relief effort for the victims of the tsunamis.

I got to tell you: Our military is making a significant difference in providing relief and aid and help and compassion for those who have suffered.

I am very impressed, Mr. Secretary, about how quickly we have responded and the assets that you have ordered deployed to help these people.

And, you know, there's a lot of talk about how some in the world don't appreciate America. Well, I can assure you that those who have been helped by our military appreciate America.

We also talked about the war on terror.

We're constantly reviewing our strategy as to how to defeat the enemy. We fully recognize that the war on terror will require a coordinated effort within our own government, as well as a coordinated effort with the countries around the world which understand the stakes of this war.

I am pleased with the response from around the world. I appreciate so many nations understanding that we must work together to defeat these killers. I am mindful of the fact that we have constantly got to review our plans and never lose our will. So, Mr. Secretary, thanks for the briefing. It was a very good briefing and you're doing a fine job on behalf of the American people.

Thank you all.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: A few brief comments from President Bush has he goes up to the Pentagon to be briefed by Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. As you saw, the vice president, Dick Cheney, also by his side. The president talking about the update on the war on terror. Also the military tsunami relief taking place across South Asia.

Suzanne Malveaux standing by at the White House.

Suzanne, not a lot of news out of the president's comments, but I think it's kind of interesting to see the president go to the Pentagon, rather than the Pentagon come to the White House to give that kind of a briefing. Was this more than a photo-op?

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Daryn, every once in a while, the president will visit the Pentagon to thank the troops personally. The last time he was there was back in May.

What's interesting to know what he said, was the fact that he recognized some people did not appreciate America. He's referring to pockets of the Middle East, as well as Europe. He really certainly hopes that not only this humanitarian effort, this robust military effort in Asia, will help those on the ground, but certainly improve with U.S. relations with Indonesia many of those other critics that he has cited, and that is really important, because he's looking for support, as he acknowledged, in the war, the broader war, the war on terror -- Daryn.

KAGAN: And the president, when there was early criticism that the United States wasn't giving enough cash -- what started as $35 million, ultimately going up to $350 million. But even in that process, the president pointing out that a big part of the assistance that the United States was giving was the military aid. And of course, that would be a key part of what he was briefed on at the Pentagon today.

MALVEAUX: And that is something, of course, Daryn, as you know, isn't included in that $350 million figure. You know the United States was criticized quite a bit in the beginning, many who said they believed that it was a slow response to the tsunami crisis, a paltry contribution. The U.S. certainly hopes -- and they believe that they've largely erased that perception around the world.

But already, there are some indications in Indonesia that they are quite nervous, that government there, to see U.S. troops on the ground. They are now asking for escorts for some of those representatives of the United States, the United Nations. That really is going to be a limited window of opportunity that the U.S. is going to be able to contribute, and perhaps that will, as well, contribute to the goodwill that the president certainly hopes those victims are feeling.

KAGAN: Suzanne Malveaux at the White House. Suzanne, thank you.

SANCHEZ: If you take a cholesterol-lowering drug, then you probably need to stick around for our "Daily Dose." It's coming up in just a minute. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: And now for our "Daily Dose" of health news. The FDA panel is considering whether a cholesterol-lowering drug should be sold over-the-counter. The makers of Mevacor want permission to sell a low-dose version of the drug without a prescription. A cardiologist at the Cleveland Clinic tells AMERICAN MORNING that he has concerns about selling the drug over-the-counter.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. STEVEN NISSEN, CARDIOLOGIST, CLEVELAND CLINIC: All medications have risks. There are drug-drug interactions, so that if you take the common antibiotic, Arithramicin (ph), with Mevacor, it raises blood levels and it could induce toxicity, which can be muscle breakdown, or liver enzymes can go up.

You know, we need not take medications unless they're appropriate, and I think every medication has the potential for serious side effects, including the statin drugs. They are very, very safe, but you don't want to be taking a medication if you don't need it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: The FDA panel is meeting today and tomorrow to consider the request for over-the-counter sales.

And for your daily dose of health news online, logon to our Web site. You'll find the latest medical stories, special reports and a health library. The address is CNN.com/health.

SANCHEZ: Those heart-breaking pictures of children orphaned by the Asian tsunami has a lot of Americans considering whether they possibly could adopt one of those children. But in reality, it's not possible right now, because of the maze of bureaucratic regulations, both in the United States and in the countries where the children are means it will be years in some cases before the orphans can find a family.

So now there's a move afoot on Capitol Hill to try and change some of those procedures to make it quicker.

Here's congressional correspondent Joe Johns.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the up and down world of international adoptions, 17-month-old Mali is a success story.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Where's Mali? There she is!

JOHNS: With loving parents and a nice home in Virginia, she's one of 72 children from Thailand adopted in the U.S. last year. But after the tsunami struck, the same patchwork system that brought her here is putting on the brakes.

Agencies are overwhelmed with inquiries about adopting children from the disaster, and Molly's new mom, like virtually everyone else who understands the uncertainties of international adoption, embraces the go-slow approach.

NINA SIEBENS, MALI'S ADOPTIVE MOTHER: Not moving too quickly and being able to find relatives, if possible, for these kids would be very, very important. And I think if people move too quickly, then perhaps that would be something that would not be in the best interest of the child.

JOHNS: Echoing those sentiments these days is Democratic senator Mary Landrieu, whose concern about adoption also comes from the heart.

LANDRIEU: These are my two children, our two, my husband and I. These are our two children. And they've been adopted into this huge, loving, wonderful family.

JOHNS: The mother of two adopted kids herself, Landrieu just went on a congressional trip to Sri Lanka, where she focused on the tsunami orphans.

Now that she's back, Landrieu is pressuring the State Department to implement a treaty to standardize international adoption practices. A treaty she says could help protect children orphaned in such disasters or otherwise from exploitation and mistreatment, including sexual abuse and forced labor.

LANDRIEU: It needs to be implemented immediately. We need to focus the resources on it. The world is looking to see what the United States is doing so that they -- we can be the incredible in our efforts to get other countries to implement it and to stop building orphanages and start building families.

JOHNS: The Treaty on International Adoption was passed by the Senate four years ago, but it doesn't go into effect until the State Department finalizes guidelines for it.

What's the hold up? Landrieu says the department had other priorities, including wars and terrorism. More recently, the department says, the adoption community has weighed in with so many suggestions on the guidelines that it slowed down the process.

RICHARD BOUCHER, STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN: We have received subsequently something like 1,800 individual comments on those rules from a variety of different organizations and state licensing authorities. JOHNS (on camera): Landrieu is not the only member of Congress focusing attention on the tsunami orphans. House majority leader Tom DeLay is expected to start looking into the adoption question when Congress reconvene reconvenes next week.

Joe Johns, CNN, Capitol Hill.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: And that's going to do it for us on this Wednesday. I'm Daryn Kagan.

SANCHEZ: And I'm Rick Sanchez. Wolf coming up with the very latest on the news today.

What you got?

KAGAN: He's got a commercial break, then he comes back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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Aired January 13, 2005 - 11:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: We are halfway through the hour, exactly at the 30 minute point. I'm Rick Sanchez. Why you looking at me like that?
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: You're just funny sometimes.

I'm Daryn Kagan. Let's take a look at what's happening "Now in the News."

A federal court in Atlanta ruled this hour on evolution in the schools. A judge ruled that a school district in Metro Atlanta, Cobb County, to be specific, cannot place stickers in science textbooks that say, "Evolution is a theory and not a fact." The judge says the stickers convey the message that the school board agrees with the beliefs of Christian fundamentalists and creationists and that, he says, violates the constitution's establishment cause.

A Marine Corps jet crashed today off the coast of Indonesia. The pilot ejected and was picked up by a rescue helicopter. The jet was based aboard the USS Richard, which is helping with tsunami relief.

Vice President Dick Cheney is promoting President Bush's plan to overhaul Social Security. He's going to speak this afternoon at Catholic University in Washington. The president wants workers to have the option to divert some Social Security tax dollars to private investments.

And Major League baseball is expected to announce a new tougher steroid policy today. A positive test would mean a suspension up to ten days. A fourth incident could mean a year away from the game. You'll see that announcement live on CNN at 2:30 Eastern during LIVE FROM. Keeping you informed, CNN is the most trusted name in news.

SANCHEZ: Now let's take you back out to California, where residents of La Conchita are vowing to rebuild some, following the massive mudslide that left ten people dead. But after two mudslides in ten years, others are saying, really, enough is enough.

CNN's Ted Rowlands talked to people drawn to the town's natural beauty, but now wary about the risk of another natural disaster.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN FRANCO, LA CONCHITA RESIDENT: It came right to here, man. I tell you we run out this way and there was a wall right there.

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The mudslide came knocking at John Franco's front door. His family and his home are OK, but many of his neighbors are now dead or injured.

FRANCO: One more up that's where Charlie Womack (ph) lived and, you know, where the family, children and Charlie and numerous other people. And then one more up was John, who they found deceased.

ROWLANDS: John bought the house five years after a slide here in 1995, which destroyed several homes, and he says he knew he was taking a risk.

FRANCO: It's always on the back of our mind, just never thought it would happen.

ROWLANDS: With a wife and three children, John thought hard about buying the house. After the slide of '95, banks were reluctant to grant mortgages and many of his neighbors had to buy their homes with cash. But John did get a mortgage. A geologist report characterized the risk of a slide damage as low. So, unable to resist the lure of La Conchita's shoreline beauty, John and his family moved in.

Don Ski went back to his house, that's also intact, to get some personal belongings. He says he, too, was well aware of the possible danger.

DON SKI, LA CONCHITA RESIDENT: Yes, but I didn't realize it, you know, and nobody does, you know, no one thinks it's going to happen, you know, to you, you know and it did. What can I say? You know, I don't know. I don't know.

ROWLANDS: While it's hard for some to fathom living in a place that faces a high risk of natural disaster, the fact is a lot of people are willing to risk it.

BOB ROPER, FIRE CHIEF, VENTURA COUNTY, CA: We have oceans that cause wave issues on homes, earthquake faults, rivers and the mountains. That's part of the beauty of the state of California and I don't believe that there's a way really to prevent people from evoking their private property rights and living where they want to.

FRANCO: Oh, the memories, the memories here.

ROWLANDS: John and his wife Jerri (ph) were given a half an hour to get some things out of their home. They don't know when they'll be able to come back. John says unless the hillside is somehow fortified he'll never have his family live here again.

FRANCO: Not after what I saw of the devastation, loss of life. There's lots of tears, lots of memories.

ROWLANDS: Ted Rowlands, CNN, La Conchita, California.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger visited the area yesterday. He promises to help residents of La Conchita who do want to rebuild. Some, though, are questioning whether the town should be condemned because of danger from mudslides.

Steve Bennett is the Ventura County supervisor who represents the area. He's joining me now from La Conchita. Mr. Bennett, good morning, thanks for being here with us.

STEVE BENNETT, VENTURA COUNTY SUPERVISOR: Good morning.

KAGAN: I'm sure you heard about the governor's comments from yesterday, if people want to go in, they should be able to. What's your opinion about that?

BENNETT: Well, Ventura County ultimately is responsible to make the decisions about when it is safe to go in and when it's not safe to go in. We certainly have some great experts here that are going to be able to give us that advice. At this point in time, outside of the short time that people are allowed to go back into their homes to get their possessions, our experts are saying it's not safe at this point in time for people to be able go back into their homes.

KAGAN: What about long term, though? I used to live up the road there in Santa Barbara. It is a beautiful area, La Conchita, as you drive up from L.A., right there on the coast, with the mountains in the background. You can see why people would fall in love with this tiny little place and yet, long-term, this is the second major mudslide in ten years. Is it a good idea to have a community at the base of those hills?

BENNETT: Well, it certainly, at a minimum, you can say it's risky to live at the base of hills like this all along the coast of California. But we now have had two slides. And they've been different kinds of slides. Ten years ago in 1995, it was a slide that gave a lot of advanced warning. It was more of a slump, and people knew it was coming. There was no loss of life. There was lots of opportunities for warnings.

This one, there was no notice, no preparation in advance. It was a major, catastrophic slide all the way from the top of the bluff, all at once, in about ten seconds it all came down. So now we're going to have to have the geologists do a different kind of analysis. I think the first slide, to some extent, could put people to sleep thinking well, yes, you could live there, but you would still get the warning. Now we're going to have to have the experts come and give us a whole other analysis before we would be able to make a determination and be able to do a risk assessment about what is the risk of living here underneath this particular area.

Once that determination is made, then there's the whole next level of questions and that is, legally, what are the private property rights of the people that live there? What should be the taxpayers' responsibilities and what should be the private citizen's responsibilities for the risk of living underneath this? Until we get the first assessment, in terms of geological assessment, it's going to be difficult to get into the other legal and policy questions that we're going to have in front of us.

KAGAN: Understandably. We've been, the last couple of days, focusing on La Conchita, along there on the coast. Those who know Ventura County knows that is goes well inland as well. Other parts of your county have been affected by bad weather, including the community of Piru. They were cut off with Highway 126 with those mudslides. What's the latest for the people in that community, sir?

BENNETT: Well, that we got very fortunate. We were anticipating the dam really spilling over and having a lot more damage happen to the community. Quite frankly, we were in complete heavy focus mode on Piru at the time that La Conchita slid because there was no indication we were going to have the slide here. So as a result of that, we were able to get a nurse and a doctor into that community while it was cut off. And the dam did not overflow like they thought it was going to. So the community's in much better shape than I think we all anticipated last Monday.

KAGAN: The governor also declaring a state of emergency. Is that going to help your county get back up and running with all the weather challenges?

BENNETT: Well, it's absolutely essential for us to have both a state and federal state of emergency declared because you can see here, we had 600 rescue people here yesterday. That's all of the various agencies involved. It's very expensive.

There is no way the county of Ventura can handle these kinds of clean-up costs without the help of the federal government and the state government. So yes, that declaration of emergency was absolutely essential and we really appreciate Governor Schwarzenegger coming here. And we made the request yesterday morning and he promptly agreed to it.

KAGAN: Well, our best to the people of La Conchita and all the people in your district and Ventura County. It is a beautiful county, indeed. County Supervisor Steve Bennett, thank you so much for your time.

BENNETT: Thank you.

KAGAN: You might be asking yourself what is up with all the weather extremes across the country? We invite you to stay with CNN for a replay of "Extreme Weather." That's a special edition of "NEWSNIGHT" with Aaron Brown, airing this afternoon between one -- actually, beginning at one Eastern.

SANCHEZ: Speaking of extreme weather, we have some breaking news coming into us right now. It involves some video that we received just a little while ago. These are pictures from Arkansas. Take a look at this. It's in Union County, Arkansas. What certainly appears to be and is being described by residents there as a tornado touchdown.

We're told two people have been killed in the wake of these storms, an elderly man and a woman. Interestingly enough, they were in separate parts of the county. They were killed, according to officials there, last night. We're seeing trailers overturned. You see this one on the roof of a building. Twenty people in all have been injured. It's a 20-mile swathe of destruction, as it's being described to us. It's cut across this part of Union County, Arkansas.

Once again, as we follow the story and get more information, we will share it with you.

KAGAN: That we will. As well as we'll do that with health news. We have serious news for anyone worried about your cholesterol. What the FDA is doing today. It could allow for one drug to be sold over- the-counter. That's coming up in our "Daily Dose."

SANCHEZ: Also, in the wake of the tsunamis, should there be a standard policy for international adoptions? What one senator is doing about it when CNN LIVE returns.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: President Bush taking a field trip of sorts today, going over to the Pentagon to get an update on some key issues, including the war on terror. Also aid relief, military aid relief to the tsunami victims across South Asia. He met with Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. Also Vice President Dick Cheney came along as well.

Also as the tape begins to roll, let's listen to the president.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Mr. Secretary, thank you very much for the briefing that we just had.

The secretary arranged for a briefing from Admiral Fargo and our commanders on the ground who are providing organization in handling the relief effort for the victims of the tsunamis.

I got to tell you: Our military is making a significant difference in providing relief and aid and help and compassion for those who have suffered.

I am very impressed, Mr. Secretary, about how quickly we have responded and the assets that you have ordered deployed to help these people.

And, you know, there's a lot of talk about how some in the world don't appreciate America. Well, I can assure you that those who have been helped by our military appreciate America.

We also talked about the war on terror.

We're constantly reviewing our strategy as to how to defeat the enemy. We fully recognize that the war on terror will require a coordinated effort within our own government, as well as a coordinated effort with the countries around the world which understand the stakes of this war.

I am pleased with the response from around the world. I appreciate so many nations understanding that we must work together to defeat these killers. I am mindful of the fact that we have constantly got to review our plans and never lose our will. So, Mr. Secretary, thanks for the briefing. It was a very good briefing and you're doing a fine job on behalf of the American people.

Thank you all.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: A few brief comments from President Bush has he goes up to the Pentagon to be briefed by Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. As you saw, the vice president, Dick Cheney, also by his side. The president talking about the update on the war on terror. Also the military tsunami relief taking place across South Asia.

Suzanne Malveaux standing by at the White House.

Suzanne, not a lot of news out of the president's comments, but I think it's kind of interesting to see the president go to the Pentagon, rather than the Pentagon come to the White House to give that kind of a briefing. Was this more than a photo-op?

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Daryn, every once in a while, the president will visit the Pentagon to thank the troops personally. The last time he was there was back in May.

What's interesting to know what he said, was the fact that he recognized some people did not appreciate America. He's referring to pockets of the Middle East, as well as Europe. He really certainly hopes that not only this humanitarian effort, this robust military effort in Asia, will help those on the ground, but certainly improve with U.S. relations with Indonesia many of those other critics that he has cited, and that is really important, because he's looking for support, as he acknowledged, in the war, the broader war, the war on terror -- Daryn.

KAGAN: And the president, when there was early criticism that the United States wasn't giving enough cash -- what started as $35 million, ultimately going up to $350 million. But even in that process, the president pointing out that a big part of the assistance that the United States was giving was the military aid. And of course, that would be a key part of what he was briefed on at the Pentagon today.

MALVEAUX: And that is something, of course, Daryn, as you know, isn't included in that $350 million figure. You know the United States was criticized quite a bit in the beginning, many who said they believed that it was a slow response to the tsunami crisis, a paltry contribution. The U.S. certainly hopes -- and they believe that they've largely erased that perception around the world.

But already, there are some indications in Indonesia that they are quite nervous, that government there, to see U.S. troops on the ground. They are now asking for escorts for some of those representatives of the United States, the United Nations. That really is going to be a limited window of opportunity that the U.S. is going to be able to contribute, and perhaps that will, as well, contribute to the goodwill that the president certainly hopes those victims are feeling.

KAGAN: Suzanne Malveaux at the White House. Suzanne, thank you.

SANCHEZ: If you take a cholesterol-lowering drug, then you probably need to stick around for our "Daily Dose." It's coming up in just a minute. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: And now for our "Daily Dose" of health news. The FDA panel is considering whether a cholesterol-lowering drug should be sold over-the-counter. The makers of Mevacor want permission to sell a low-dose version of the drug without a prescription. A cardiologist at the Cleveland Clinic tells AMERICAN MORNING that he has concerns about selling the drug over-the-counter.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. STEVEN NISSEN, CARDIOLOGIST, CLEVELAND CLINIC: All medications have risks. There are drug-drug interactions, so that if you take the common antibiotic, Arithramicin (ph), with Mevacor, it raises blood levels and it could induce toxicity, which can be muscle breakdown, or liver enzymes can go up.

You know, we need not take medications unless they're appropriate, and I think every medication has the potential for serious side effects, including the statin drugs. They are very, very safe, but you don't want to be taking a medication if you don't need it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: The FDA panel is meeting today and tomorrow to consider the request for over-the-counter sales.

And for your daily dose of health news online, logon to our Web site. You'll find the latest medical stories, special reports and a health library. The address is CNN.com/health.

SANCHEZ: Those heart-breaking pictures of children orphaned by the Asian tsunami has a lot of Americans considering whether they possibly could adopt one of those children. But in reality, it's not possible right now, because of the maze of bureaucratic regulations, both in the United States and in the countries where the children are means it will be years in some cases before the orphans can find a family.

So now there's a move afoot on Capitol Hill to try and change some of those procedures to make it quicker.

Here's congressional correspondent Joe Johns.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the up and down world of international adoptions, 17-month-old Mali is a success story.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Where's Mali? There she is!

JOHNS: With loving parents and a nice home in Virginia, she's one of 72 children from Thailand adopted in the U.S. last year. But after the tsunami struck, the same patchwork system that brought her here is putting on the brakes.

Agencies are overwhelmed with inquiries about adopting children from the disaster, and Molly's new mom, like virtually everyone else who understands the uncertainties of international adoption, embraces the go-slow approach.

NINA SIEBENS, MALI'S ADOPTIVE MOTHER: Not moving too quickly and being able to find relatives, if possible, for these kids would be very, very important. And I think if people move too quickly, then perhaps that would be something that would not be in the best interest of the child.

JOHNS: Echoing those sentiments these days is Democratic senator Mary Landrieu, whose concern about adoption also comes from the heart.

LANDRIEU: These are my two children, our two, my husband and I. These are our two children. And they've been adopted into this huge, loving, wonderful family.

JOHNS: The mother of two adopted kids herself, Landrieu just went on a congressional trip to Sri Lanka, where she focused on the tsunami orphans.

Now that she's back, Landrieu is pressuring the State Department to implement a treaty to standardize international adoption practices. A treaty she says could help protect children orphaned in such disasters or otherwise from exploitation and mistreatment, including sexual abuse and forced labor.

LANDRIEU: It needs to be implemented immediately. We need to focus the resources on it. The world is looking to see what the United States is doing so that they -- we can be the incredible in our efforts to get other countries to implement it and to stop building orphanages and start building families.

JOHNS: The Treaty on International Adoption was passed by the Senate four years ago, but it doesn't go into effect until the State Department finalizes guidelines for it.

What's the hold up? Landrieu says the department had other priorities, including wars and terrorism. More recently, the department says, the adoption community has weighed in with so many suggestions on the guidelines that it slowed down the process.

RICHARD BOUCHER, STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN: We have received subsequently something like 1,800 individual comments on those rules from a variety of different organizations and state licensing authorities. JOHNS (on camera): Landrieu is not the only member of Congress focusing attention on the tsunami orphans. House majority leader Tom DeLay is expected to start looking into the adoption question when Congress reconvene reconvenes next week.

Joe Johns, CNN, Capitol Hill.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: And that's going to do it for us on this Wednesday. I'm Daryn Kagan.

SANCHEZ: And I'm Rick Sanchez. Wolf coming up with the very latest on the news today.

What you got?

KAGAN: He's got a commercial break, then he comes back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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